Phyllis Morris - balustradeandbitters.com

Phyllis Morris

Written by Holli Thomas & Coleen Rider

It's the glorious 80's. Young Jamie Adler and Greg Firllotte (Phyllis Morris' current marketing director) are being driven by Jamie's mother, the larger-than-life Phyllis Morris. As Morris backs out of her store's driveway with her freshly painted fingernails, oblivious to oncoming traffic, she delicately maneuvers the steering wheel with one hand, while conducting business on a brick sized cell phone in the other. She is clearly distracted. As Firlotte expresses his concern, Morris casually assures him, "Darling, relax. No one is going to hit a Rolls." Welcome to the world of Phyllis Morris, furniture maker for the beautiful people.

Morris' furniture empire all started with her plaster poodle lamps. When Sloan's in Beverly Hills declined to carry the lamps, Morris, instead, offered to consign them. To make sure they were a hit, she sent family members and friends to the store to buy them out. Of course, Sloan's was convinced and an order of 24 lamps was placed. Her next move was to open a lamp shop on Melrose Place in 1953, followed by the store on Beverly Blvd. in 1956. The current 10,000 square foot Phyllis Morris location on Robertson previously served as the furniture factory, which has since moved to another Southern California location.

Morris was ahead of her time in many ways. She frequented flea markets purchasing European architectural fragments that she turned into cocktail tables and lamps. It was Morris' singular vision to create European styled, over scaled, bold furniture, when streamlined modern was the current trend. She did not conform to what was happening in the furniture industry. At a time when branding was not cocktail conversation, she was a marketing genius. She created and starred in all of her own ads, which represented the lavish lifestyle she was selling and living. Morris was completely connected to those who had achieved success on a grand scale and were ready to embrace and flaunt it. Her parties were legendary and her overflowing scrapbooks contain invitations and thank-yous from the Hollywood and political elite. She hosted luncheons that included live models introducing her clients to the latest fashions. This arena premiered a young Bob Makie. Fur coats, platinum blonde hair, big sunglasses, leopard print-it's no wonder when the company designs its windows today, the endless inspiration is "What would Phyllis do?"

Phyllis Morris furniture is not for everyone and that's exactly the point. The Grande Venetian Bed is larger than most people's living rooms and requires two maids to make. The shapes are exaggerated and much of the designs are pure fantasy. Furniture fit for a queen-of Hollywood. And Hollywood has always played a major role in the Phyllis Morris lifestyle. From Joan Crawford to Joan Collins (think Dynasty), and Christina Aguilera to Kanye, these high profile customers have no problem finding the space for these creations.

Morris worked from a whole other level, literally. For as flashy as many celebrities are today, you could not imagine any of them pulling off running their empires from a gilded cage high above the day-to-day operations. Jamie Adler inherited the family business as well as Morris' dazzling sense of style. "Our house was an extension of the showroom; it was also very over the top. It never occurred to me that it was a business, it was just the lifestyle that we lived." Adler tells us of how perfectly normal it seemed to have a painting over a hidden door that led to a red-flocked room with pinball machines, a pool table, and the neighborhood's first VCR. "It was like a speakeasy in our house. She was very 'Auntie Mame' like that." Adler is grateful that her mother chose to start her off in the proverbial "mailroom", serving as the company's receptionist. She is now at the helm and exudes the confidence and grace of someone who is comfortable running every aspect of her business.

The experience that is shopping at Phyllis Morris begins with the lure of the window display-a cheeky blend of sex and glamour. Once you pass through the colorful accessories boutique, you have two options: traditional over-the-top to the right, modern over-the-top to the left. Room after room is completely set-up, including artwork, some of which happens to be vintage original Margaret Keene paintings. Morris and Keene were great friends, and Morris commissioned many paintings. Adler is now the caretaker of approximately 30 Keene paintings, which are casually displayed throughout the space.

Adler's creative contribution to Phyllis Morris is the Circa line, a high end cosmopolitan collection that is modern with old Hollywood glam overtones. "I'm inspired by fashion and the fun of fashion, rather than the seriousness of the furniture business," she says. Adler is also inspired by the endless possibilities of creativity with no rules or boundaries, Phyllis Morris can custom build anything your heart desires. This is all made possible by owning their own furniture factory, something Morris recognized as an asset long ago.

Phyllis Morris

PhyllisMorris.com

655 N. Robertson Blvd.

West Hollywood, CA 90069

310.289.6858

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