Inside Penny Morrison’s globally inspired fabrics

When Penny Morrison began her decorating career more than 30 years ago, she discovered that she had a passion for antiques. But not just for paintings, ceramics, and objets d’art – it was textiles that she really fell in love with, and it was through travel that she was able to start collecting things like rugs, suzanis, ikats and Turkish embroideries in order to furnish both her home and those of her clients. Inevitably this led to her beginning to design her own fabrics based on these precious pieces, and so began the fabric and wallcoverings side of the business.

 It is this aesthetic which now shapes and underpins the company’s design credentials and language today, and upon which many of the company’s iconic fabrics and wallcoverings are based.

Here we take a look at some of the brand’s best-known designs alongside some of their newest, across fabrics, wallpapers and lighting and discuss why the appeal of globally inspired product still has the power to transform and shape an interior today.

The enduring appeal of Penny Morrison fabrics lies in their ability to be effortlessly layered. Mostly printed on white grounds, these fabrics allow multiple layers of pattern to be built up, either through the use of cushions on chairs, or footstools and ottomans placed in front of sofas.

The Dominica design is one such pattern, featuring exotic fruits in rich bold berry and bitter chocolate colours. Inspired by an antique bed hanging found on the island of Dominica, the white linen ground prevents the design from becoming too heavy or overbearing. Antique patterned cushions and throws in rich red colourings can further imbue a room with warmth, provenance and a little intrigue.

The Persian Poppy wallpaper, launched earlier this year, is based on another antique find, and can be used to good effect in all manner of spaces. Suzanis have an enduring appeal and a rich history and provenance, which can add character and an interesting narrative to your room. Historically made as dowries by the women of Central Asia, the stylised motifs are highly symbolic, and often feature red as a prominent colour. 

Red also features in two pretty floral prints, both inspired by antique chintz block prints, Evora and Rosa. Available as both fabric and wallpaper, these patterns offer a more delicate pattern option, and an alternative scale to the larger designs in our collections.

Printed in rich red and chocolate colourways that faithfully echo the traditional dyestuffs once used by artisans, Evora’s textured grounds create a wonderful sense of depth, while the intricate motif draws the eye effortlessly across the surface.

Penny Morrison’s pleated lampshades are designed to work across a variety of colour schemes and rooms. Most are made from  ‘Tussar’ silk, which is a natural silk produced by wild silkworms. These lampshades have a rich texture with a subtle golden-beige ground sheen, and are available in a number of designs, sizes and colourways.

Originating during the Victorian period, the concept of the lampshade was conceived when candle light gave way to gas and subsequently, the electric light bulb, particularly the latter, as a shield from the new ’unnatural’ light but also to hide the bulb itself. Thus they became useful objects when switched on, and decorative objects when switched off. At Penny Morrison, the brand believes the humble lamp shade offers a great opportunity both to layer in more pattern whilst also ‘lifting’ or breaking up an otherwise uninteresting part of the room.

Many of Penny Morrison’s fabrics are also offered as wallcoverings, so the opportunity to pattern drench is often available. Earlier this year, the brand launched its first collection of grasscloth wallcoverings, reproducing some of the iconic patterns in new and existing colourways. Jamawar is one such design. It is one of our most loved and enduring fabric prints, inspired by an early 17th-century woven shawl from Kashmir. Of course, nothing says heritage, tradition and global like the paisley motif…

This distinctive teardrop motif has travelled across cultures – from Persian and Indian textiles to European Decorative Arts, giving them an inherently layered and collected quality. Launched this Spring in five new colourways, this beautiful wallcovering delivers an abundance of texture, elegance and a little bit of romance! 

Each new fabric, wallpaper or lampshade is carefully designed and curated to work alongside each other in delightfully new and surprising ways. And each has a story or history that Penny Morrison has become the new custodian of and which represents a continuation of the rich decorative legacy of a centuries-old tradition of textile making, connecting interiors today with the enduring decorative arts of the past.