William Morris Poster Sets

What a William Morris poster set is

A William Morris poster set consists of two or three prints of different patterns or colourways, chosen to hang side by side. On this site, William Morris posters are Archival Paper prints of historical patterns, but you can build a set using any of our print formats. Selecting prints as a group helps you build a coordinated display of William Morris wall art across a single wall.

You can browse every William Morris design, with year, designer and type to choose prints that match your room. A set of two creates balance above a sofa, bed, or mantel. A set of three or a larger gallery wall lets you show how different patterns from the firm interact through repeating leaves, branching stems, and natural dyes.

Sets that work together

You can build a cohesive set by looking at four visual elements: ground color, motif family, pattern scale, and alternate colourways.

Matching the ground color is the simplest way to unite different designs. When two patterns share an indigo, dark green, or cream background, the prints sit comfortably together even if their foreground leaves differ.

You can also group patterns by motif family. William Morris and John Henry Dearle drew from English gardens and hedgerows, creating patterns centered on birds, flowers, fruit, or foliage. Pairing two designs featuring scrolling acanthus leaves, or hanging two prints with garden birds and blossoms, creates an immediate visual link.

Scale also matters when building a set of two or three. Pairing patterns with a similar rhythm and density prevents one print from overpowering the other. Alternatively, you can select a single design shown in two different historical colourways to highlight how palette changes the mood of a pattern repeat.

Hanging a set of two or three

When hanging a set of two prints, place them at equal height side by side. Aligning the centers or the top edges keeps the pairing clean. Leave consistent space between the frames so the eye reads them as a deliberate pair rather than isolated images.

For a set of three prints, place the middle print at eye level and position the outer prints at equal distances to the left and right. If one print has a heavier pattern or a darker ground color, place it in the center to anchor the row. If two prints form a near-symmetrical pair, place them on the outside with a contrasting design in the middle.

If you are building a larger gallery wall, you can arrange prints in a grid or an asymmetrical cluster. Keep the spacing between frames uniform across the entire arrangement to maintain visual order.

Formats for a set

Prints on this site are printed and shipped by ArtsyWall in three formats: Archival Paper, Premium Canvas, and Framed Canvas. You should choose the same format and size across your set for a balanced presentation.

Archival Paper prints are unframed and printed on heavyweight 340gsm, textured, 100% cotton rag paper with a watercolor feel. They ship rolled in a tube, allowing you to frame them locally in matching frames of your choice.

Premium Canvas prints use thick, acid-free archival canvas stretched over solid wood bars with giclée printing. They arrive ready to hang with a sawtooth hanger on the back.

Framed Canvas prints place the stretched canvas inside a wood floating frame, leaving a small gap around the edges so the canvas appears to float. You can choose from six frame finishes: black, white, gold, silver, walnut, and oak. Framed Canvas prints arrive ready to hang with a hanging wire attached.