Share this on

On a Roll

Staff -- Interior Design, 10/31/2008 12:00:00 AM

firms: interwork architects, thomas interior systems
site: skokie, illinois

It was a dilemma, albeit a fortunate one, when sales at Maya Romanoff doubled in just two years. Already bursting at the seams in an 18,500-square-foot former laundromat in Chicago, how would the wall covering manufacturer meet demand? Heading to nearby Skokie, the company asked Interwork Architects, Thomas Interior Systems, and Maya Romanoff's own design team to turn a 40,000-square-foot label printing plant into a state-of-the-art wall covering facility. Taking advantage of 15-foot-high ceilings, they settled on a loft concept, carving skylights where natural light was lacking. By fortune and design, expanses of wall beneath begged for brazen product placements. This was, after all, the company's headquarters.

Which brings us back to manufacturing. Festoon racks have more room to breathe in the expanded factory while drying hand-painted sheets of orange Burelage vinyl and Ajiro wood veneer. There's also space for an army of hand-dyed rolls of Weathered Walls—waiting to be coated and dried—and for larger painting tables. Select samples become pages in a full-scale catalog that opens in front of president Joyce Romanoff's office, its oversized sliding barn door covered with glass-beaded Relief Marquetry in Iced Onyx. Translucent Beadazzled panels dominate the multi-purpose room, and every cubicle sports Beadazzled Lite. In spaces best devoid of decoration, such as the product development room or inspection area, the settings turn more neutral. To bead or not to bead—an even happier quandary. 773-465-6909; mayaromanoff.com. circle 481

2008 FALL MARKET TABLOID – WALL COVERING

Don't miss our other 2008 Fall Market Tabloid wall covering features:

Flower Power
Jocelyn Warner is deeply rooted in botanical inspirations. The designer relies on detailed perspectives on nature, which she then translates into contemporary wallpapers that retain an English Arts and Crafts feel...
Wall Covering
See the newest in wall covering design, chosen by the editors of Interior Design.+ SlideshowSee the full 2008 Fall Market Tabloid.