Jacobean design takes its name from the reign of James I in the early seventeenth century, and it was born, above all, in embroidery. The great crewelwork hangings of the age were worked with a distinctive, sinuous foliage, and at their heart, again and again, stood the tree of life: a single winding trunk sending out curling branches, exotic leaves, fantastical flowers and small birds and beasts. It was a design shaped by the age of exploration, drawing on the imported palampores of India and the new wonders arriving from across the seas, an English pattern dreaming of far-off places.
That is the enduring magic of a Jacobean wallpaper. It is romantic and abundant, and every branch seems to hold a small story. Here is where it comes from, and the designs on the site that carry it.
"At the heart of the Jacobean look stands the tree of life, and every branch holds a story."
Born of the Needle and the Age of Exploration
You can trace that whole history through three designs. Indian in Charcoal and Nickel, from Morris & Co's Archive IV, is the borrowing named outright: Morris's own take on the imported cloths, worked in dark grey and silver so the pattern reads as engraving rather than embroidery. Macbeth, from Thibaut's Chestnut Hill, is the period itself: the play was written around 1606, in the reign that gives the style its name, and the design is pure crewelwork, blue pods and birds trailing over cream in a line so fine it could be stitched. And Coromandel, from Nina Campbell, is the route: the Coromandel Coast of south-east India is where the East India Company traded, and where the painted palampores that started all this came ashore.
Indian, Charcoal & Nickel by Morris & Co
Macbeth, Beige by Thibaut
Coromandel, Teal & Lime by Nina Campbell
Heritage With Warmth
The Jacobean look has all the depth and pedigree of a true heritage pattern, yet it rarely feels stuffy, because its curling, organic forms have a natural warmth and movement. It also works across an intriguing range of moods. Marlbrook in Pale Linen, by Laura Ashley, is the faded end, all gentle sage and stone, the tree of life bleached as though it had hung in a sunny room for fifty years. Uhura in Charcoal, by Linwood, goes the other way entirely, the foliage set against an inky ground for real evening glamour. Jacobean Trail in Blue, by Holden Décor, sits between them and says what it is on the label, a clear blue trail with the winding trunk still plainly visible.
Marlbrook, Pale Linen by Laura Ashley
Uhura, Charcoal by Linwood
Jacobean Trail, Blue by Holden Décor
It is a pattern that makes a room feel established, as though it has been quietly beautiful for generations.
"Jacobean design makes a room feel established, as though it has been beautiful for generations."
How and Where to Use It
Jacobean designs love a room they can fill with romance. A darker, more dramatic one turns a dining room, a study or a hallway into something moody and enveloping, especially by lamplight, and Adain Palace in Dark Seaspray Blue, from Laura Ashley's Volume Two, is built for exactly that. A softer tree of life brings warmth and character to a bedroom or a sitting room instead: Jacobin Garden in Blue, from Galerie's Blooming Garden, has the abundance without the weight. And because the pattern is so rich and detailed it papers a whole room beautifully, wrapping you in that curling foliage, which is what Jacobean in Grey, by A Street Prints, is for: quiet enough in tone to run everywhere without ever tiring.
Adain Palace, Dark Seaspray Blue by Laura Ashley
Jacobin Garden, Blue by Galerie
Jacobean, Grey by A Street Prints
Keep the surroundings simple and let the intricate detail reward a closer look, pairing it with antique or dark wood and a little warmth. Look to Morris & Co, Nina Campbell and Laura Ashley for Jacobean and tree-of-life designs with genuine depth, and order a sample first to see the colours truly in your own light.
Two of the newest arrivals show how much life the style still has in it. Parterre Jacobean, from York Wallcoverings' Jardin collection, is named for the formal ornamental garden and lives up to it, with voluminous blooms and ripe fruits visited by exotic birds and butterflies. At 68 cm wide it covers a wall in fewer drops than most. Eijffinger's is called simply Jacobean, and in Sienna the intertwining flowers turn warm and apricot rather than heritage green, which is a lovely thing to find in a small room.
Parterre Jacobean, Light Blue by York Wallcoverings
Jacobean, Sienna Amber by Eijffinger
Four centuries of needle and imagination went into that winding tree. Few patterns give a room quite so much romance to grow into.
Ready to Plant a Tree of Life?
Browse the full Jacobean collection, or see where it sits among its neighbours in Tapestry Inspired and Classic & Traditional. If you are not sure how a colour will read in your own light, our Sample Service lets you order a swatch of any design before you commit to a full roll.
Jacobean, Sienna Amber by Eijffinger
