Photo: Ben Schlappig, One Mile at a Time |
In August, the media was abuzz with the opening of the Park Hyatt hotel in New York. Eight years in the making, it was intended to be a New York icon. Even so, the vision for the interior design was created by the Toronto firm Yabu Pushelberg (YP) which has been our client for many years.
We started work on this project in
May 2009 but the carpets were not installed until August 2014. Through experience,
we have become accustomed to the lengthy process attached to carpets in iconic
hotels, but we thought it would be interesting for our blog readers to see how a carpet project might extend over five years.
Ana Cunningham was the Creative
Matters designer assigned to this project from start to end and here she explains
the process.
How many pieces did you create for the Park Hyatt New York?
There were five rugs in the Glow design (from our Aerial
Collection) for the lobby and one custom piece for a lounge named the "Courtyard."
Glow in the lobby at the Park Hyatt New York 90% wool, 10% silk : 72 oz : hand tufted in a low, tight loop with 30% tip shearing |
What were the creative considerations of the spaces?
When we started the design process, Alienor Guilhem - who was
at that time based in YP’s Toronto office - had some of the finishes selected. Metal finishes, a sample of the marble
floor and some fabrics gave us direction for selecting the colour palettes. She
printed out imagery as inspiration for the Courtyard
design.
In both locations, we knew we were working with spaces that were
fairly neutral, giving the rugs centre stage. With the Courtyard, we were
really able to play with the design and include a variety of colours (the rug
ended up with 14 colours and 18 blends). With Glow, the organic orbs gave
relief to the undulating linework in both the walls and floor.
The custom carpet for the Courtyard at the Park Hyatt New York 90% wool, 10% silk : 72 oz : hand tufted cut pile : 14 colours with 18 blends |
How did you and YP eventually decide to use a customized
version of Glow?
After the preliminary concepts were complete (we had to
reconfigure the Glow pattern for each of the five different sizes), we started asking
the mill to supply samples. Only one sample of the Courtyard carpet was
required for approval. However, the Glow colouration required many samples
before the final colourway was selected. We initially thought the original Glow design in silver would work but
the marble floor was much warmer in tone, causing this colourway to look much
greener than anticipated. We tried various approaches. Some matched the warm
taupe of the floor too closely, causing it to blend in (which was not the
desired effect). The final approved custom colourway was on the bluer side
grey, with a hint of violet to inject a touch more life.
What were the practical considerations?
When it came to quality of the carpets, we suggested a
low tight loop for the Glow design which we knew from experience would stand up to the heavy foot traffic
expected in a hotel lobby. For the quieter Courtyard, we recommended a cut pile
quality which created a more residential look.
What influenced your mill selection for this project?
From early on in the project, we planned to use a
mill in Thailand that we have been working with since Creative Matters opened
for business 25 years ago. We were confident their handtufted quality would be the best
for a busy hotel.
You said you went through many samples – how does that work?
To have a sample made, we need to select colour poms.
Because the Glow design requires a very specific tonal transition from one
colour to the next, we needed to ensure that none of the areas were too low or too
high in contrast. Essentially, if one colour turned out to be incorrect, it would
throw the whole design off.
Grey poms |
Once the final sample has been approved, how to you continue
to play a role in the production of the carpet?
Once the sample is approved, we prepare the production order and send it to the mill. We tag the sample noting approved colours, quality and techniques such as the 30% tip shearing which adds another level of dimension to the rugs. The mill then completes a CAD (a computer design) where our designs are placed into the required format for production. The CAD is sent to us for final approval prior to commencing. During production, we ask for photos because it’s always useful to see the goods on the loom - a last chance
for changes before latex is applied to the back. We also follow the shipping
of the carpets to ensure they arrive on time.
The Park Hyatt rugs arrived at our New York warehouse in
July 2013 where they were inspected by the client and YP with rave reviews. They
remained in storage until shortly before the hotel opened its doors this
August. Carpets are generally the last items to go in, once all the other
trades are done.
For budgetary reasons, you often never see your finished
work – how does that feel?
True, we don’t all get to see the rugs we worked on in
person but for this project I have had the unexpected pleasure of seeing the Glow carpet well displayed in the October issue of Surface Magazine with none other than Mario Testino artfully placed upon it.