'I was a dancer with the Rambert Ballet but now I design large scale wall murals of Yorkshire'

A renowned wallpaper designer, Geoff has created designs for top brands like Laura Ashley, Prestigious Textiles, Clarke & Clarke and Graham & Brown.

Outside of the UK, Geoff has worked with the likes of Anthropologie, Phillip Jeffries and Thibaut to create wallpaper, fabrics and other designs since 1990. Richard joined Haley Studios in 2009, followed by Rebecca.

Rebecca had trained at the Rambert School of Ballet, and was destined for a dance career, until fate led her back to a lifelong love – art.

“I had always wanted to be dancer and got into the prestigious Rambert Ballet School moving to London when I was 16.

"But I suffered a potentially life-threatening deep vein thrombosis in my groin when I was 19 just after I graduated and was told it was unlikely I would ever dance again,” explains Rebecca.

“I was devastated. It took me a while to even walk again and for a long time I couldn’t even talk about dancing and spent ages moping around the house.”

Always artistic like her father and brother, Rebecca asked if she could help in the studio and she discovered her new passion.

“I do think things happen for a reason and I think it might have been a blessing in disguise. A lot of my dancing friends have already come to the end of their dance careers and I absolutely love what I do.”

Rebecca has returned to dance as a hobby doing classes at Northern Contemporary Dance in Leeds.

“I have the best of both worlds – I do art during the day and then dance a few evenings a week. It has given me my love of dance back as I no longer have the pressure.”

Joining the family business, she trained under father Geoff at Haley Studios, where her fearless, expressive approach flourished. From dramatic abstracts to delicate florals, Rebecca thrives on experimenting with styles, textures, and mediums.

“I love designing murals because they feel like true works of art rather than repeating patterns,” she says.

For Rebecca, the magic lies in seeing her work on a grand scale – transforming spaces and evoking emotion.

“When someone has a visceral reaction to your artwork, you just can’t beat it. As humans, we live for connection.”

By Haley, which launched in 2023, alongside Haley Studios, as the family decided they wanted to come out of the shadows of other brands and create their own works of art. “It is something we have always dreamt about doing, having designed things for other people for so long,” says Richard.

“We decided if we were going to do it then we were going to do it big,” adds Rebecca. “We wanted to do spectacular, panoramic designs which told stories and a lot of time and thought has gone into them.”

Toothill, By Haleys’ eighth design and released on Yorkshire Day, was painted by Rebecca.

Inspired by the rolling hills, winding rivers and the lush greenery of her beloved Yorkshire and Toothill, the neighbourhood where they grew up, the family wanted to create a special composition to pay homage to their roots.

The result is a sprawling, layered landscape that captures the magic of their home county.

“We started noticing a trend emerging in the studio: beautifully layered garden scenes climbing the wall, full of detail and often inspired by far eastern compositions,” says Richard.

“We love the structure and storytelling of eastern-inspired wall murals, and we wanted to reinterpret the idea through our own lens.

“We decided to create our own version based on our home town of Toothill and our Yorkshire surroundings.

"It has nods to places and details we hold dear, from sheep-dotted fields and stately homes to barge boats and the Three Peaks, we wanted our love for the county to shine through.

"It is the first time we have been able to tell a genuine story.”

The family dogs, Juno and Barr, even make an appearance in this work of art that is reminiscent of old tapestries.

“The style came instantly,” says Rebecca. “We’d already been experimenting with mark-making using acrylic paint and oil pastels, which produced a raw and slightly naïve feel while still possessing a subtle sophistication.

"It felt right. Everything flowed from there. This mural is deeply personal. It’s about our roots, the places that shaped us, and the landscape we call home.

“It is a heartfelt homage to Yorkshire – familiar, comforting and full of soul. But also it is a very large scale – most murals are four metres wide – we’ve gone eight and half metres.”

Rebecca’s paintings are around two metres and then they are scanned digitally in high definition to keep the brush strokes and texture of the original painting.

“If anything, enlarging it enhances it,” say Richard. “You can really see all the detail. And we are always creating from scratch, it isn’t a reproduction or a replication of something from an archive – that’s our unique selling point.”

Utilising the latest technology, By Haleys offers customers the flexibility to choose the exact portion of the mural they desire, ensuring a perfect fit for their space.

As a family-run business, they pride themselves on their personal touch and genuine connections it builds with customers, and the family provides exceptional service to ensure each purchase is a unique and personalised experience.

Toothill is available in five colourways: Bonbon, Sherbet, Nougat, Peardrop and Humbug from byhaleys.com. Prices start at £48 per m2.