At home since 1946: We celebrate 80 years of Graham & Brown
At Wallpaperdirect, we’ve long admired Graham & Brown for its enduring passion for design, its rich creative heritage and its ability to bring beautiful, characterful interiors to life. Celebrating 80 years of design heritage, Graham & Brown’s anniversary collection brings eight decades of creativity to life through eight iconic designs, each inspired by a different decade in the brand’s history. Reimagined for contemporary interiors, these archive-inspired patterns and textures have been thoughtfully developed by the Graham & Brown design studio, drawing on the people, stories and creative spirit behind the brand. Launched on 2 February 2026, the company’s official 80th birthday, the collection honours a remarkable legacy of design and the role wallpaper plays in making a house feel like home. From timeless heritage motifs to contemporary textures, each design offers a distinctive connection to Graham & Brown’s story, bringing a rich sense of history and enduring style to the homes of today.
Renaissance
We love designs that combine a rich sense of history with enduring style, and Renaissance is a beautiful example. Inspired by the very first wallpaper to come off Graham & Brown’s printing presses in 1946, this anniversary design celebrates the brand’s remarkable heritage while bringing a fresh perspective to a much-loved classic. With its nod to the glamour of Art Deco, the motif has been reimagined by the Graham & Brown design studio for contemporary interiors, with three elegant colourways to choose from.
We’d use Renaissance to create a sophisticated focal point in a living room or dining space, pairing its decorative pattern with dark timber, tactile velvet and warm metallic accents. It’s a look that taps into the growing heritage maximalism trend, where archive-inspired designs, layered textures and statement patterns bring depth, character and a sense of collected elegance to modern homes.
Daisyfield
The team at Wallpaperdirect are always drawn to designs that tell a story, and Daisyfield has a particularly lovely connection to Graham & Brown’s heritage. Its name celebrates Daisyfield Mill in Blackburn, acquired by the company in the early 1970s during a significant period of growth and creativity. With floral design at the heart of Graham & Brown’s creative identity, this cheerful, characterful name pays tribute to the brand’s history while capturing the enduring appeal of bringing the beauty of nature indoors.
We think Daisyfield is a particularly lovely choice for kitchens, where its fresh floral spirit pairs beautifully with painted wooden cabinetry, traditional timber doors and classic panelling. For a considered, coordinated finish, pick out a shade from the wallpaper for your woodwork, whether that’s a soft, nature-inspired green, a warm neutral or a playful pastel. Graham & Brown also offers an unrivalled choice of paint, available at all Brewers stores across the UK, making it easy to bring your walls and woodwork together for a beautifully cohesive scheme.
Nouveau
Nouveau is a wonderful example of how innovation and enduring style go hand in hand. Originally known as Design 314, this Art Deco-inspired pattern was first introduced during a transformative period in British wallpaper manufacturing, when Graham & Brown pioneered rotary screen printing under the leadership of the second generation of the family. Launched as a simple, practical design that was easy to hang and remove, it quickly became a bestseller and has remained a firm favourite with decorators and homeowners ever since. Now reimagined as Nouveau for the 80th anniversary collection, this much-loved classic celebrates the brand’s heritage while bringing a fresh perspective to a timeless design.
One of the details we particularly love is its metallic finish, which brings beautiful depth and luminosity. As light shifts throughout the day, the surface catches and reflects the light differently, moving from a subtle shimmer in the morning to a richer, more atmospheric glow by evening lamplight. It’s an elegant way to embrace the Art Deco revival trend, bringing geometric glamour to contemporary interiors.
Watery Lane
This year we’ve seen a growing appetite for small-scale, understated wallpaper designs that provide a subtle backdrops, adding texture and interest without dominating the space. Watery Lane fits this trend beautifully. Its name offers a lovely connection to Graham & Brown’s earliest beginnings. Long before the brand became a household name, founders Harold Graham and Henry Brown ran a small wallpaper shop at Intack on Accrington Road in the 1930s. Nearby, Water Street Mill became the birthplace of their first wallpaper designs, with the aptly named Watery Lane providing the inspiration for this anniversary pattern’s name. Following the purchase of India Mill in 1946, the business continued to grow, expanding its manufacturing operations throughout the 1970s to meet increasing demand. Watery Lane is a fitting tribute to these humble beginnings, celebrating the foundations of a brand built on creativity, craftsmanship and a passion for wallpaper.
Desire
We’re firm believers that classic patterns never go out of style, and damask is one of the most enduring examples. Desire celebrates this rich design heritage, reinterpreting a motif that has been loved since Graham & Brown’s earliest days. From its origins on traditional printing presses to its striking appearance on the exterior of India Mill, Damask has remained an integral part of the brand’s story, continuing to grace interiors around the world. For the 80th anniversary collection, Desire gives a fresh perspective through contemporary colourways, balancing traditional elegance with a modern aethetics.
We’d recommend Desire as a statement feature in a bedroom or living room, where its decorative detail will bring a sense of occasion and sophistication to the space. For a contemporary take on modern classic interiors, pair it with clean-lined furniture, and uncluttered styling. The contrast between ornate pattern and simpler furnishings keeps the look feeling fresh rather than formal.
Midsummer
We love the personal story behind this design because Midsummer holds a particularly special place in the Graham & Brown family’s history. Iona Graham, the brand’s fourth-generation family member, fondly remembers this treasured archive design from her childhood bedroom, and we can certainly see why it stayed with her. Shown above in the pretty pink and silver colourway, with delicate decorative detail, it has all the charm of a much-loved childhood interior. Today, Midsummer retains that nostalgic appeal while bringing a fresh, contemporary feel to the original.
Roman
We love how this 80th anniversary collection brings together the milestones that have shaped the Graham & Brown brand with designs that feel entirely at home today. Roman celebrates a period of growth and ambition in the late 1980s, when the opening of the Roman Road warehouse provided space for an expanding, increasingly innovative collection, while the brand’s first retail shops across the North West brought its designs closer to the homes they would transform. Inspired by an archive design from the early 1990s, Roman reflects this same spirit of creativity and reinvention, drawing on the grandeur of classical still-life imagery to create a design with timeless decorative appeal.
We love how Roman brings a touch of modern traditionalism to the bathroom shown here, with the wallpaper sitting above the panelling on all four walls. This is a particularly practical approach in a bathroom, where panelling around the lower walls helps protect the areas most likely to encounter splashes, while creating a durable, easy-to-maintain finish. It’s also a more budget-friendly way to decorate with wallpaper, using less of the design while still giving the room a cohesive, considered look.
Crocodile
We are totally obsessed with this wallpaper, which brings a real sense of luxury! Originally launched in 2014 as a heavyweight vinyl texture, this iconic design quickly became a bestseller and has remained a firm favourite ever since. Today, it takes the original’s distinctive crocodile texture to another level with the addition of luxurious flock detailing. Highlighting the pattern with a soft, raised finish, the flock creates a gorgeously tactile surface that adds a decadent, almost upholstered quality to the walls.
We’d love to use Crocodile to create a striking statement in a dressing room, bedroom or intimate entertaining space, where its rich texture will really create a statement. On a practical note, flock wallpaper does require extra care when hanging to preserve its beautiful finish. Take care to avoid getting wallpaper paste on the flocked surface, and gently damp-wipe any paste from the seams as you work, using a soft cloth and avoiding rubbing the raised detail. With careful installation, Crocodile offers a sophisticated way to embrace your maximalist. and luxe interiors.
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