Maya Romanoff Wallcoverings
If walls could SING, they would sing about Maya Romanoff and his groundbreaking innovations in wallcoverings. The term wallcoverings seems far too commonplace to describe the mystique of Maya Romanoff’s creations. His website opts for the term “extraordinary surfacing materials” but even that term fails to encapsulate his genius. Wall experiences, maybe.
Not that he confines himself to walls, any surface can become a canvas for Maya’s creative masterpieces, including mirror frames, support columns and ceilings like this “True Metals” ceiling below.
From his beginnings making tie-dyed shirts after a visit to Woodstock until his death in 2014, Maya was always making a bold statement. He changed his name from Richard to “Multifarious Maya” during a visit to India in 1969 and he realized that every surface was a potential canvas for his art. For decades he has used his unique artistic vision, innovative designs, and drive to always evolve and create new processes to produce high-end, hand-made, designs that simultaneously integrate with paper and push out from the walls.
Maya Romanoff surfaces are certainly not content to sit quietly in the background. They jump up and demand your eye, often literally popping off the background. Never one for the expected, Maya uses such diverse materials as fabrics, wood, gold leaf, bamboo, glass beads, and shells, all laid by hand in groundbreaking production processes.
His designs are never boring, but they do run the spectrum from knock-your-socks-off-WOW to elegant and sedate, from dark and somber to cheerful or barely-there.
Maya Romanoff Corp. is a very warm, people-oriented company based in Skokie, IL where he and his partner and wife, Joyce Romanoff, pursued his artistic vision. Sadly, Maya passed away earlier this year. His wife is now heading up the company.
Thank you, Maya, for sharing your artistic genius with us. For more of Maya’s work, see our pinterest board. You can also see a short video of the Maya hand-coloring process on our Facebook page. Don’t forget to “Like” us!
“Fearless Design” Event
- At March 27, 2014
- By catherineschager
- In Tips and Advice
0
Fearless Design
Please join Diane Goldstein of J.C. Licht/Epco in Northbrook and me for “Fearless Design”!
When: Thursday April 3, 6:00 – 8:30 pm
Where: J.C. Licht/Epco store, 1340 Meadow Rd, Northbrook, IL 60062
Diane and Catherine will unveil the secrets to conquering your fears in the design of your home. You can also meet Frank Lemke with York Wallcoverings. Frank will show you the newest in Wallcovering designs.
If this is the year you want to finally tackle that decorating project that’s been neglected, this is the event for you!
Please call Diane to reserve your space!
(847) 272-2600. Refreshments will be served. This is a complimentary design event.
Wowed by Walls!
As a design professional, I’m often invited to events that feature some of the latest and greatest products for your home. This week I had the pleasure of attending 2 very informative events, both having to do with wall treatments.
The first event was sponsored by ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and was graciously hosted by the Donghia showroom at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. The subject was wallpaper and we saw some of the most beautiful wallpapers that I’ve ever seen. Usually, I’m not a huge fan of wallpaper as a lot of it looks: a)fake, b)ugly, c)common. These papers were anything but. The showroom carries its own line of papers, as well as lines from Luludk, Lori Weitzner, David Goldberg, and fabrics by Bart Halpern that are often used as wallcoverings (some really yummy silks!) Here are some of my favorites:
Donghia paper- Looks like tapacloth
This one is from Donghia’s own line and is quite lovely.
Lori Weitzner "Cartouche"
This one, from Lori Weitzner has a raised pattern on the paper and can actually be painted. I thought this elegant design would look fabulous in a dining room. By the way, Lori’s website is quite cool. I recommend watching the video. www.weitznerlimited.com
Lori Weitzner's "Aura Spliced"
This was a really stunning paper. It’s actually fiber from fig trees that’s been made into a wallpaper. You would paint your wall first and then apply the paper. The wallcolor is seen through the open holes in the fiber. It gives great texture and interest to a wall. She even has a wallpaper made of recycled newspaper that’s pretty neat. Now granted, some of these papers are not inexpensive. But if you’re looking to add some interest, sophistication or just a “wow” factor to your room, you could do just an accent wall in one of these and create a stunning room.
The next event, a few days later, was sponsored by Sherwin-Williams paint and hosted in the Robert Allen showroom at the Mart. They were introducing designers to some of their new faux-finish products. These were also pretty awe-inspiring. Again, I thought that faux-finishing was passe’, which was ok with me. These finishes were really sophisticated with metallics, linen finishes and also venetian plasters that are tactile, interesting and visually draw you into a space. Check out www.sherwin-williams.com and take a look. Unfortunately I couldn’t download any of these pictures, so you’ll have to take a look for yourself! I would definitely recommend many of these for a spectacular, one of a kind look for your home.
I encourage you to think about your walls in terms of color AND texture when you’re contemplating a project. Sometimes just a little jolt can amp up a room’s interest enough to make you say “wow”!
By the way, as part of my new year’s blogging campaign, I’ve signed up for WordPress’ “Post a week 2011” group. I’m promising to post at least once a week (really my goal is twice a week) throughout the year. It’s great to buddy up, so if there are any other bloggers out there that would like to be my buddy for twice a week posts, let me know!
