If you are looking for fabric with designs which cover the early part of the 20th Century, then look no further. We have the UK's best selection of Edwardian Fabrics and fabrics from the 20s through to the end of the 1940s. These are taken from our archive sources.

Roughly speaking the Edwardian period covers the time from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Fabrics colours were lighter and the designs generally less fussy than those from the preceding Victorian era.

There was cetainly an uplift in the feminine in the interior of the Edwardian home. Fabrics and papers included floral patterns and pastels, including lilac, soft greens, primrose yellow and grays against cream walls and slightly darker colours for the upholstery.

There was a movement towards angular forms as a modification of, rather than replacement of, the sinuous and curved styles of the Arts and Crafts movement.

At the same time, with improvements in mechanical prints and dyes, there was a strong revival of chintz. Chinz is a multi-coloured fabric, usually floral, and originally with a slightly glazed finish. Chintz fabrics were often matched with floral wall papers.

For more luxurious interriors fabrics were often silks, and lace.

During Edwardian times, as ever, people chose not only the latest styles, but also designs from the late 19th century. Textiles from companies such as Liberty & Co were still popular as were Indian and Japanese silks, and the curved patterns from the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movemebts. Popular designs came from people such as Harry Napper at the Silver Studio, William Morris, Christopher Dresser, Walter Crane, Lindsay Butterfield and Charles Voysey.

In the 1920s the whole design movement was influenced by Jazz Age and Art Deco styles. Even modest fabrics for covering everyday items of furniture show the influence of the bold stylisation of Art Deco, albeit in toned down and subtle ways.

1940s fabrics revert to small and pretty designs, often floral, sometimes novelty motifs.