Chicago
mayaromanoff.com
When it comes to making wallpaper, Maya Romanoff likes to push the boundaries. His Chicago business, which shares his name, manufactures wall coverings using materials as diverse as mother of pearl, gold leaf, copper and glass beads.
Romanoff, 67, started the company after becoming enraptured with tie-dye materials at the Woodstock festival in 1969. Over nearly four decades, Maya Romanoff Corporation has evolved from a small tie-dye textile shop to a high-end wall coverings specialist, guided by the artistic direction of its founder. The coverings, which cost up to $45 per square foot, have been used by American architect and designer David Rockwell to adorn the walls of three Nobu restaurants in Hong Kong, Melbourne and Los Angeles.
Among the company's latest offerings is a wall covering made from hand-inlaid layers of mother of pearl, which comes in strips and mosaic tiles. "I want to make things beautiful," Romanoff says."That's been the governing principal since the beginning." - Malika Zouhali-Worrall
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