Shhhh... The Secrets of Wallcovering Revealed At Focus/23

For this year's exciting FOCUS/23 event,  Phillip Jeffries was thrilled to host Noni Ware of House & Garden, Natalia Miyar of Natalia Miyar Atelier, Jane Landino of Taylor Howes along with Philip Bershad, President of Phillip Jeffries, as they explored the trends, the innovation, and the fun of designing with wallcovering.  

During the panel, we explored the secrets of wallcovering including design's cyclical nature, the exceptional history and heritage of London's most beautiful homes, and the best sources of inspiration.  Read on to hear our speaker's insights including their top picks for dinner companions!

More than 80 designers joined us to celebrate wallcovering, our new showroom and the House & Garden Top 100 List.

Host Noni Ware, Executive Editor, House & Garden

Design panelist Natalia Miyar shared trends, insights and design inspiration.

Guests with Philip and Jeffrey Bershad during the party celebrating PJ's new London Showroom.

Jeffrey Bershad, CEO of Phillip Jeffries, attended the event along many UK interior designs and friends.

Where do you find inspiration?
Jane Landino of Taylor Howes shared her thoughts on inspiration first: "I'm the design and creative head of studio at Taylor Howes Designs. We have a really lovely studio based in Knightsbridge. We're a team of 25 to 30 and we work on projects all over the world. And I was just saying that most of our projects have Phillip Jeffries beautiful wallpapers in. And we love, love, love the variety that we can get actually here.

"I get a huge variety of inspiration just walking around London, looking at the historic buildings, walking in the parks," she said. "I garden, that's my other creative outlet, I garden constantly. The colours in nature, the textures, feeling the textures, bringing those colours into the interiors and the layering."

Natalia also draws inspiration from her surroundings, mentioning that we think of London as such a grey city, but nature is still full of color and texture.

Philip Bershad, President of Phillip Jeffries shared his passion for finding inspiration while traveling.

"Both myself, my brother Jeffrey, and our design team travels quite a bit," he said. "And, it was actually really fun for me this week because I was in London for one year of study in the 90s!" 

"I do think it's so important that you get out," Philip added. "And our father has said, 'The world's a very dangerous place to see behind your desk.'"

London's Unique Heritage
When working on a new project in London, Jane starts with understand the history of the building. "If the walls could talk, what would they tell me?" she asked. "Because I think that's so important to sort of understand the journey of that building, particularly in London, where we have the most incredible list of buildings that we work with. And a lot of the houses we, you know, do in London have the heritage and have the listing. And you have to sort of understand, pay homage to that. And, and then it's our responsibility to take it forward, and, and so you've got to treat that with reverence. but also marry that with a new aesthetic. The historical layering of all our properties in London are really important. It's important that our client's story is woven in."

Design Trends
Jane adds that her designs are often old trends, but with new life added into them. "Design always is very cyclical," she said. "And, you know, even the Chinoiserie papers that are obviously enjoying a huge resurgence, you know, you look back and you think, yeah, they were probably in that house originally, 150 years ago."


A leading designer in the UK, Natalia Miyar is the founder and creative director of Natalia Miyar Atelier. "I'm  a big fan of Phillip Jeffries. I love the texture, I love the color. These are things that are synonymous with my designs."

Dinner Party Guest List
Noni Ware of House & Garden couldn't let the discussion end without one of her favorite questions: What 3 people would you invite to a dinner party? With the caveat that we don't condone their behaviors or actions, this is simply for dinner conversation!

If you ordered samples during your visit, they are already on their way. Please visit our website to view our latest Fall 2023 Collection and order any additional samples.  

More About The New Phillip Jeffries London Showroom
Phillip Jeffries is thrilled to announce the move of its new London Showroom in the Design Center Chelsea Harbour. The new space is located on the second floor of the North Dome, Suite 219, just across the way from the former showroom. It is the perfect place for designers to shop, sample, and meet the PJ team. 

With more than 2,100 square feet to explore, the showroom is designed to WOW the designer with a combination of inspirational design and innovative new technology. Sixteen dramatic wallcovering installations, 3 jaw- dropping ceiling features, and 450+ display boards. With 2 intimate work areas and a touchscreen TV, designers are able to view PJ’s extensive collection of wallcoverings on demand with their clients. We have also expanded the PJ Textile area to include more than 100 wing boards and more private tables for designer collaboration.