Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1525828
(Continued) (Continued from page 102) K athryn Ireland Takeaway: • "Juggling work, family, and life balance is about having good people behind you." • "Hire people who can do things better than you." • "I like to keep my team small and tight, because if you hire Kathryn Ireland, you actually get Kathryn Ireland." • "I always say to my clients: I am, in essence, your insurance. I will stand by and make things right." • "Visit the Cotswolds in June." • "Carpe diem!" Divine Dinner at Park House. In celebration of Patterson Flynn's new showroom in Decorative Center Houston, president Peter Touma, Pam Marshall, and Samantha Roberts, as well as L.A. designer Mary McDonald, flew in for McDonald's talk at Texas Design Week and the unveiling of her newest rug collection at the showroom. Then it was off to Park House Houston for dinner at the swanky new membership-only club. Seen: Ben Johnston, Lauren Haskett, Randy Powers, Erich Ploog, Dennis Brackeen, Marcella Moss, Nicole Zarr, Letecia Ellis Haywood, Marie Flanigan, Nicole Zarr, Chris Alexander, Meg Lonergan, Shannon Mann, and Bruce and Oscar Banta-Guevara. Twenty2 and Counterpart Studios at Hästens. The final morning of Texas Design Week Houston kicked off at the new Hästens showroom in River Oaks District, where Kyra and Rob Hartnett of Twenty2 Wallpaper & Textiles joined Andrée Chalaron and Stacy Bain of Counterpart Studios, Austin. The discussion, moderated by Laurann Claridge, dove deep into the world of digital printing. Connecticut-based Twenty2, founded by the married Hartnetts, produces wallpaper and textile collections for some of the most well-known designers in the business. "We're firing on all cylinders at all times, creatively," said Kyra Hartnett. Counterpart Studios partners with artists to create custom fabrics and wallpapers. "It's very important to us that we collaborate with people that truly put something unique into the world," Chalaron said. The discussion dove into the process of manufacturing textiles and the logistics of artist collaborations, as well as the stories behind some well-known prints. In an increasingly digital age, one wonders: Would these industry innovators ever use AI to design prints? The response is a unanimous no. "It's so much about the artist's hand," Chalaron said. "We want it to feel like art for your wall." Seen: Hästens Texas owner Bradley Belen, Diana Fisher, Magen Pastor, Callie Jenschke, Amity Worrel, Tate Hinkelman, Derya Baysal, Ruth Davis, Kaila Brinckmann, Noel Bangs, Trisha Allen, Ginger Hartford, Karen Pulaski, Liliana Dares, Kayla Johnson, Oscar Banta-Guevara, Dionne Christiansen, Kyle Johnson, and Julie Pratz. Caitlin Hsu Twenty2 and Counterpart Studios Takeaway: • "It's a red flag for us if the client says, 'I want my project done by next week.' They're not respecting the process and what really goes into creating something unique and personalized. The design process needs to be honored." — Kyra Hartnett • "Each artwork has its own little idiosyncrasies and ways that it needs to be addressed [when scanning]. Each time we get a piece, it's a fun challenge." — Rob Hartnett • "It's going to take more time and cost more money than you think it will. Make sure you choose your partners wisely." — Stacy Bain • "When [one of our prints] is on the wall, people walk up and touch it and think that it is embroidered. Which is the goal!" — Andrée Chalaron Pop King Donald Robertson at C2 Art. Pop artist and dynamic brand collaborator Donald Robertson was (pardon the pun) a big draw at C2 Art's new Upper Kirby-area gallery space. Drawbertson, as he's affectionately known to his 227,000 Instagram followers, enchanted the crowd with rapid-fire bons mots and details about his career trajectory, from growing up in Canada to his current family life in Highland Park, Dallas. Along the way, he's famously played a longtime power role as senior VP of global creative development for Estée Lauder. There's no better testament to Drawbertson's genius than the line that queued after his C2 Art salon talk for copies of Sofa King Great (say it fast!), which is more akin to an artwork than a book. Against a backdrop of color-saturated drawings pinned to the walls, Robertson signed alongside strips of his signature neon masking tape that made each volume its own collectible creation. Ben Johnston, Lauren Haskett Erich Ploog at Patterson Flynn Dinner Dana Shihab, Oliver Furth, Alia Hassan at Roche Bobois Pam Pierce, Avery Bowers, Megan Megas Brooke Stuckey at James showroom Ellen Brown Palmer Brown at OKA Monica Bickers, Anne Lee Phillips Nancy Bihlmaier at Sanderson and Culp Rebecca Birdwell, John Ike Carla Muñoz at CAM Studio Michael Mandola Ruth Davis at Roche Bobois 104