Kelly Hoppen And William Morris Bringing Together The Past And Present

You cannot escape the past. All that we do in every walk of life has some link to the way things ‘used to be done’. Our culture, our traditions and our beliefs are based around our history and the present is linked to the past, often trends and ideas go full circle but are adapted to suit the current situation. Interior design is no exception. This essay will examine two designers, a pioneer from history and a contemporary designer and explore how cultural influences affect and inspire their work. This essay will show both similarities and differences between the designers.

William Morris is a name even those with limited knowledge of design will recognise. He was a key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement around 1880 to 1910. William Morris felt that “art was nothing if not a product of craftsmanship” The Art Story (2020). He was rejecting the industrialisation of the time and wanting to recreate the feeling of the cottage industry where items were produced individually and had some meaning to the maker and the purchaser. The Arts and Crafts movement was significant because it promised a new era where work was dignified, there would be a moral and artistic society that would do away with the class system (King 2008). Morris did not subscribe to the Victorian design ideas because they were related to the urbanisation and industrialisation of that era, which he was keen to reject, so his designs were inspired further back in the past by nature, medieval art, Gothic art. A huge amount of his designs were inspired by nature, (Wild 2018) states that the house and garden were designed as “complimentary parts of a world of its own”. His designs all showed an amazing attention to detail and he used a range of materials for his textiles, furniture, wallpapers, stained glass and any architectural ideas. In Morris’s work, especially his wallpaper designs, you can see a lot had been inspired by nature. Morris was inspired by the world around him, especially when he moved into The Red House where he designed his first paper which was a floral wallpaper inspired by his garden (National Trust). He never copied the flowers exactly, this way he could create unique and original wallpapers and fabrics. Morris produced over 50 wallpaper designs and all were based on studying very closely nature, the patterns he produced were not necessarily literal reproductions of nature more a stylised version (Victoria and Albert Museum 2020). His first wallpaper design was called Trellis and was inspired from his garden at the Red House. This design showed a medieval influence as it resembles illuminated manuscripts and tapestries from that period (The Arts Factory 2020). As Morris was determined to stick to the ideas of the past and avoid mass production, most of his wallpapers were done by block printing which was very time consuming and labour intensive. This meant his wallpapers were generally more expensive and so not readily available to everyone. This meant every piece took far longer to make but always had care taken to make it and required someone with high level of skill in printing to do such a time consuming task.

Morris also produced tapestries. These were very much influenced by earlier designs and other cultures. His first tapestry was ‘Acanthus and Vine’ (1879) and took over five hundred hours to produce, it was influenced by verdure tapestries made in France and Flanders in the sixteenth century (V & A 2020). The last tapestry he worked on was a commission for the interiors of Stanmore Lodge and once again he went back to past designs and based his design on the ‘The Orchard’ and these tapestries told a story.

Kelly Hoppen is contemporary designer famous the world over. Everyone can recognise a room that has been designed by Kelly Hoppen from her sleek lines use of symmetry and neutral colour palate. She has a passion for good design, and states “Good design connects with people – and it is the connection that makes it good” (Hoppen 2004). Hoppen is inspired by the organic world and nature is a huge inspiration because of the range of colours, textures, shapes and patterns seen in nature. It shows a sculpted plaster shell and although it is not an exact copy of a shell it is easy to see where the inspiration came from and that simple shape from nature she used as inspiration for a spiral staircase. Although her designs are simpler than Morris’s they follow the same principle in their inspiration. Both inspired by the world around them but still creating unique designs. She likes to use natural materials in her designs such as stone, wood, linen and flowers. Some things are taken directly from nature but a lot of her design is more a feeling that she gains form nature (Hoppen 2004). This is similar to Morris who also didn’t want he designs to be exact replicas of flowers but to be inspired by nature to create original designs. Hoppen will focus on the mood she wants to create leading to unique deigns as its all her own concept not copied only inspired by what’s in her life.

Kelly Hoppen is inspired by a variety of things from jewellery to art but her biggest inspiration comes from music (Nonagon date). She is inspired by a lot of different genres of music from jazz to opera. It is hard to imagine at first that sound could inspire an interior until realising it focuses on the mood and feel she wants to create in the space which will inspire the design. Hoppen’s style has an East meets West element to it. Global travel has extended our ability to bring other cultures into our lifestyles and Hoppen has managed to bring East and West together. She is aware that through history artists are inspired by unusual exotic items. She feels East meets West is contemporary but “it values traditional skills and workmanship” (Hoppen 1997). Hoppen like Morris can recognise the value of craftsmanship but in a modern world is able to mass produce goods to a good quality without it being labour intensive. Morris was not able to do this. She manages to bring other cultures into her designs while also being able to keep traditional elements; this can be seen in Morris work too.

Kelly Hoppen designs for wallpapers or cushions are mass produced as they are in high demand and that way they can make more products quicker. This does mean that the craftsmanship and skill are not appreciated as much, as machines can produce the products and don’t require skill and talent to be made, just a good design that can be recreated. This is something Morris didn’t agree with, he would want products to be handcrafted. (The Guardian 24/3/16). This way each piece would have time and care taken to make it alongside this it would require skill to make his designs. However, times have changed and now a lot of his wallpapers are mass produced, which has made his work more easily accessible but means that it is not necessarily staying true to what he believed. His designs are not only wallpapers now but also put on note books, pencil cases and duvet covers. This shows how popular his designs are today and shows how old designs can still work in a home today if a modern twist is put on the design.

Overall this essay has looked at some of the designs of the past that have inspired designers today. William Morris was very influential and will continue to be. His designs are always in high demand and his designs from the past inspire some of todays designers. Kelly Hoppen shows modern design can be inspired by the same things as William Morris was inspired by. Such as the East meets West which has simplistic designs and symmetry both used by William Morris and Kelly Hoppen. The designers mentioned in this essay show how free design can be, there are no restrictions and one drawing has endless possibilities and could lead to a range of designs. They are both inspired by the world around them and what by what sparks joy in their life, from music to nature. William Morris and Kelly Hoppen are trendsetters of their time – the question is will Hoppen’s designs stay as in such high demand as Morris’s still do? Contemporary designers will always be able to look to the past to be inspired. Design is a continuous cycle, some trends will always come back around and some style trends are always in fashion.