Designer, teacher, painter, Peggy Angus was a visionary whose designs for tiles and wallpaper contributed to the aesthetic of post-war Britain

Born in Chile in 1903 to Scottish parents, Peggy grew up drawing. Her natural talent won her a scholarship to the RCA and on graduation she took a job teaching at North London Collegiate School where she inspired her pupils with her love of colour and design.

After the war, in the 1950s, Carters of Poole turned a series of Peggy’s prints into tiles giving her her first commercial success. She worked with both potato and lino cutting, celebrating the fact that ‘no two prints, even from the same block, are exactly the same.’

As a more urban, utilitarian aesthetic took over, Peggy’s decorative style became less popular so she made a move into wallpaper. Creating simple repeat patterns using bold shapes and lines. Honing her distinct and recognisable visual language she gradually carved a niche for herself.

Part of the popularity of her designs lies in the combination of intricacy and simplicity. Peggy explored foliage and bird motifs as well as geometrics, matching her craftsmanship with an eye for strong colour.

Blithfield has faithfully reproduced a selection of Peggy’s work into fabrics and wallpapers, you can find more details here. (image at the top shows Circles & Squares wallpaper in azure)

If you enjoyed this read, you might also like my interview with wallpaper designer Fiona Howard