Market Method: Conveying Their Message

Edited by Karen D. Singh, Text by Karen D. Singh and Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 3/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

Some say that necessity is the mother of invention, but invention occasionally begets necessity. Cambridge Architectural got its start in 1917 manufacturing the interlocking wire beds used for the conveyor belts of newfangled assembly lines. In the 1960's, the company started to produce the indestructible, rigid, tightly woven mesh that protects the walls of elevator cabs—and somehow manages to be downright sexy, too. Other versions are pressed into service as safety barriers for exploding curtain walls or as part of ventilation systems. Peter Marino Architect even installed the material as a decorative cladding at a Louis Vuitton flagship in New York. A close-up on the manufacturing process weaves a tale of humble stainless-steel origins spun into golden applications. 866-806-2385; cambridgearchitectural.com. circle 413