Paperblanks Morris Windrush A6 Cahier Notebook – Plain

Slim, light and wonderfully practical, this Morris Windrush A6 cahier notebook from Paperblanks offers 80 plain pages of 100 gsm paper, all perforated for easy removal.

Say hello to the iconic Paperblanks look in a brand new format! Each cahier notebook comes with 80 perforated pages of high-quality text paper, which take everyday note-taking to a whole new level.

This Windrush pattern comes from a pencil and watercolour sketch that William Morris worked on in 1881–1883. Designed for block-printed cotton, Windrush highlights the creative approach Morris took to revealing elements from the natural world in his decorative furnishing fabrics.

The Story Behind the Design

William Morris (1834–1896) is one of the most renowned figures in the decorative arts. As a textile designer, he developed an original style that charmed his contemporaries and has since become a point of reference for all those interested in design and decoration. His creative approach was characterised by his pronounced views on what constitutes beauty and a firm belief in the essential value of art and handicraft. The Arts and Crafts movement, inspired by the ideals of Morris and the social theorist John Ruskin, had as much of an anti-industrial ideological component as it did an aesthetic teaching.

Studying Classics at Oxford University, Morris developed an interest in the history, social values and art of the Middle Ages. His appreciation of the medieval theme found its way into his designs, with patterns often replicating the “millefleurs” style of the 15th and 16th centuries. Characterised by an abundance of small decorative flowers and plants used to fill the background space, this style is most closely associated with the tapestry-making traditions of France and Belgium.

Morris was also an influential writer and a staunch social activist and was aghast at the effect that industrialisation was having on human productivity. New methods of production eroded the value of individual skill and a sense of accomplishment that came with the process of handiwork. He perceived medieval crafts guilds to be an ideal arrangement, where everyone contributed according to their own skill, and art and creation were a lived experience for both craftsmen and consumers. When he founded an interior design business together with a few like-minded associates, it followed the guild model and relied on traditional labour-intensive methods of production.

Ultimately, Morris believed that traditional crafts ensured higher-quality products, and so he made his furnishings using traditional weaving and the old technique of hand woodblock printing. For motifs, he looked to nature as his primary source of inspiration, which for him had an added element of defiance to the corrosive Industrial Revolution.

The rich pattern of this Morris Windrush design reflects his abiding interest in naturalism. This is a reproduction of a textile crafted in 1881, the time when Morris’ work was celebrated internationally, and it remains a popular pattern to this day.

• Original artwork: William Morris pencil and watercolour sketch
• Era: 1881
• Region: Surrey, England

Product Details

• Size: A6 – 105 × 148 × 5 mm
• Interior: Plain
• Pages: 80 (40 sheets)
• Paper: 100 gsm acid-free smooth paper
• Binding: Saddle Stitched
• Design: Morris Windrush
• Series: William Morris
• 300 gsm decorative printed cover
• All pages perforated for easy tear-out
• Saddle-stitch binding in thread colour that matches the cover design
• Decorative front endpapers that showcase the cover design and provide the story behind the cover art
• Name plate
• Weight: 77 g
• Product code: CBD6302 | ISBN: 9781408763025

About Paperblanks

Paperblanks works with museums, libraries, galleries and artists around the world to faithfully reproduce remarkable artwork, historic bindings and treasured manuscripts, and every notebook is crafted with the same attention to detail, from the paper inside to the finish of the cover.