NEWH - April 2004 - (Page 64)

designer profile… Esther Dunbar-Cullum Over the last twenty years I’ve been asked to design for just about every type of floorcovering, fabric, and wallcovering imaginable. These products have ranged from handknotted silk rugs for royal palaces, to production runs of synthetic fabrics designed specifically as corporate standards for hotel chains. In total, the constraints and capabilities of more than twenty different manufacturing techniques have needed to be accommodated for the surface products I design. Although each medium requires a different technical approach, I am one of a diminishing number of designers who still originate each design with hand-painted artwork. Each color is mixed for individual accuracy and compositional balance within the color group. I find this slower process allows for constant and subtle alterations, which infuses my style in each of the final products. Hand painting gives the designs a certain artistic expression, or “turn of hand,” which, to my mind, breathes personality into the work. My career began designing high-end, handmade area rugs and hand-painted textiles, and this has influenced my approach to designing every product regardless of the manufacturing method. I find that the simpler and more basic the process, the more actual artistic ability is required. For example, printed carpet is essentially like painting on a blank canvas - a pure white base upon which very fine jets actualize the design. One can manipulate the limited color slots in a very painterly way, as can be done with screened fabrics and papers. Woven textiles, whether hand or machine-made, “interpret” the original artwork. While the design and color sense remains intact, the hand of the artist is somewhat obscured by the process. This is simply due to a difference in resolution. The carpet printer has 256 dots per inch while the axminster only has a range of 63-84. Because subtle expression and fine detail are lost in woven carpets, the design approach needs to be different in order to achieve the desired result. For instance, playing with scale and repeat size might have positive effects in dealing with limited resolution, but this always has to be balanced against the scale of the interior space in which the designs are being installed. Maintaining the level of artistic expression in commercial products is one of the main challenges surface pattern designers face. Only general design principles are transferable from one medium to another, but in crossing media types, the differences provide opportunities for new thinking and creative approaches. Vinyl wallcovering design is usually achieved through the use of fewer colors and multiple 64 tones, making it a subtler and more detailed medium. However, we sometimes realize that much of what is produced has been creatively constrained by manufacturing convenience, more than actual manufacturing limitation. I am very grateful for the talented people at Muraspec North America who have demonstrated enormous patience during the past year while I have explored, prodded and pressed the known boundaries of production capability in an effort to deliver a fresh collection of new designs, which they will be introducing in 2004. I have been fortunate to find licensing partners who are willing to invest in the future of the industry. That future is technologically evolving and these companies have welcomed innovation in design that helps propel the need for continuous development. While it takes a team to determine the technical manufacturing parameters, the burden of delivering attractive and marketable product designs rests with me alone. Fortunately I find inspiration literally everywhere, and feel that my childhood living in diverse cultures like Asia and Africa provided unusual stimulation from a very early age. I was always struck by the vibrant use of color and the importance of expression and design in even the most utilitarian objects. Having the opportunity to channel these experiences into products that are used in the hospitality interior design industry has been very rewarding and I am very gratified that designers find my carpet, fabric and wallcovering designs as suitable components to their larger creative endeavors.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - April 2004

NEWH - April 2004
President’s Letter
Calendar of Events
Contents
From the Editor
Hospitality News
In Memory - Thomas R. Durkan, Sr.
Top Hotel Developers - John Q. Hammons
On the Road Again
HD Expo at a Glance
Surviving HD
Did You Know
Exclusive Lifestyle by Design
If It Were Easy
The Best of Time
Talk About Fast Track
What to Expect From the Vacation Ownership Industry
A Look Back in History
The New Direction for Timeshares in Europe
Confronting the Disabilities Myth
Furnishing Today’s Timeshare
Art - The Final Piece of the Puzzle
Showcase Projects
Design Education Today
Designer Profile: Esther Dunbar-Cullum
Oh Canada, Oh Canada
Top Awards
From Across the Pond
Spotlight On...
Tips on Specs
Window Treatments 101
Hot New Products
We Want Your Projects
Bios

NEWH - April 2004