Stripping back the inspiration behind a wallpaper icon

Brewers is home to an impressive collection of influential brands and designers in both paints and wallcoverings. Bringing the best in the decorating business to your fingertips, immersing colours and patterns into mainstream homes to create vibrant, distinctive and imaginative spaces.

Layla Faye, by the talented designer Verity Wilkinson, is available through Brewers and Wallpaper Direct, offering a striking and nostalgic range of wallcoverings with unique designs. Brewers caught up with Verity to talk about her inspirations behind the popular Layla Faye range.

What has been the inspiration behind your designs?

Inspiration for my designs comes from travel around the world, living in quirky homes and exciting cultures and a love of fifties/sixties design and music. My designs originate from travel, nature and architecture. I am always on the look out for something to spark a new design and usually find inspiration in the great outdoors. All the designs are united by a nostalgic retro-modern feel and bright happy colours that add a contemporary flow throughout the collection. Our most popular design has been our Daisy Chain design. A bold bright print influenced by the masonry at the Italian Gothic Doge’s Palace in Venice, a stunning building that overlooks the canal. This was the first design I created for Layla Faye and the central flower has become part of our logo. Bright happy colours add a twenty first century twist to all our designs. We have a range of signature colours that flow throughout the collection with an aim to bring a warmness and joy to every room.

Who has influenced your work the most?

My dad was an artist, potter and woodwork teacher, mum made our clothes and Gran was a great knitter - all of which inspired me to design and create from an early age. I was extremely proud to work on my dad’s pottery stands as a child and loved the process of producing beautiful ceramics by hand that would be enjoyed in homes for many years. Our dining room table was always full of stunning pottery and paintings. My dad loved to dream big and I am pleased to have inherited these same ideals in my life.

Why did you set up your own business?

I travelled and worked around the world throughout my twenties which gave me a feeling of being able to go anywhere and do anything. I travelled with a battered Lonely Planet book always in my hand. Tony and Margaret Wheeler, founders of Lonely Planet books had an inspirational prologue about kick starting their business from a kitchen table and I still get a tingle of excitement when I read this paragraph. They juggled business and a family successfully which is a balance we try to emulate with our two children. I have worked alongside my husband on a number of business projects and currently design interiors for his Airstream and Classic camper van renovation business. We feel that working for ourselves will eventually give us freedom to write our own success story.

Why call the company Layla Faye?

I started the business on maternity leave. I was sure I was going to have a baby girl named Layla Faye but instead I was blessed with a bouncing baby boy name which I loved and I gave the name Layla Faye to the business, my third baby.

Where are you based and where have you lived that has inspired you?

We live not far from Skipton close to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. At weekends we are always out and about wading in rivers and cart wheeling around fields with our two children 9 and 2. We love the outdoors and I am a huge fan of spring and summer when all the meadows are full of wildlife and flowers. The majority of my designs have a flower or leaf at their origin. We have lived in some beautiful places, exciting cultures and quirky homes including a spell on a barge close to Bath. My favourite place in the world is St Ives Cornwall where we lived for a time and got married in St. Eia Church. It is without doubt one of the most perfect seaside towns which snuggles together all of my happiest memories. I love the culture of artists in St. Ives and am a huge fan of Bernard Leech, Barbara Hepworth and the bright designs of Patrick Heron, Sir Terry Frost and Sandra Blow all of which spent time in this influential free thinking place.

Don't forget to join the Brewers community on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the latest ranges and products from Brewers.