Design Agility at Scale: Balancing Heritage with Digital Innovation, An Interview with David Johnston, Managing Director at Newmor Wallcoverings

As hospitality and workplace interiors evolve, designers increasingly value partners who combine creative flexibility with manufacturing certainty. For Newmor, established in 1967 and still family owned, that balance is achieved through long-term investment in both traditional production expertise and digital capability.

With one of the largest ex-stock commercial wallcovering facilities in the UK, alongside a dedicated design printing facility and Digital Design Studio collections, Newmor supports designers with both reliability and adaptability.

We spoke to David Johnston on how Newmor continues to stay in step with the commercial interiors sector.

Nearly six decades on, what defines Newmor today?

Our strength lies in manufacturing knowledge and technical expertise. Being independent allows us to make long-term investment decisions in people, technology and product development. We have a highly skilled workforce as many of our team have been with us for decades, so that continuity ensures consistency in quality and service, while allowing us to grow with confidence.

Having a focus on creativity is just vital. We actively track shifts across hospitality and workplace sectors, developing collections that resonate with designers while remaining commercially robust. At the same time, we continue refining our processes and materials to improve environmental performance and ensure our products are fit for purpose.

What drove the investment in your digital printing facility and Digital Design Studio collections?

The shift in how designers work was a catalyst as well as our desire to be more creative. Projects move faster, briefs are more fluid and there is greater demand for individuality. Our digital printing facility enables us to recolour, rescale and adapt designs quickly.

Digital production is not constrained by traditional cylinder sizes, allowing greater flexibility in scale and repeat. Our Digital Design Studio collections support that capability. It enables us to offer bespoke solutions with the reassurance of a quick turnaround due to our UK manufacturing facility.

Investment in digital is not about replacing traditional production. It is about balancing bespoke capability with stock certainty, ensuring we can respond to different project requirements without compromising reliability.

How does your in-house design team collaborate with clients and external designers?

Being a manufacturer gives us a unique perspective because we understand the installation and performance requirements of commercial wallcoverings.

Our in-house team works closely with clients to translate creative briefs into designs that are visually strong and commercially viable. Durability, installation, and long-term performance are considered from the outset.

Alongside our own collections, we collaborate with external designers and promote creative partnerships. The priority is always ensuring that a concept is developed with a clear understanding of how it will work in a real commercial environment.

Newmor’s trend forecasts are widely anticipated. How does that insight inform the business?

Trend forecasting is not simply about colour and design. It is about understanding broader shifts in how hospitality and workplace spaces are evolving too.

Our trends forecast feeds directly into both our stocked and custom collections. Because we manufacture in-house, we can align trends research with production capabilities, ensuring what we introduce is both creatively relevant and commercially robust.

As a Board member of Commercial Interiors UK and a member of Make UK, what do you see as the priorities for UK manufacturing?

UK manufacturing has a strong global reputation, and we must continue to promote that strength. Newmor distributes to more than 80 countries world-wide. We see a clear demand for British-made products that combine design integrity with quality standards.

Continued investment in our capability is essential, whether that’s in our manufacturing facility or our people. We were proud to receive a recent Health and Safety award through Make UK, reflecting our commitment to high operational standards. Both our manufacturing and creative teams have been recognised in Commercial Interiors UK’s Next Generation Awards.

Collaboration with likeminded British brands is equally important. We are working with brands to host a series of panel talks to promote design trends, discuss innovations in materials, and the dynamics of the hospitality sector.    

Looking ahead, what remains the focus for Newmor?

It’s about balancing heritage with innovation.

We are proud of our heritage, but heritage alone is not enough. Continued investment our digital capability, new commercial design collections and product innovation will ensure we remain relevant in a changing market.

At the same time, we will continue to champion British design and manufacturing, combining creativity, reliability and long-term thinking to support designers at every stage of a project. Our recently refreshed Digital Design Studio collections epitomise this approach, combining design agility with production certainty to support commercial interior designers.

Find Newmor on Supplier Finder

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At Supplier Finder, our mission is simple: to help you find the perfect commercial furnishing suppliers for your interior schemes and projects. We understand the importance of having confidence in the suppliers you specify and the products that bring your designs to life. That’s why each supplier featured on our platform is accredited through Commercial Interiors UK’s rigorous membership application process. This ensures that you engage with only the best in the industry!