Compton wallpaper by William Morris

What is the distinctive floral wallpaper in I’m Thinking of Ending Things?

Compton was designed as a wallpaper specifically by Morris & Co. in 1895 as part of their redesign of Compton Hall, the home of Laurence Hodson in Wolverhampton. Although commonly attributed to the great Victorian British textile designer, poet, novelist, translator, and socialist activist William Morris, the design was in fact a collaboration with designer John Henry Dearle whose approach is evident in the details.

Morris is commonly associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditional British textile arts and methods of production.

The Compton design is available as fabric, wallpaper and tile and comes in four seasonal colourways, and two monochromatic colorways.

The indigo/russet colourway of the Compton Morris wallpaper plays a starring role in Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things.

Indeed the film’s poster features Lucy (Jessie Buckley) against this very wallpaper which adorns the walls of her her boyfriend Jake’s (Jesse Plemons) parents.

As Morris said “one should have nothing in their home except things they know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”. 

The same wallpaper also appears in Django Unchained.