Wallpaper Goes Big with Maxi Motifs & Large Scale Patterns for Trending Home Style
William Morris made wallpaper fashionable in the 19th century with his nature motifs taken from British wildlife. Since the mid-1800s, wallpaper has fallen in and out of style. Today, patterned walls are back in a big way with maxi-motifs often inspired by Morris’ progress patterns from the Victorian period.

William Morris’ patterns endure today through a variety of licensees manufacturing homeware, bedding and wallpaper and are often emulated by other designers. Victoria & Albert Museum in London holds a large archive of William Morris designs available for license in different product categories.

The museum recently licensed a series of William Morris patterns to Moda Fabrics to create a line of quilting fabrics.
Taking cues from William Morris’ oeuvre, wallpaper houses around the world reinterpret his radical naturalism born of the British the Arts and Crafts movement to create contemporary wallpaper and textiles. Italian wallpaper house Skinwall is fusing the concepts of pattern and mural to create massive wallscapes in sweeping scenes for feature walls or entire rooms. Here’s a look at some of their latest designs in the Palingenesi collection wallpapers by artists/designers Fabio Iemmi, Michelangelo Bonfiglioli and Gloria Zanotti.
Exotic Gardens:
The garden goes indoors with exotic settings evoking wild forests, jungles, lush foliage and exotic birds.




Maxi Motifs:
Large stylized florals and foliage update a traditional motif with a pop art edge.





Dreamscapes:
Wallscapes that infuse an ethereal, fantastical ambiance to a living space stir emotions. These dreamlike designs feature various muses to create striking, theatrical atmospheres.



Chinoiserie Amplified:
Large Asian inspired motifs create a contemporary take on Chinoiserie style in the home in bold colors.





For more design ideas, subscribe to my youtube channel for regular episodes of The Design Tourist for what’s new and next in design.