Thursday, 20 August 2026

A treasured visitors' book created by the daughter of Edward Burne-Jones is reimagined as timeless wallpaper designs for modern homes

(August 2026) British wallpaper design studio Willow & Woods has unveiled Margaret: The Visitor's Book Collection, featuring eight hand-drawn wallpapers shaped by an extraordinary creative heritage.

Founder and surface pattern designer Katie Beardsley drew inspiration from a visitors' book begun more than 120 years ago by her great-great-grandmother, Margaret Mackail, daughter of celebrated Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones, whose lifelong friendship and collaboration with William Morris helped define Britain's Arts and Crafts movement.

Filled with Margaret's own sketches, decorative drawings, photographs and signatures gathered between 1906 and 1912, the book offers a rare glimpse into the creative life of one of Britain's most influential artistic families.

Katie has translated the rhythm, repetition and quiet artistry found throughout the archive into eight timeless wallpaper designs - the result is a collection rooted in British decorative heritage, yet designed to sit effortlessly within today's interiors.

What makes it especially distinctive is one design, Margaret Hand, which goes beyond inspiration alone. Incorporated within its delicate stripe are Margaret Mackail's own original floral studies, created between 1906 and 1912, and preserved within the wallpaper itself. It creates a direct connection between two generations of creativity, honouring a shared tradition of craftsmanship and artistic expression.

Katie Beardsley, founder of Willow & Woods, said:
"Margaret: The Visitor's Book Collection is particularly personal because it connects my work with a family archive that has been passed down through generations. What began as sketches in a visitors' book in 1906 has become inspiration for a collection of wallpapers designed for modern living.

"Margaret Hand feels especially meaningful to me because it carries Margaret's own hand within the design. Knowing that artwork she created more than a century ago can become part of people's homes feels like a wonderful way to celebrate her creativity while creating something entirely new.

“My aim has always been to create wallpaper people can live with for years. Patterns that add quiet character and depth without demanding attention, becoming part of a home's story over time."

The collection also reflects a remarkable artistic lineage.

Margaret Mackail grew up surrounded by many of the leading creative figures of Victorian Britain. Her father, Edward Burne-Jones, was one of Britain's foremost Pre-Raphaelite artists and a lifelong friend and collaborator of William Morris. Together they became founding partners of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., the influential decorative arts firm that later evolved into Morris & Co., helping shape the Arts and Crafts movement and redefine British decorative design.

That creative heritage informs Willow & Woods today, continuing an appreciation for hand-drawn pattern and thoughtful design.

Each wallpaper begins as a hand drawing before being printed to order in the UK on FSC-certified paper using eco-friendly inks. The eight designs - Between the Lines, The Long View, Found Flower, Margaret Hand, Garden Trail, Quiet Bloom, Scattered Notes and Watching, Waiting - reinterpret details discovered throughout Margaret's visitors' book, from delicate botanical sketches and decorative motifs to expressive mark-making and gentle landscapes.

Inspired by nature, the collection is available in a carefully curated palette of muted blues, soft greens, warm neutrals, gentle pinks and earthy tones, chosen to bring warmth, depth and quiet character to homes.

Designed for homeowners and interior designers alike, the collection reflects Willow & Woods' philosophy that the best interiors are gathered over time rather than created around trends.

As Katie explains:
"I don't believe the best interiors are created in a weekend. They're built slowly through the things we choose to live with - gathered over time. Wallpaper should support that, bringing warmth and texture to homes that feel personal, layered and lived in.”

With Margaret: The Visitor's Book Collection, Willow & Woods celebrates almost two centuries of creative heritage, bringing one family's story into homes for a new generation.

Visit the new Willow & Woods website at willowandwoods.co.uk
Follow @willowandwoodsdesign

THE FULL PRESS PACK CAN BE VIEWED HERE:
GOOGLE DRIVE


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For samples, interviews with Katie, further images and information, contact Kathy Rivans at PR4 Media Ltd. kathy@pr4.com / 07788 272 009

*Photography Note

Images of the Burne-Jones and Morris families at The Grange (North End Road, Fulham), by Frederic Hollyer, are also available from several museums, including, The V&A, National Portrait Gallery and the William Morris Gallery.

Katie’s is an original photograph that has been preserved in the family archive and passed down through the generations and photographed alongside the new wallpaper collection inspired by her great-great-grandmother Margaret Mackail.

Visitors' book background and images
Margaret’s visitors' book covers the years 1906-1912. During those years the family rented large houses as was tradition at the time and made them their home. The houses were Dogmersfield Rectory and Wilsford Manor.

The visitors' book pages consist of doodles and drawings, some of which give ideas of what the guests got up to while staying, including tennis and piano playing. Each page contains a signature or name and date, and a photo of the person that Margaret would have then stuck in. It provides a real snapshot of life at the time. Margaret’s circle of friends and family is huge and consists of lots of well-known society names as well as prominent figures - artists, designers, architects and even her cousin Stanley Baldwin who went on to become prime minister.

Product Information

Margaret: The Visitor's Book Collection
Eight hand-drawn wallpaper designs
Three colourways per design
Twenty-eight wallpaper options in total
Printed to order in the UK
FSC-certified paper
Eco-friendly inks
£109 per roll
Samples from £2.95
Available at: willowandwoods.co.uk

SEE PRODUCT INFORMATION DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS


Notes to Editors

About Willow & Woods
Willow & Woods is a British design studio founded by surface pattern designer Katie Beardsley, creating hand-drawn wallpaper inspired by nature, creative heritage and the British landscape. Every collection begins as original artwork before being printed to order in the UK, creating timeless wallpapers designed to bring warmth, depth and quiet character to homes gathered over time.