Geometric wallpaper is back, with House and Garden’s April 2025 issue coining it the ‘secret sauce’ for bringing modernity to interiors. It is becoming increasingly apparent across interior trends that the sharp, linear nature of geometric patterns are the trick to creating spaces that feel contemporary, yet simultaneously timeless. According to Architectural Digest, Elle Decoration and House Beautiful, it is clear that geometrics are the next big thing on the design horizon.

At Watts 1874, this increasing interest in using geometrics to break up design schemes and infuse modernity aligns seamlessly with our unique and varied collection of geometric wallpaper.

Our Designs

A signature gold wallpaper of ours - the Trellis Vermont Sand - provides an exemplary example of how grids and lines can be used to create a bold background, against which more delicate furnishings will pop. It would be the perfect piece to use, therefore, to create the youthful and energetic look that Interior Designer Sophie Robinson attests that dashings of geometric pattern can provide within a wider interior scheme. The grids and lines break up other patterns in the room, giving the room a rich narrative.

An Ongoing Modernity

Whilst our geometric wallpapers provide, therefore, the perfect pieces for following 2025 interior trends, they also provide an answer to modernity through their timeless nature. A focus on timeless design speaks to contemporary dialogues surrounding sustainability, and therefore touches upon wide-reaching modern narratives.

Our geometric collection have deep roots in Watts’ rich history; our Triad wallpaper in colourway Edinburgh is characterised by a classical grid-based geometric design that was submitted, in c.1848, by the renowned architect Augustus Pugin in a portfolio for a renovation of the Palace of Westminster’s Royal Apartments. The design is ultimately, therefore, rooted in Watts’ own history, since many of our designs were originally designed by or influenced by Pugin. It has been utilised as a design for nearly two hundred years and this durability creates a rich design story that gives depth when designing a space.

A sense of timelessness is then created when the design becomes a blend of the historical and the contemporary; such as a classical design being produced in modern tones. The product’s tried and tested popularity is refreshed for our current climate. Triad provides a model example of the efficiency of this; the classical design is printed in our Edinburgh colourway - a rich yet muted brown that provides similar tones to Pantone’s 2025 Colour of the Year: Mocha Mousse. The design ultimately therefore creates, through its colour and current trendiness, a sense of modernity, whilst not compromising on the vitality and layers that classical designs provide.

This timelessness by its very nature creates a level of modernity; it encourages the longevity of design which ultimately feeds into important current narratives and conversations about sustainability and mindful living. This is made evident by looking at our Gaheris wallpaper in the colourway Cowes; using a vintage green wallpaper comprised of the strikingly bold patterns currently trending results in a relevant yet enduring design. It would give an interior a trendy, current feel whilst also ensuring it has a history that will take it beyond current design fads. Our classical designs are being refreshed with a vitality that will last beyond what is trending this season. 

Similarly, our Melias print, originally created as a grey, tan and burgundy print, has now been developed as a soft cornflower blue geometric wallpaper: Giles Blue.  The classical design, typical to nineteenth-century wallpaper design principles, is therefore now available in the colourway predicted  to be a popular complimentary tone to Pantene’s Mocha Mousse. This once again creates a timeless feel that harks back to the past just as much as it embraces and reflects modernity. It feels current, and will remain to do so for many years to come. This extends the longevity of the design of a space. Through this longevity,  a degree of mindfulness is acknowledged for our exterior, as well as our interior; a principle becoming increasingly relevant and reinforced. The very principles behind our geometric wallpapers, therefore, lean into current conversations that expand beyond simply the design world.

A Double-Edged Answer to Modernity 

Ultimately, our geometric collection provides a stellar answer to calls for contemporary design. First, for their ability to feed into current relevancy and trending designs. Secondly, for the answer they provide to wider, more overarching design trends and questions about how we approach design in the modern world.

Our Geometric Collection, consisting of both wallpapers and fabrics, is available to explore online here, or at our London showroom at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. Each design has been redrawn from original archive documents, offering a rare blend of decorative heritage and contemporary sophistication. To learn more about the collection or to book a private consultation with the Watts Studio, please click the 'Enquire' button or contact us directly.

Written by Molly Wraith