Not every interiors brand needs a century behind it. Clarke & Clarke was founded as recently as 1999, by the husband-and-wife team of Emma and Julian Clarke, and grew from the north west of England into one of the country's most widely used design houses, its wallpapers and fabrics turning up in real homes the length of the land. It is now part of the Sanderson Design Group, the contemporary, commercially astute cousin to that family's grand heritage names. What the Clarkes understood from the start was refreshingly unstuffy: that most people want something stylish, versatile and good value, and that there is no shame whatever in giving it to them.
"Clarke & Clarke's gift is a democratic one: take something covetable, and put it within reach."
Figura, Vivido
Loxley, Ivory / Noir (Metropolitan)
The Brand That Brings Everyone to the Party
The most striking thing about Clarke & Clarke is how well it collaborates. This is a house that loves to share a stage. It produces a beautiful, affordable range of William Morris designs, the Strawberry Thief and Willow Boughs and Golden Lily that have graced English walls for 150 years; it has partnered with the artist Emma J Shipley on the Wilderie and Mythica collections, whose hand-drawn lynxes, mythical beasts and fantastical jungles have become genuine bestsellers; and it works happily alongside the likes of Studio G and the designer Breegan Jane besides. Across all of it runs a single instinct: find something people will love, and make it reachable.
Strawberry Thief, Linen and Plum (William Morris Designs)
Lynx, Wilderie by Emma J Shipley
Manda, Noir / Linen (Breegan Jane)
The result is a catalogue of unusual breadth. Where a heritage house tends to have one house style, Clarke & Clarke has, more or less, all of them.
"From a William Morris classic to a hand-drawn mythical beast, Clarke & Clarke has an answer for almost any room."
An Answer for Every Room
That versatility is the practical joy of the brand, and it runs across both wallpaper and fabric. The papers move from dramatic florals and confident geometrics to quiet textures and metallic shimmer;
Mirabell, Secret Garden Summer
Murakami, Ink (Metropolitan)
the fabrics take in velvets, embroideries, linens and easy plains, ready for curtains, upholstery and cushions. It is, in short, a brand you can decorate a whole room from without once leaving the label.
Delaunay, Multi (Urban)
Orpheus, Magenta / Peacock (Urban)
Wilmott, Blush (Whitworth)
Hathi Embroidery, Raspberry (Indira)
Using it well is mostly a matter of knowing what you want the room to do. Reach for a bold Emma J Shipley design where you want drama, on a single wall or around a small, brave cloakroom; choose a Morris reproduction for timeless, gentle pattern; and lean on the textures, plains and geometrics as versatile, hardworking backdrops. Because so many designs come as coordinating wallpaper and fabric, it is easy to carry a look from the walls onto a blind or a chair and pull the whole room together. And because the prices are so reasonable, this is the ideal brand on which to be a little braver than usual: order a sample, live with it for a few days, and take the plunge.
Kupka, Copper (Urban)
For a brand not yet thirty years old, Clarke & Clarke has made itself quietly indispensable. It turns out that giving people exactly what they want, beautifully and affordably, is a rather good business to be in.
Ready to Decorate a Whole Room from One Label?
Browse the full Clarke & Clarke collection at Wallpaper Sales, wallpaper and fabric together, from William Morris classics to bold Urban geometrics. Not sure which design and finish will suit your room? Order a swatch first through our Sample Service before committing.
