 Born in Walthamstow , Essex , to a wealthy middle @-@ class family , Morris came under the strong influence of medievalism while studying Classics at Oxford University , there joining the Birmingham Set . After university he trained as an architect , married Jane Burden , and developed close friendships with the Pre @-@ Raphaelite artists Edward Burne @-@ Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti and with the Neo @-@ Gothic architect Philip Webb . Webb and Morris designed a family home , Red House , then in Kent , where the latter lived from 1859 to 1865 , before moving to Bloomsbury , central London . In 1861 , Morris founded a decorative arts firm with Burne @-@ Jones , Rossetti , Webb , and others : the Morris , Marshall , Faulkner & Co . Becoming highly fashionable and much in demand , the firm profoundly influenced interior decoration throughout the Victorian period , with Morris designing tapestries , wallpaper , fabrics , furniture , and stained glass windows . In 1875 , Morris assumed total control of the company , which was renamed Morris & Co . 
