Eskayel Showroom

Producing Eco-Friendly Wallpaper & Fabric With Eskayel

 

Brooklyn-based wallpaper and fabric company Eskayel is a firm believer in sourcing and producing locally. Using a mindful production process, Eskayel provides jobs to their local community, reduces their carbon footprint, and donates sales to 1% for the Planet.

Here, Founder Shanan Campanaro shares the Eskayel production process, the enjoyment of collaborating with interior designers, and best practices for choosing the right wallpaper and fabric for a space.

Photography courtesy of Eskayel


How did you get where you are today?

I am from San Diego, CA, by way of Art school in London.  I went into graphic design in fashion out of school and moved into the Home sector when I started Eskayel.

Eskayel Showroom

How does being based in Brooklyn influence your designs?

Brooklyn is a great place to be connected with other designers and it’s an easy place to build a social network and support system of like-minded creative entrepreneurs.

What’s the Eskayel wallpaper and fabric production process like? In what way are you mindful to the environment? 

All of our production facilities are based in the North Eastern United States and are small family-run operations. Sourcing product locally minimizes pollutants due to transportation while supporting local jobs and economy. It also makes communication easy and personal, encouraging a continuing dialog about important issues like eco-friendly innovation.

All our products are made to order with no minimums. In this way, we reduce waste by making just enough for each order and we are never left with extra unsold stock that might go to waste.

As a member of 1% for the Planet, Eskayel gives 1% of its sales to a global network of non-profit organizations that are dedicated to protecting our big blue planet.

Eskayel Wallpaper

What are some spaces featuring Eskayel designs that you are particularly proud of?

We were excited that two hotels unveiled their new rooms this year with our product. One is The Thompson Hotel Nashville, with rugs we designed in every room.  Rugs are a fairly new category for us and we were very pleased to showcase them in this property. And the second is the Four Seasons Maui, which has one of our patterns on the headboard fabric and another pattern on pillows in each room.

Eskayel Thompson Nashville

You were honored by In Her Company, a campaign celebrating the power, impact and creativity of 30 inspiring women – what was that like?

It’s really surprising when you actually realize people are paying attention to your message and what you are doing.   It felt really nice to be able to realize that through such an honor and not just through sales numbers ☺.

In The Company Of Women

Based on your knowledge, how was the use of wallpaper and fabric changed over time?

Well, it used to be a really toxic industry and everything was made of Vinyl.  Now, there are many new ways to print and more eco-friendly alternatives.  There was a time, too, when wallpaper design seemed antiquated or retro – but there are so many new designers working with the medium. Wallpaper is experiencing a sort of renaissance right now.

Who are some other wallpaper and textile designers you admire?

I really admire Porter Talelo’s hand painted papers. I also really love Fort Makers hand painted bold textiles.

Eskayel Wallpaper

What are some of Eskayel’s best-sellers? How are you designs most commonly used in a space?

Our best selling wallpapers are probably Galileo glass, Dynasty and the Akimbo greyscale wallpapers. Fabric is a little different but those patterns are also popular.

Eskayel Fabric

In your opinion, what’s the most essential element to a room?

For me it’s a sense of space.  Whether you want the space to feel large and airy, or cozy and womb-like, you have to start with how you want it to feel.

How do you typically work with interior designers? What do you enjoy about it? What are some of the complications?

The easiest way we work with designers is by simply providing samples and having them purchase from our existing selection. I am not very involved with that process once I finish a collection of designs.

But, I do work a lot with designers on custom color, custom scale or custom artwork for wallpaper and fabrics. Our rugs are very customizable and I work very closely to sample and produce custom rugs for clients. It can be a really long process as well as a complicated process just by the nature of the different techniques that can be used to make a rug.

Eskayel Wallpaper

Can you offer 3 tips of “best practices” to interior designers for choosing the right wallpaper or fabric when decorating a space?

1. Go with your gut or what first comes to mind – overthinking can make a design feel too tight.

2. Mix it up – mixing colors and patterns is not just OK, it’s very good.

3. Don’t go too crazy with paint colors – it’s much more fun to introduce color through textiles or rugs.


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