NEWH - August 2006 - (Page 20)

technology enables design by Tracy Francis When we think of technology, our thoughts often go to guest check-in, keyless room entry or wireless Internet access. But technology also drives design. Many design breakthroughs trace their impetus to technological innovations or to new applications of existing technologies. Design is the artistic expression of technology. In carpeting and wall covering, we’ve derived many design benefits from new technologies. The continued evolution of modular carpet allows designers to use carpet tiles as building blocks, composing dramatic large-scale patterns on the floor. For this design advantage as well as its high-performance, flexibility and ease of installation and transport, modular carpet is increasing in hospitality specification. More than 43% of hospitality designers now specify modular carpet, according to a Floor Focus survey. More recently, the innovation of an adhesive-free technology has impacted wall coverings and modular carpet. The technology led to the development of 180 Walls™, a high-design textile fabric that is easily applied to walls without the use of adhesive. Aside from its aesthetic advantages over vinyl wall cover- ings, it installs more easily and enhances indoor air quality. Another adhesive-free technology, Traction Back®, was engineered for modular carpet. At Milliken, we are continually finding new ways for technology to inform design. Our designers and collaborators work in multi-functional teams to explore new avenues to articulate art through technology. This year has been a particularly exciting year for a team of interior designers, graphic designers, decorative artists and design technologists who came together to create a new design approach called étage. A first in modular carpet, étage allows designers to select multiple layers of color and pattern and use them in different combinations to create hundreds of pattern possibilities. Milliken makes the layering technology available through a proprietary interactive digital tool that turns layers off and on at the designer’s command to instantly produce a range of options. Designers use the system to customize patterns right on their computer, potentially saving valuable and costly design time. To develop the approach, Milliken worked with a multifaceted team, including Donna and Brian Donohoe and Ovid Pope of D-Three, Glendale, CA; Bryan Shackle, Sarah Marek and Chrystie Koshiol of Cuningham G r o u p , Minneapolis; and Tracy Lee Stum of Art for After Hours, Ventura, CA. The collaborative partners worked sepaMilliken booth at the HD Expo 20 rately in their creative process and achieved their results through different methods. But all embraced author Elbert Hubbard’s mantra, “art is not a thing; it is a way.” And they sought new ways to express art through Milliken’s latest generation of Millitron High-Definition Patterning technology. The D-Three team’s goal was to create more dimensional and experiential designs by layering color and pattern. “We want to create vibrant living images in our interiors,” said interior designer Donna Donohoe of D-Three. “Real life has dimension and color. Our hospitality guests deserve that magic and richness of experience.” Using PhotoShop®, the D-Three team overlaid images like gossamer sheets. “We were inspired by historical research into printed cotton designs,” said D-Three’s technology specialist Ovid Pope. “We combined contemporary graphic styles with traditional print motifs. The detail, variation in hue, color gradients and visual textures produce vibrant, dreamlike images.” Award-winning artist Tracy Stum, who creates trompe l’oeil work and street paintings for Madonnari festivals, also layered artwork. However, her inspiration was Baroque, Rococo and contemporary art, and her medium was painting. “I draw from a vast library of decorative painting techniques to create designs that have the look of handmade, layered fabric and paint,” She said. “The finished result is something you can’t get on a computer, as irregularities occur during the painting process that make the piece more authentic, organic and one-of-a kind. There is beauty in imperfection.” An artist, Stum said “I think in sepa-

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - August 2006

NEWH - August 2006
Letter From the President
Upfront
Contents
Hospitality News
In the Community
Form and Function – Technology That Truly Enhances Design
The Entrepreneurs 10 Commandments
The Power of Design: Good Design = Good Business
Katrina Relief Effort
Technology Enables Design
Technology Can Take You to a New Level
88th Annual NeoCon World’s Trade Fair
G2E Institute and Red Rocks Casino Resort and Spa
New Beginnings
Los Angeles Scholarship Winners
HD 2006 Expo Recap
Washington DC Chapter Takes Up the Torch for School From the Heart
Contributors
Coming Events

NEWH - August 2006

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