Bold colors from Maine

(FSB) Portland, Maine -- Design insiders had Angela Adams's richly detailed fabrics to themselves for nearly a decade. Now, thanks to licensing deals with Bed Bath & Beyond and four other home-furnishings firms, the rest of us can luxuriate too. Adams's revenues surged from $5 million in 2005 to $18 million in 2006.

Adams, 41, shown with one of her designs, started creating rugs on her own and opened a store in Portland, Maine, in 2001. Soon East Coast decorators were buying her whimsical, hand-tufted wool products - inspired by Maine's rocky coast and sunsets - to enliven clients' homes.

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Adams (angelaadams.com) wanted to see her designs in offices and hotels and in more living rooms than interior decorators could reach. She and husband Sherman Hammill, 49, her business partner, signed up high-end carpet and upholstery makers to produce her patterns, starting with carpet maker Shaw Contract Group and stone and tile company Ann Sacks.

Today Adams's artwork graces bedsheets, ceramic tiles, commercial carpeting, and hospital privacy curtains. With six more licensing deals on deck, Adams expects revenue to hit $40 million in 2007. "We want to be a global brand, but we still have a long way to go," she says.