Ida Pettersson, ANNIKEN, 2025. © Inter IKEA Systems B.V.

Magical Patterns: Nature & Textiles from William Morris to IKEA

The history of textile design highlights radical changes in our taste for pattern. As a tapestry studio founded with weavers trained by William Morris, Dovecot has interpreted the natural world through many magical patterns in tapestry. This talk will explore changing fashions for pattern from the Arts & Crafts Movement to Pop Art, Postmodernism and Minimalism. The talk complements a major new exhibition at Dovecot Studios (until January 2026) on IKEA textiles, which explores how one company has become a nursery for experimental artists and designers working in pattern.

Dovecot Studios is a world renowned tapestry studio and centre for contemporary art, craft and design in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town.