Willow Bough and Kelmscott

Willow is emblematic of Jane Morris and Kelmscott Manor, the house that Morris most loved and where he lived the longest. He maintained rooms in town, but returned often to the "Old Grey House by the River" in the Cotswolds, exploring the countryside and spending hours fishing from the river bank or in a small boat. Willow Bough was inspired by the trees the graced the banks of his favorite fishing spots in the nearby streams and rivers.

Architecturally, Kelmscott is a Tudor house, not Arts & Crafts (That would be Red House, his first married home that he built for himself and his wife, Janey). Kelmscott was built around 1570 with later additions into the seventeenth century. Morris rented the estate first with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and continued to keep it until his death. Jane bought the house a few months before her death in 1914.

First, There was Willow

After the dissolution of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co. ('The Firm'), Morris founded his own company, Morris and Co., setting up shop at 449 Oxford Street. By this time, Morris's attention had turned to woven fabrics. He employed Louis Bazin, who created the first Morris textile fabric, Willow, in 1877, using a Jacquard Loom in a workshop near Queen Square. Although Willow was first implented in fabric, it later became one of Morris and Co.'s most popular wallpaper designs. Morris himself preferred tapestries and embroideries; he created wallpapers and fabrics in order to make his patterns accessible to more people.

Willow Tiles

I have several variations available. The original colors were green on a bisque cream. Willow is a seamless tile on the vertical.

Colors: White or cream background

Sizes: 6 inch ceramic tiles.

Willow Pattern Colors

Willow is available in green, blue, and blue and green, on white, black, or parchment background.

Willow Tile Pricing

6 inch square tiles: $61 each

8 inch square tiles: $81 each

How to Order Tile