Monday, February 20, 2012

Finding Phyllis

I had never heard of Phyllis Morris until a few years ago when I attended an estate sale and purchased a wonderful pair of lamps. The lamps still had the original label so being curious about the maker and circa of the lamps, I researched "Phyllis Morris". To my surprise, she is quite famous and her company Phyllis Morris Originals in Los Angeles, CA is still in business today.

The design that put her on the map in 1953 was a pink poodle lamp modeled after her own pink-dyed poodle, Pamela. She was known for riding around town in her pink Cadillac convertible with the car full of pink poodle lamps and pink-dyed poodles. I would have loved to have seen that.




In the 1960s, she was a top socialite in Hollywood and befriended many stars such as Joan Crawford, Lucille Ball and Joan Collins to name a few. She was known for her over-the-top interiors and eye-brow raising quotes. One of my favorites is "Minimalism is for those without much to say".

Her business grew and evolved over the years but still holds true to one-of-a-kind pieces and daring interiors under the leadership of her daughter, Jamie Adler.

After searching eBay, 1st dibs and any available image of a Phyllis Morris design without success, I emailed the company to find out more about my lamps. To my surprise and delight, I received a response directly from Jamie Adler. She informed me that my lamps are some of Phyllis' very early designs and highly collectible.

Through all my research, I have definitely become a Phyllis fan. Here are some of my picks from Phyllis Morris Originals current and vintage:

















Posted by at 4:00 AM
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4 comments:

  1. My Interior LifeFebruary 20, 2012 at 6:38 AM

    Loved learning about Phyllis - I've never heard of her, and I love learning new things. Now, where are your lamps?? You can't leave us hanging like that. I love those orange chairs and the purple jewel-looking credenza thing. Are those hippo feet?

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  2. Morgan TaylorFebruary 22, 2012 at 11:34 AM

    The orange chairs are some of my FAVS yet! Would I love to have them in my house?.... Yes I would!!

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  3. ModFruGalFebruary 23, 2012 at 5:58 AM

    Orange chairs are a YES for me too!

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  4. AndreaFebruary 6, 2013 at 6:47 AM

    Oh, wow! I would love to find a pair of Phyllis Morris pink poodle lamps!! What a wonderful story, thank you for introducing me to this fabulous lady! I love her style!

    XOXO,
    The Glam Pad

    ReplyDelete

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