July 14, 2017
One of you sent me some images of William Morris wallpaper and fabric … oh, what lovely fun!
The Brook by John Henry Dearle for William Morris Co.
If you have a few minutes to spare, I can’t encourage you enough to take a look at their wallpaper and fabrics. They might not be your style, but they are so lovely, creative and distinctive. The William Morris company is particularly adept at using themes and ideas from nature, and many of their products would make excellent inspirations for a wardrobe.
When I saw this, I thought of a lovely heroine who drives, uphill (!) to get to her family’s lake house…
The Brook by John Henry Dearle for William Morris Co.
The Lake House
“Make sure my cardigan is on TOP of the grocery boxes – I’m going to need it when we get up into the mountains!”
“If they have blueberries, I’ll make cobbler. Otherwise, I’m thinking that we’ll definitely have strawberry shortcake for breakfast… It all depends on what they have at the stand; if it’s not in season, we can’t just magically make it appear…”
“Yes, it’s very different from the supermarket. This is food that grew right here, and is fresher than anything in the store at home. It’s important to know what foods grow during different times of year, so you don’t buy food that just flew in from Peru….”
“Corn on the cob? Of course we can – get as much as you can carry…”
“A few weeks ago he had some fresh beef available; help me remember to ask for any fresh meat that he has. There’s bacon and hamburger in the cooler, but something else would be nice…”
“You can get TWO bunches of flowers, if you promise to arrange them as soon as we get to the cabin. Put one on the dining table, and then you can have one in your room, too…”
“If we empty the grocery box, I might be able to fit a bushel of peaches in the trunk on the way home…”
love,
Janice
p.s. I think it’s in my blogger contract to remind you that Nordstrom has a sale coming soon. If you need something, take a look. If you don’t need something, you don’t suddenly need it just because they put it on sale, do you?
Like this article? Save it to Pinterest!
I agree with you on the sale.
Nice! Do you reckon that the spruce would look well in combination with the tawny port? I would be very interested in seeing this combo. Maybe with the blue also?? Hmmm maybe not…..
Lovely wardrobe, the sorts of things I like to wear. It occurred to me that if you decorate your house in a particular wallpaper, and then buy your clothes to match, you would always blend in beautifully. We are just about to move into a new house, and I have already bought a heap of new clothes, based on some of your principles, so I can't do that, but I could decorate my house to match my wardrobe. Hmmm…
Hope you are now feeling better.
Linda M
I am so excited about the beautiful greens showing up in fall collections. I love green and wear it often…thanks for the inspiration, Janice.
Ohhhhhh … This is just about the most perfect color palette for me.
For even more William Morris inspiration check out williammorristile.com. The tiles groupings in particular remind me very much of Hermes scarves! How beautiful just four or five of these tiles would be in a nature lover's kitchen!
As a kitchen and bath designer, I often recommend these types of "focal point" products to add personality to a space. Though they can be pricey, just a little bit goes a long way. Mixing high (like William Morris tiles) and low (think standard white subway tiles) is one of the best ways to get more bang for your buck in the home remodeling industry and has the added bonus of helping you love where you live by enjoying things of beauty on a daily basis. See how Janice's concepts of wardrobe planning can easily carry over into other areas of our lives?! The Vivienne Files is one of my favorite sights for daily inspiration – the color schemes and visual references (artwork, birds, scarves, etc) are always a joy to behold and a wonderful way to begin my day.
I really love this color scheme. :)Hope you are feeling better.
I can be packed in 10 minutes! Just tell me where to meet up – this promises to be a delightful vacation. And I love the colors, and Wm Morris designs as well. Marvelous for needlework.
I've long adored William Morris: Nature + superb colorations that are harmonious though often unusual. And I wear so much LL Bean! This is a great little wardrobe, and of course one should take an apron to the cabin! Who wouldn't? My best friend lives in an old, very old, cottage in the UK with W. Morris curtains and chair cushions. "Strawberry Thief" in the guest bedroom where I stay.
William Morris' words "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful" are always at the top of my mind when I shop for ANYTHING. His patterns are gorgeous. Thanks for another wonderful inspiration.
Love the colors on this one, and I loved the inclusion of the apron and oven mitts! Also, I believe this is the first time I ever got the notion that our heroine was not traveling alone. Interesting.
Thank you for this piece of loveliness and I hope you are feeling better.
Love the spruce green – I hope we see a lot of this in the upcoming season. I always love your stories. Transporting! And ditto Deb, as to hoping you're feeling better.
Vancouver Barbara
I ordered something in that shade from LL Bean last year but it turned out to be too yellow in person (it looked bluer on my screen). Land's End had a similar, more blue-based color at the time. All monitors are slightly different so what a color looks like on your screen may not be what it looks like in reality.
I so wish I had a lake house! But your blog helps me dream a little…
Hope you are feeling better. Deb from Ohio
P.S. Your comment about the sale made me laugh.
I was wondering if you will shop the Nordstrom sale for us and tell about: some great all black shoes for walking all day in, some cardigans you or our heroine would buy and accessories, and maybe a LBD or one in spruce with sleeves? Please, pretty please. I feel so overwhelmed to go there in person. Shopping online, with your help, is much more comfortable for me. Ann
Hope you are feeling better soon, Janice. We've been spoiled by having daily updates. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I appreciate how much effort you put into The Vivienne Files. It's my favorite part of breakfast!
This sings to a pattern-lover like me, and they're lovely colours that look beautiful together. Thank you Janice! I imagine that gorgeous spruce will work with grey as well as cream, and navy as well as the pretty soft blue. Trying to minimise shopping but the spruce is calling out to me. And yes, tawny port, cognac, burgundy/pinot . . . A wine-lover's dream combo. Hoping this post is a sign of improved health for you,
Robyn in Tasmania
Glad you're back :)…. hope you are feeling better!!! LOVE your blog (just found it recently and am enjoying reading old posts too)!
That spruce green hoodie is so pretty! I was in Target today and saw a bikini with that beautiful spruce color. – nancyo
Love this color palette! Green clothes are beautiful.
Janice,
So glad to see you back in top form once again !
Who ever said "blue and green should never be seen .. " hadn't yet come across William Morris, Janice and the lovely green and navy striped top by L L Bean!
BTW, like your blue/green merge in your new style pie chart.
Comfortable footwear selection
Using wallpaper is one of the important part of interior design. I design my bedroom with Holden decor wallpaper. Their designs of wallpaper is very unique and beautiful.