page_title: Phyllis Morris
section_title: Business leadership
hierarchical_section_title: Phyllis Morris / Business leadership
caption_attribution_description: English: Phyllis Morris and husband Nathan Goller in 1985.
context_page_description: Phyllis Morris was an American furniture designer known for her colorful persona, her outspokenness on decorating and her distinctive furniture and interior designs, especially her large and highly decorative beds. She was often referred to by the media as the "designer to the stars." By the time of her death, Morris had left a mark in the world of interior design in each of the four decades since the founding of her company Phyllis Morris Originals in 1953.
context_section_description: Active in the business sector of the design community as well, Phyllis Morris was vice president of the Beverly-Robertson Association, a Los Angeles-based organization she helped established in 1979 to "upgrade the appearance of the West Side design center area centered on Beverly and Robertson boulevards and to create a unique visual identity for it." This was the first organization of its kind for L.A.'s booming interior design district which would later separate from Los Angeles in 1984 to become the City of West Hollywood. After cityhood was achieved due to the efforts of Morris and others in the design district, she would go on to serve on the board of directors for the West Hollywood Marketing Corporation.
  The Phyllis Morris Beverly Boulevard showroom was host to many charitable and political fund-raising events for more than three decades, as well as fashion and art shows. During the early 1960s, Morris befriended artist Margaret Keane, a painter known internationally for her big-eyed "waifs." Morris hosted a number of shows for Keane in Los Angeles and would eventually commission dozens of works from her—works which are still owned by Morris' family members. The late famed fashion commentator Mr. Blackwell wrote of Morris, "Her showroom has been the scene for raising literally millions of dollars over the years for worthy causes...she has become one of the great hostesses in town."
caption: Phyllis Morris and husband Nathan Goller in 1985 in the Beverly Boulevard showroom. A massive room divider exemplified the large-scaled furnishings offered by Morris
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