Market Collection: Fit To Print

Karen D. Singh -- Interior Design, 11/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Tracy Kendall says she's not the kind of designer who seeks inspiration—it more or less finds her. If her current wallpaper collection is any measure, it would appear she's been inundated with ideas. The idea for Alphabet occurred when Kendall used laser-cut letters from another design to create something new. From a distance, the dangling letters shimmer on the wall; close-up, the random arrangements spell no words. A companion paper, Large Text, features flocked words on a non-woven black paper ground.

An image of spangly flapper frocks hanging in Betsy Johnson's bedroom window was the springboard for Sequin Dress, a composition of hand-printed paillettes. Standard or custom silhouettes are applied to paper panels that can be installed like regular wallpaper. Racy French Frost was designed for the fitting rooms of North London fashion boutique Frost French. About 10,000 buttons were glued to a board, photographed, and the image digitally reproduced as wallpaper. The Cat, a charming silkscreen based on a swatch of French lace purchased at a Paris flea market, comes in any color. Cut Curves's laser-cut perforations reveal another patterned or plain paper behind the top layer. "I would love to say I spend months designing, but I don't," says Kendall of her rapid creative process. "I often design with production techniques in mind." Fortunately for us, that seems to be a rich source of inspiration, too. 44-20-7640-9071; tracykendall.com. circle 409