Case Study 2: Skyline

Goals: To introduce a new grid geometry, based on rectangles and randomness, as well as explore material richness of glass, stone and metal.

Inspiration: “The Manhattan skyline, how daylight and building interior lights transition a structure's form at sunset, from reflective solid to multi layer interior spacing.”

Started: August 2010 Introduced in Spring 2011

First Drawing:

I wanted to create controlled randomness, balancing structure that is not static. I started to work with multiple width chips all based on 3” height. I concluded with three chips, such that two pc of A equals one pc B, and three pc of A equal one C, (with grout).

Once I defined the general structure of the chip field, I could then think about combinations of materials.

Development, Materials A:

Up to this point, most mosaic offerings were very simple with only a few glass colors/stones. This new collection would distinguish itself with multiple glass colors and finishes, with multiple stones and a variety of metals.

We started with 40+ glass colors, in three sizes and in two finishes.

Development, Materials B:

We gathered numerous combinations of stones from Greece, Turkey, China, and Italy, cutting them into the three chip shapes.

The last element to be added was metal. We introduced stainless steel in multiple finishes and colors. We also gathered copper in 4 patina shades.

Colorations:

Once all the raw materials were decided upon, I began work on making the sheet combinations. Initial blending resulted in more than 40 potential SKU’s.

The Skyline collection was introduced at Coverings in 2011, receiving extremely positive customer response.

Post Script:

The SkyLine collection has gone on to be copied by more then 100 companies worldwide, with lesser color combinations.

Over the last few years, it has become an industry standard, offered at major US home centers and other top global retailers.

I'm proud to say that I still believe our version is the best.