Maya Romanoff, renowned for extraordinary surfaces since 1969, celebrates its 40th year with the unveiling of its much-anticipated Anniversary Collection, a limited-edition folio of three tie-dye wallcoverings inspired by company founder Maya Romanoff's earliest textile works, now contemporized by New York designer Amy Lau.
Through nearly half a century, this singular American company has remained true to its founding ethos. World traveler, artist, and entrepreneur, Maya Romanoff built his business on the lessons of ancient craft techniques of Asian and African cultures, the resonant beauty of handmade, utilitarian objects, and experimentation with unconventional materials. His guiding vision was to make art that was "not so much objectified as occupied"—to create the art of every day.
In this he has succeeded magnificently: the company's wallcoverings lend a transcendent beauty to interior spaces around the globe. Hand-made Weathered Walls is a perennial favorite of commercial and residential designers everywhere, and breakthrough experimentation with glass beads led to Beadazzled Flexible Glass Bead Wallcovering®, now represented in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum.
Artistic collaboration is another keystone of Maya Romanoff's success. Commitment to the spirit of unity and co-creation is signified in the entwined lotus symbol Maya designed as the company's logo. From the start, receptivity to the talent, skill, and knowledge of others has sustained creative vitality and technical excellence.
Maya's chief collaborator is his partner and wife, Joyce Romanoff, company president. In many respects amplifier to her husband's artistic vision, it is through her aesthetic sophistication, technical knowledge, and prodigious energy that the company is now a leading name in the design communities of Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Australia. Her refinement of the company's production techniques has made the "art of everyday" scalable enough for global distribution. In July 2010 The Maya Romanoff Corporation became recognized as a certified Women's Business Enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), a step which acknowledges Joyce's energetic leadership and better positions the company to compete for diversity supplier programs and projects.
Another notable Maya Romanoff collaborator is David Rockwell, CEO of Rockwell Group and designer of "Blanket", the elegant wool-blend wallcovering, among others. "Maya is an inspiration," according to Rockwell, "I deeply admire him for his four decades of dedication to craftsmanship, the artistry of his wallcoverings, and his innovative experimentation with materials and techniques."
Maya Romanoff debuted the Anniversary Collection in Spring 2010, including the spirited, tie-dyed sophistication of Half Plaid, Snowflake, and Crystal, designed in joyful collaboration with Amy Lau. Three designs in 7 coordinating colors including Silvery Taupe, Indigo Earth and Paprika Saffron. 30 x 3 yard rolls. Custom colors and lengths available.
