‘Omar’ is one of Charles Harrison Townsend’s few large-scale designs for textiles. The elegant repeat pattern in the Arts and Crafts style shows stylised lotus blossoms. The pattern is an adaptation of designs found on 16th- and 17th-century Turkish velvets. The manufacturer, Alexander Morton & Co., bought designs from leading figures like Townsend to produce stylish furnishings for fashionable homes.

Townsend was one of the most original British Arts and Crafts architects. He used large plant motifs to decorate many of his key buildings. He is best known for the Whitechapel Art Gallery and the Horniman Museum, both in London. These are two of the most important Arts and Crafts buildings in Britain. Townsend also designed complete Arts and Crafts interiors, including church pews and stalls.