Marigold
Originally posted to my Substack feed on 26/11/2024
Recently I shared a “fun fact” about myself with other members of my design hub networking group. I have an alter-ego; a halfling (hobbit) druid by the name of Marigold Broadleaf. On Thursday nights, I escape my role as mum and wife for a few hours and drive to nearby Woodbridge to enjoy the sheer escapism, absolute chaos, and brilliant fun that is Dungeons & Dragons. This wonderful roleplaying game of fantasy battles, dangerous dungeons and of course epic Fire- (and lightning, acid and even frost!) breathing dragons is often the highlight of my week.
The group I play with have been together for over two years, meeting almost every week to battle Beholders, delve into the depths of the Underdark and generally save the Sword Coast from whatever new foe our fabulous Game-Master, Sam, comes up with. My character, Marigold, has become a huge part of my identity; my 1970’s hippy-soul, tree-hugging, eco-warrior, wrapped in a small and unassuming package much like the greatest hobbit who ever lived (Mr Samwise Gamgee of course). Marigold's role in the group is as the primary healer, and I have brought my friends back from the beyond on more than one occasion.
But what does all this have to do with William Morris? Well, much like my alter-ego, Morris saw the rampant natural beauty of the Marigold flower. So much so that he immortalised it in his 1897 pattern of the same name. The official Morris instagram feed describes the pattern as “describing the vibrant marigold flower, as Morris saw it, full of life, complexity and rhythm.” I love this - marigolds can be a rather unruly member of the flower-border, growing wild and tall over the other plants, with their happy orange blooms dancing carefree in the breeze. A neighbour of mine has a wonderful display in their front garden - still in bloom last week after the first hard frost and the plummet in temperature, showing their resilience for a little longer than their more delicate bedfellows. At my best, I like to think I (and my alter-ego) identify closely with this - complex characters, who are full of life and move to the beat of our own drum.
I have a long-held affection for Morris, his work and his outlook on life. Like many, I have taken much from his quote to “have nothing in your houses you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”. In my past life as a UX designer, I would often lament the poor design or user experience of things I came across in my day-to-day life. The poor placement of doorhandles (or pull-handles on a “push” door), impossible-to-use online booking systems, and anything designed without consideration for colour-blindness or colour contrast. As an interior designer, of course this saying takes on a whole new meaning - yes it’s lovely to shop for beautiful cushions and wallpapers (as I have done this week!); but if a home doesn’t serve its occupants on a functional level, beautiful belongings will only serve as a band-aid for the deeper issues we face every day.
The living room of is our house is (for me) a big challenge as a designer. Not only does it need to serve the needs of all four neurodiverse members of our household, but needs to accommodate up to 8 adults on a regular basis in the evenings when we host D&D sessions, boardgame night and our small church homegroup (my own complex and diverse interests being well represented in that sentance!). Two doors on one wall and a fully open archway to the open plan dining room on the opposite wall, mean TV and furniture placement options are limited - not to mention the overly large and frankly ostentatious fireplace installed by the previous owners. Combine this with our decision to buy a huge grey hulking corner sofa when we moved in, and I’m left stumped with how to best “make do” while working with a limited budget (the recent discovery of a leaking Velux window in the dining room having put-paid to my grandest plans for a complete overhaul).
In an ideal world I would rip out the fireplace, re-plaster the artex ceiling and add some character using coving around the ceiling before commissioning the mother-of-all-media-units to fill one wall. But we don’t live in an ideal world (as recent world politics shows us daily… don’t get me started - Marigold and I don’t fare well on that front!). So, I am left to work with my own meagre funds, and to take my own design advice and “pick one thing you love, and work with that”. By this I mean, choose something - be it a pattern, a picture, a cushion, whatever - something which you love and when you walk into the room and see it there, it’ll always bring a smile to your face. For me (in this space) this is William Morris’ wallpaper in, unsurprisingly, the “Marigold” design.
Marigold is a tone-on-tone pattern; meaning it recedes into the background, and provides a little bit of visual texture without commanding too much attention. This works well for us; too much bold, busy or intense pattern is overwhelming for some members of the family - and when this is literally the ‘living’ room (where we all spend the majority of our time together), we all need to stay as regulated as possible. Using a more gentle pattern on the walls also means I can hang other more colourful artwork on top if I want to, as well as adding more fun and pattern with sofa cushions which are more easily swapped out when I get bored and need a change.
As my D&D group near the end of their two-year long adventure, I am sadly having to reconcile myself with the fact that my dear Marigold will soon either retire (and live a few more hundred fantastical years in blissful solitude in her forest treehouse) or will save the world one final time before sacrificing herself for her friends and bowing out in a blaze of glory. Either way, by wrapping my lounge wall in her namesake, every time I come home I’ll be reminded of that part of myself, which will never fail to bring a smile to my lips.
If you’d like to see the progress and developments as the redecoration takes place (and you’re not part of any of the aforementioned active visiting groups to our home!) please do follow my instagram feed where I’ll be sharing all the progress over the next week or so. Find me @lucy.penn.interiors
Lucy x