IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 28

Clockwise from left: Massimo iosa ghini’s spore pendant for Leucos. hbF textiles’ Campion Platt Collection. david rockwell’s stitched wall covering for Maya romanoff. shaw’s unearthed collection, by Perkins+Will. hoK’s Vivendi for Mannington Commercial.

Pushing the boundaries

Besides invigorating perspective, manufacturers often want their design partners to import all-new knowledge to the table or propel them into a new product category. “A specific market or aesthetic we’re targeting often factors into how we select a designer,” says Miller. “If we want to develop a hospitality collection, we may reach out to an interior designer who specializes in that genre. Or, even better, someone who’s on the fringe of hospitality; designers can get so entrenched in their industry that they become too literal, whereas we try to find the art.” The Trace collection, a 2006 collaboration with Envision Design, was HBF Textiles’s first offering conceived specifically for vertical applications. “At the time, Envision was doing a lot of wrapped panels and wall systems, and they pushed us into an area we hadn’t worked in before,” says Miller. The firm also nudged the manufacturer deeper into sustainability: Trace textiles are composed of more than 75 percent recycled or natural fiber.

An inspired alliance can improve how a manufacturer does business overall— especially with respect to environmental issues. Leucos art director Danilo de Rossi recalls the lighting company’s 2010 pas de deux with designer Massimo Iosa Ghini, which produced both the Spore pendant and an overall sustainability push. The piece, which enfolds LEDs and Poly tiles within hand-blown Venetian glass, “was one of the first highly decorative fixtures to use advanced LED technology,” says de Rossi. “Every aesthetic decision was tied to a technological one.” Leucos has since greatly increased its use of energy-saving LEDs. To boost its cred in the wellness sphere, Shaw Contract Group turned to Perkins+ Will, which has over 60 years of experience in the category. “The designers are experts who understand the complete health-care experience from an interiors perspective,” says Shaw creative director Reesie Duncan. “Their thoughts on product attributes like pattern, scale, and color were based on real-word applications, evidence-based design principles, and client interactions.” The firm’s insights into durability and healing environments resulted in Unearthed, a Cradle to Cradle–certified collection of large-scale modular-carpet patterns derived from natural motifs. Health care, sustainability, and hospitality were mentioned again and again as areas manufacturers were keen to expand into or burnish their brand perception. A commonality among those categories? While receptive to experimentation and creativity, all have stringent performance requirements and specialized knowledge, a reality that motivates manufacturers to enlist outside experts for help.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012