Our Silk Stripe wallpaper is from a 1918 design for a woven silk by C.F.A Voysey found in the V&A Museum archives. The story of silk is both of splendour and the everyday: its origins are in ancient China, where it was initially reserved for the Emperor but later was used for items including paper, fishing lines and canvas for painting. It was kept a precious secret before being smuggled out and subsequently traded on the infamous Silk Road. What was once a functional material became a commodity coveted the world over.

Voysey's hand-painted watercolour washes give the feel of a fine textile, but the flat, simplified Arts & Crafts motifs ground it in something more modest. Indeed, the movement aimed to raise the profile of decorative artists whose work had historically been given less exposure than painters and sculptors. Designers pleaded for 'fitness in the ornament to the thing ornamented.'

Silk Stripe captures the opulence of silk whilst still offering a utilitarian Arts & Crafts sensibility: as it was in ancient China, this silk is both practical and precious.

This design is printed to order. Please order the correct amount of rolls needed to ensure continuity across batches.