Marimekko Autumn '09 Favorites

Marimekko recently announced some its Autumn 2009 introductions and I was especially taken by two fabrics, one brand new and one a recolored version of a popular current pattern. Both have that loose, illustrative, '70s mod feel that takes me back to my childhood, where I spent hours coloring in a huge poster of flowers, butterflies and winding vines and leaves. I had dozens of markers—thin-, medium-, and fat-tipped—that I'd drag out to the kitchen table, borrowing my mom's cast iron pans to weigh down the corners of the rolled up poster while I worked. I never did finish that poster...the demands of high-school took over I guess!

Anyway, here are two patterns that for me, evoked a trip down memory lane.

Kissaminttu (or catnip) is a recolored version of a current Marimekko favorite. The earlier versions I was familiar with are either a very sweet version in pinks, or a brightly colored yellow, green and red on a white ground. Neither really caught my attention the way this moody plum and saffron version does.



The second pattern is Siirtolapuutarha, which translates from Finnish as "colony" I think. I have no idea what it stands for or what it represents, as I can't find anything in the Marimekko press releases about this pattern except for the photo. But I luuurve the colors, the illustration style and just everything about it. I don't know where or how in my home I'd use these (duvet cover? ) but hey, recapturing a seemingly forgotten childhood memory has to count for something.

MoOD 2010/2011 Trend Preview

The annual Brussels-based textile show Decosit has renamed and rebranded itself as MoOD, which stands for Meet only Original Designs, and now carries the tagline "teasing you with upholstery, window and wall coverings."

This Monday MoOD announced its trend directions for 2010/2011 under the title “Velocity Kills the Cat,” based mostly on the mega-trend of acceleration. The trend themes look at both the positives and the negatives of rapid change.



The three trends are:
Englishness: A distinctive, meticulous and inspired approach to design, that relishes fine craftsmanship and a dandy-esque approach to mixing and matching.

Reputation Garage: Rebellious, experimental and daring this is a younger approach to design where mix and match turns into a mash-up approach.

Anyi: Based on a holistic approach to design where reciprocity, mutuality and unity with the environment are key. The seemingly necessary rush of life is deliberately slowed down to savor intuition and experience.

Debuting at NeoCon

It's that time of year once again, when the NeoCon World’s Trade Fair returns to Chicago, taking place now through Wednesday. Each year, exhibitors from across the world showcase their cutting-edge products. Here's a brief look at what lies in store for those who attend and what you can keep an eye out for in the textile industry:

• Carnegie introduces a collection of window fabrics that range from sheer to opaque and combine the use of soft and bold colors. All four of the collections are made from 100 percent Trevira CS and are inherently flame retardant and have excellent care properties.

• CF Stinson’s newest innovative fabric collection features Agion bi-component (silver/copper) antimicrobial technology "built in" to the 100 percent post-consumer recycled polyester fiber. Inspired by the serenity and tranquility of Asian gardens, all seven patterns are colored using bleach cleanable dyes and are crafted with pride in the U.S.

• Crypton Super Fabrics is extending its revolutionary green fabric technology to the makers of recycled fabrics for wall coverings, panel systems, partitions and anywhere customers desire a high-performance, high-fashion and highly-sustainable alternative to everyday wall decor.

• Edelman Leather chose a cheerful group of positive colors evoking a universal love of flowers. Used together, separately or in pairs, these colors work together, as they do in nature—they never clash.

• HBF Textiles introduces the new Campion Platt Collection. These six diverse woodland inspired upholstery patterns portray abstractions from everyday nature.

• Kravet Contract delivers a fresh new set of upholstery Color Books. The palette ranges from soothing neutrals and decadent earth tones to saturated jewels and shades of quarry. Perfect for hotels, restaurants and hospitals, it offers the interior designer a stunning range of rich and colorful alternatives to the typical contract fare.

• Luna Textiles introduces a collection of original upholstery designs for corporate and hospitality interiors. Coupling bold patterns along with Luna’s elegant sensibility, the Optique Collection is truly eye-catching.

• Mayer Fabrics presents the versatile Environmental Impact Fabrics Collection composed of geometric shapes, layered motifs and contrasting weaves. With colors ranging from soft neutrals to vibrant magenta, specification possibilities in corporate, hospitality, educational and retail markets abound with these sustainable products.

• Mayer Fabrics’ new Environmental Impact Panel Fabric Collection addresses the need for sustainable products at a great value and is composed of 100 percent recycled polyester constructions and sophisticated design elements.

• Pallas Textiles introduces The Ground Breaking Collection. The latest collaboration between Pallas Textiles and designer Laura Guido-Clark, The Ground Breaking Collection is one of the textile industry’s first biodegradable polyurethane upholstery collections for corporate, healthcare, hospitality and education spaces. Combining beauty, durability and eco-friendliness, this collection of solids features sophisticated yet subtle neutrals and unapologetically optimistic brights that leave a minimal impact on the environment.

• Pallas Textiles’ Two Timing Collection is the second collaboration between Pallas Textiles and Lucy Aiken-Johnson and is an upholstery collection that is both playful and sophisticated. Its four patterns are inspired by feminine details found in fashion collections and impart a classic aesthetic into corporate, hospitality, healthcare and education spaces.

• Paul Brayton Designs’ new Big Top Collection is made up of High Wire, Majic Stripe and Brite Lites. These three new textiles feature Crypton protection and are perfect for contract, hospitality and healthcare applications.

• Tana-Tex Inc. introduces the Astonshire Collection. This collection is suitable for cubicle curtains, drapery, decorative top treatments and bedspreads for all healthcare, nursing and other commercial environments. Tana-Tex Inc. also introduces two new pediatric cubicle curtain fabrics for healthcare and commercial environments: Zoomangi and Dots.

• Trend Green presents the new F.I.G.H.T Collection (Fabrics Inspired for a Green and Healthy Tomorrow). The Collection is made of 100 percent post consumer recycled polyester and is inherently fire retardant. They are woven in the U.S. and some of the patterns pass up to 80,000 double rubs.

• Unika Vaev’s Discovery Collection includes Atmosphere, Reveal and Loop de Loop. These heavy upholstery fabrics add sophisticated luxury to any contract interior installations. Unika Vaev also introduces the LIFE Textiles Collection and is comprised of Atlas, Balance, Classic, Line, Luna, Planet, Sense and Source. The collection is constructed of 100 percent wool and has superior functionality in the contract market.

For more on NeoCon World’s Trade Fair 2009, visit www.merchandisemart.com.

Enjoy!

Jennie Jacob
Associate Editor
WF Vision
Jennifer@wf-vision.com

WOW, Indeed!

The show might be over, but the buzz it created certainly isn’t! While I wasn’t able to attend Vision09 IWCE personally this year (after all, someone needs to stay back and man the fort!), I have so enjoyed reading the emails that have come pouring in from attendee and exhibitor alike.

And while I can’t sum up the entire show here, I just couldn’t wait to share with you a photo of this year’s WOW Award Winners after receiving their awards on stage Wednesday evening. Having gotten to know so many of the WOW Award winners personally throughout the past few months, I was so excited to hear how well-attended and touching the awards ceremony was. Apparently there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience, especially when our very own Bruce Knott took the stage to accept the Industry Icon Award (a total surprise to him!). Congratulations again to all Design and Workroom Competition winners and to all the industry award winners!

Watch for more post-show coverage to appear in the May/June issue of WF Vision!

Jennie Jacob
Associate Editor
WF Vision
Jennifer@wf-vision.com

Oddly Enough

5/7/09: Look odd? That’s because, oddly enough, today is one of only six days this century that will contain three consecutive odd numbers: 5-7-9. The last stretch of six consecutive odd numbered dates started all the way back on 1/3/1905. And after this stretch (there’s three more “odd days” coming up this century), we’ll have to wait another 90 years until it happens again.

So, to celebrate “Odd Day,” as it’s been coined by math enthusiasts, let’s take a look at how a few talented designers and workrooms created a solution for these odd-shaped windows.

Designer Deborah J. School of DeJara Design Inc., Bay Village, Ohio, needed to create a treatment that would enhance the shape of the windows, without covering up the woodwork or looking overdone when multiplied by four. She designed two-piece tapered end panels with decorative holdbacks and tassels.
Workroom: Drapery Stitch Cleveland, George Beckmann, Cleveland, Ohio. Installer: Drapery Stitch Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Today's Photos, Fairview Park, Ohio)

Designer Ella Kifyak of Ella’s Window Fashion, Flanders, N.J. needed to create a treatment for this office window that looked both masculine and elegant. She created a hard cornice with an unusually-shaped bottom, then trimmed it with a leather bend and nail heads. The balloon valance with jazzy trim softens the hard look of the cornice.
Workroom: Ella’s Window Fashion, Flanders, N.J. Installer: Oleg Kifyak, Ella’s Window Fashion. (Photo by Oleg Kifyak, Ella’s Window Fashion)

Beverly Hawkinson of Curtain Call, San Marcos, Calif., needed to design a treatment for these five bay windows, the focal point of her client's master bath. A dupioni silk scarf is draped over pegs, cascading down the sides of the outer three windows in a complete freestanding treatment. Two additional swags were created for the side windows, and were attached to the outside pegs of the scarf and to an original iron piece on the other side.
Workroom: Rita Spires, Draperies by Rita, El Cajon, Calif. Installer: Joe Reis, Joe Reis Installations, Vista, Calif. Custom drapery hardware: Pacific Halko, San Marcos, Calif. (Photo by Jim Brady, Brady Architectural Photography, San Diego, Calif.)

Designer Susan Ashley of Ashley Interiors, Brockville, Ontario treated this A-shaped cathedral wall of windows with floor to ceiling drapery panels. This solution allows your eyes to follow the line from the floor to the ceiling, diminishing the horizontal effect of the pleated shades. She selected a 100 percent polyester fabric, enhanced by the bump cloth interlining. She used 4-inch shirring tape leaving 2 inches at the top to make it look like a ruffle, with 1/4-inch piping along the top edge.
Workroom: Ferial Drapery, Ottawa, Ontario. Installer: John Ashley, Ashley Interiors. (Photo by Glyn Davies, Glyn Davies Photography, Brockville, Ontario)

Designer Maureen Kapral of V2K Window Decor & More, Richmond, Va., wanted to accentuate the architectural focal point of these palladium bay windows by creating treatments that were stunning and uncomplicated in appearance. To do this, the windows were treated as a collection rather than separate individual windows. The left treatment is anchored with a puddled drapery panel with a swag that appears to be pulled through the cornice. Your eyes are lead to the center cornice where the swags are crisscrossed, then to the third window with the mirrored image of the first. The overall effect highlights the bay wall as the architectural focus of the room.
Workroom: Tammy Myerly, Creative Coverings LLC, Englewood, Colo. Installer: Phil Reese, Reese Installations, Richmond, Va. Arched window fashions: Joan Willis. (Photo by Maureen Kapral, V2K Window Decor & More)

Happy Odd Day!

Jennie Jacob
Associate Editor
WF Vision
Jennifer@wf-vision.com

Victory Pedicures? Why Not?

It's countdown time! With Vision09: IWCE only two weeks away, here at the office we're busy putting the finishing touches on everything ... from shipping materials to creating presentations, there's never a dull moment!

On Friday, Grace called the winners of our WOW industry awards to surprise them with the news. The winners will be announced live at the show during the WOW Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 13, but in the meantime, check out www.whyhelser.com to see how one winning company celebrated its "feat"! Hint: It involves "victory pedicures" ... nice!

I (and my feet) may just have to celebrate with them!

Jennie Jacob
Associate Editor
WF Vision
Jennifer@wf-vision.com

My Hero is Susan Boyle

This week, the world is talking about Susan Boyle. If you haven’t seen the video, from Britain’s Got Talent, watch it. If you have, watch it again—it’s now a YouTube hit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Today, she is my hero, a completely unexpected and unlikely beacon of inspiration, with lessons applicable everywhere, from personal to business life. Watching her, it’s easy to observe:

1. You can’t judge a book by its cover. (Just as, after poring through the entries in the WF Vision Design contest, I learned you cannot judge excellence based on labels like a “one-person workroom” or “major retailer.” Excellence knows no boundaries.)

2. Amazing people are everywhere. Susan Boyle is amazing. Susan Boyle is unemployed. This should be evidence for those everywhere in this rocky economy—those worried about their jobs and those recently laid off—that there is no stigma: Amazing people will survive, and thrive. People can be amazing, no matter their status.

3. Believe in your dreams. What did it take for nearly 48-year-old Susan Boyle to enter this contest now? She dreamed a dream, and the world is behind her.

4. Ignore the naysayers. They’re everywhere, and it’s easy to scoff at people’s dreams. It's a lot harder to go for them.

Grateful for the chance to watch Susan today!

Sheri O’Meara
Editor
WF Vision
sheri@wf-vision.com