The power of two is never more appealing than with new product collaborations. An established manufacturer paired with a noted designer will always capture attention, and this season luxuriates in several options with creatives from every discipline lending their signature style to furniture, lighting, fabrics and accessories. The market is full of these inspired partnerships, and as part of an ongoing series, Editor at Large is highlighting a number of these unions ready to make it official.

Read on for a closer look at what’s coming down the pipeline from Kravet, Visual Comfort, Duralee, Deknudt Mirrors, Huppé and Crystorama, and stay tuned for more announcements throughout the season.

From surfside blues to earthy reds, Kravet’s new fabrics present harmonized color stories that fall into a specific range of PANTONE colors thanks to a new partnership between the two companies.

Kravet with Pantone fabrics

“Kravet has spent the last 15 years associating its name with color,” said Kravet Executive Vice President of Marketing Beth Greene. “Pantone and its reputation as the color authority in the fashion, design and graphics industries, as a partner to Kravet, will only serve to further reinforce our reputation for bringing the highest quality products and fashion forward colors to the interior design community.”

Kravet with Pantone fabrics

Kravet has introduced eight pattern books for fall with additional color collaborations to follow. In addition to the pattern books, the launch of the Pantone- Kravet partnership will include a seminar series featuring Pantone’s color and trend experts who will travel to Kravet showrooms around the country to educate and excite designers with upcoming color trends.

Visual Comfort has teamed up with Niermann Weeks for a collection that will feature more than 25 signature designs comprised of ceiling fixtures, wall sconces, table and floor lamps. Each piece is handcrafted and can be customized in a choice of rich finishes and textures such as Venetian Silver, Venetian Gold, Brass, Iron, and Wood along with other Visual Comfort signature finishes.

“We are thrilled to partner with Visual Comfort, an industry veteran that has an impeccable reputation in lighting design and manufacturing,” said Niermann Weeks President, Justin Binnix. “This will allow designers to extend their vision into every room and enable us to reach a much larger audience. Keeping the design integrity and authentic hand-made appeal is equally important to us and to our customers. Visual Comfort is the perfect partner to recreate the authenticity of our handcrafted designs and finishes.”

The new lighting collection will debut at the upcoming High Point Market, October 18-23. Visual Comfort is located in C&D Building, Suites 2G and 2J.

Rendering of Kelly Wearstler's lighting for Visual Comfort

Interior, product and fashion designer Kelly Wearstler has also teamed up with Visual Comfort to debut her very first line of lighting during High Point Market this fall. Stay tuned for additional details.

Duralee is continuing its partnership with interior designer Eileen Kathryn Boyd with “Duralee Designer: Eileen Kathryn Boyd Vol. II,” a follow up to her successful first collection of fabrics for the home.

Eileen Kathryn Boyd for Duralee

When creating the collection, Boyd dove further into the color spectrum to create a painter’s box of hues that every designer could reach to for inspiration. When assembling this second series, she wanted the designs to be thoughtfully choreographed so that each pattern and color has its complement and companion. Considerable attention was placed on offering a variety of scale, color, texture and quality in order for the designer to be able to build a complete room.  The new fabrics—from mod-inspired psychedelic prints to sophisticated faux bois designs—are very relevant to the first collection, adding to the possibilities of new color stories. 

Karim Rashid for Deknudt Mirrors

Karim Rashid first got acquainted with Deknudt Mirrors when he was looking for a suitable mirror for one of his projects. Amazed by the refinement and the craftsmanship he saw in the line, he personally sought contact with the company. This was the beginning of their partnership. As Rashid describes it, a mirror is both a piece of art and a piece of equipment, so for his collection Reflect+, he put the accent on functionality without neglecting aesthetics. The mirrors will be revealed at the Interieur 2014 show in Kortrijk, Belgium, October 17 – 26.

Rashid has also teamed up with Quebec-based furniture company Huppé to create a completely new upscale bedroom collection which will debut at High Point Market. ”We are proud to bring this exclusive collection to Market,” said Jean-Francois Nolin, Huppé President. “Our partnership with Karim Rashid reflects Huppé’s commitment to innovative furniture design. This type of partnership will ensure that the Huppé brand remains at the front line of contemporary furniture design.”

Karim for Huppé

The entire collection will be exhibited in the company’s showroom, located at 220 Elm, Showroom 333 during High Point Market, October 18-23.

Interior designer Libby Langdon is introducing Libby Langdon for Crystorama Lighting, which includes three cohesive collections—The Jennings Collection, The Masefield Collection and The Sylvan Collection—of chandeliers, wall sconces and ceiling mount fixtures.

Libby Langdon for Crystorama

“Working one-on-one with design clients and in makeover TV shows across the country has given me the unique opportunity to gather insight into real people’s lives and how they really live,” said Langdon. “By plugging that information into my lighting designs, I have created collections combining classic lines with modern, updated twists that I know will resonate with today's consumers."

The collections will debut at the Crystorama showroom at the IFHC Building, 210 East Commerce Avenue) during  High Point Market, October 18-23.

Also be sure to check out Bunny Williams for Ballard and Tilton Fenwick for Target, both available online now.

Have a collaboration in the works? Drop us a line at ssnowden@editoratlarge.com and let us know!