The Roger Thomas Collection for Maya Romanoff
"The opportunity to work with world class artisans in Maya Romanoff's extraordinary Chicago Studio was personally irresistible. My years of studio training allowed me to work artist to artist in creative charettes toward the surprising, unique, inspired and luxurious."
—Roger Thomas, Executive Vice President of Wynn Design and Development
April 2012 (Chicago) - Launching in Spring 2012, this exciting collaboration between Roger Thomas and Maya Romanoff is the natural evolution of a relationship that has spanned more than a decade.
Over the years, Maya Romanoff has turned to Roger Thomas time and again for his exacting eye when finalizing a product design or color palette. Roger, in turn, has exhibited his innate understanding of Maya Romanoff with his unconventional and inventive use of product in his role as Executive Vice President of Design for Wynn Hotels. With such diverse installations ranging from signage and ceiling covers to an entire storefront, Thomas has relied on the Maya Romanoff product line for such luxe and varied settings as the Bellagio, Encore, Wynn Las Vegas and Macau.
Utilizing the inimitable creative expertise of the Maya Romanoff workshop, Roger Thomas arrived to the first meeting of his Designer-in-Residence armed with stacks of books filled with sketches from his extensive travels, and a passion for American craftsmanship. “We are thrilled and honored to collaborate with Roger Thomas,” says Joyce Romanoff, President of Maya Romanoff, “he doesn’t stop creating, sketching and producing. His doodles are frame worthy! He has encouraged us to harness our processes and techniques in a new way—we have learned so much.”
The Roger Thomas Collection for Maya Romanoff draws from elements of nature and fine art, inspired by the spontaneity of the hand and the capabilities of the machine, resulting in products that are simultaneously organic and timeless. The first two products introduced for the launch, Tremolo and Moon Lake, are titled in reference to contemporary artists, Agnes Martin and Pat Steir, respectively. Both products were developed and
produced on-site in Maya Romanoff’s Chicago Studio.
Thomas understood that no other company would be able to translate his vision to an industrial scale, while maintaining the artisanal and hand-crafted patina that has become the hallmark of the Maya Romanoff brand. As the largest manufacturer of handmade wallcoverings in North America, Maya Romanoff’s production processes are unrivaled in the industry. Many of Maya’s cadre of product developers and artisans have been with the company for decades, sometimes generations. This group acts as a conduit for Maya Romanoff’s ongoing, dynamic dialogue with material and processes.
