Q&A: Teresa Grow of madisonandgrow
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There's no better time than the dead of winter to think about fresh, bright and beautiful design. Our longtime pal, Teresa Grow, designer of madisonandgrow, took some time from her packed schedule to talk about their gorgeous botanical-inspired (and earth-friendly) designs, and why wall coverings are a smart choice for sprucing up your space.
Your graphics and colors are great. Can you talk about your design process without giving away any trade secrets?
All of our patterns and colorways are created by yours truly. I have a BFA from SVA in NYC where I studied painting, and then installation art. I worked at Storefront for Art and Architecture in NYC where every show combined an artist with an architect for a project/show. This experience really opened my world up to the way we all “experience” the spaces we are in, and how color and light play such a crucial role. I also worked as a decorative painter in Manhattan and began creating custom colors for clients based on furnishings and textiles they already owned.
From there, I started my design company creating custom color palettes for residential as well as commercial spaces in New York and Massachusetts. All of this experience has proved instrumental in choosing the scale and colorways for our patterns. All the patterns originate from my drawings and paintings. I like to spend most of my time outdoors and get most of my ideas from patterns and light found in nature.
That's pretty groovy. Speaking of groovy...some people have flashbacks of peeling ugly wallpaper off the walls of their fixer-upper homes. How has the art of wallcoverings improved? Why choose wallpaper over paint?
I guess there are some ugly wallpapers left over from mass production of vinyl wallpaper. All of our wallpapers are hand silk screened in Los Angeles on eco-friendly, responsibly sourced papers with water- based inks. Plus our papers and fabrics are 100% VOC free. Wallpaper offers a modern, graphic pattern and a punch of POW to a room!
We agree! It's also great that your papers are so eco-chic. Can you explain why your papers qualify as green?
Sure. All of our papers and textiles are hand printed in the USA using water-based inks and sustainable papers and linens. In fact, our papers are made with "elemental chlorine free" fiber. And 100% of our mill's short paper fiber is reclaimed and used in the agricultural industry for nutrient rich compost or animal bedding. There is zero VOC emissions in our entire process. Being green is very important to our design philosophy and process.
That's terrific. What's on deck for 2013?
I'm cranking. Mostly bringing together new color ways for spring 2013 for all of our patterns. Keep an eye out for a few new designs added to the mix, too.
Here are some examples of Madison and Grow's wallcovering and textile designs. Stop in or call to learn more about madisonandgrow's wallcoverings and textiles.
