Meet the Makers behind Twenty2
Meet Twenty2.
This week we introduce you to Kyra & Robertson Hartnett, the dynamic husband and wife duo behind Twenty2 grasscloth.
Based in Bantam Connecticut they established Twenty2 in 2003 with their own line of hand-screened grasscloth and wallpaper designs. By 2005 they had launched their first line of grasscloth solids. “It was a natural evolution to go from printing our original Twenty2 designs onto grasscloth grounds, to then offer the supporting solids which many people became interested in purchasing.”
Today, Twenty2’s grasscloth collection consists of a beautifully palatable grouping of 90 unique products hand-crafted in Japan, South Korea and China. Their collection is thoughtfully curated to offer the most beautiful, versatile, and design-forward grasscloth options for interior designers to integrate into their spaces. Style Rev are proud to have been working with Twenty2 and offering their collections to the interior design trade here in Australia since 2014.
A Unique Style and Nurturing Relationships
There are certainly plenty of vendors to choose your grasscloth from, but a unique point of difference and relationship nurturing are key to Twenty2’s success!
Twenty2’s unique collection offering of colours and textures truly sets their offering apart from others, we can certainly vouch for this firsthand with many of our Australian designers remarking at the unique and fantastic colour offering! The addition of their new Japanese paperweaves in 2022 has also started to push the boundaries in texture and weave, whilst also offering a grasscloth-like product that shows less “seams” when installed.
Twenty2 pride themselves in building strong and nurturing relationships with their showroom partners and designers alike, bringing personal interest and attention to each interaction. This authenticity lies at the core of their vision for a small company in a large pond. The relationships also run deep with their mills whom they’ve partnered with for more than 20 years, allowing them to offer exceptional, high quality products and a level of flexibility and service like no other.
Our wish would be that a designer might say something along these lines when our name pops up: “We love working with a small company liken twenty2; they are passionate about their product and are committed to helping me find the right grasscloth for my project, even offering alternatives or other items that might not be part of their collection. We can always count on them going above and beyond!”
Imperfection Is Beauty!
“We agree wholeheartedly with Style Rev’s core value: Imperfection Is beautiful!” Kyra explains. “Real, natural grasscloth wall coverings are produced and hand-crafted from the fields to the walls. The variable conditions of each growing season, and the natural vegetable dyes used to colour each production run, combine to create subtle and beautiful color variations within a single production order. This is one of the inherent beauties of using a natural product in your home.”
“Whilst we rely on our showrooms to educate their designers, we also know that no matter how much the showroom -or the designer- understands the beauty of the imperfections in grasscloth wall coverings, it is ultimately up to the homeowner to decide (this is where it gets trickier!). We have found “seaming” to be what can trip up some homeowners, and therefore we suggest looking into more of the Japanese paperweaves from our new collection which tend to hide more of the seams/joins when installed.”
“Grasscloth is a foundational, transformative design tool, adding texture, luster and intrigue to the wall. We love to see how light interacts with every fiber at different times of day, creating movement and energy in a room.”
Focus on Sustainability.
All of our collections and day to day practices at Style Rev have a heavy focus on environmental impact, sustainability and green footprint, and Twenty2’s practices are no different! Kyra explains, we have an unwavering commitment to our environmental responsibility, and we embrace the challenge to make smarter, more earth-friendly choices on a daily basis to minimize our environmental impact. We choose grasscloth products that are manufactured sustainably, throughout all phases of the production process. We do not carry any products that are harmful for the earth.
The fibres used to weave their grasscloth coverings are completely natural, dyed with natural vegetable dyes, dried in the sun and handwoven on a loom before being applied to a natural paper backing. All offcuts, and even including if you decide to remove your grasscloth at a later date can be composted, returning it back to the earth!
DESIRE TO INSPIRE, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Kyra shares with us some of the more unusual usage of how their grasscloths have been used:
-We worked with a wedding planner who ordered a paperweave for the envelope lining for a wedding invitation!
-We’ve also seen grasscloth-wrapped coffee tables or night/side tables.
-Another recent favorite application for grasscloth has been on the ceilings, which is quite lovely and seems to tamper the noise.
DREAM JOB
When we asked Kyra “Who would your dream job be for (dead or alive) and how would you make your mark?”
Her response was: “Working on any project with the late Eero Saarinen, one of the foremost furniture and architectural mid-century modernists, would be a dream come true. His curvilinear and organically-inspired forms have always been captivating, and I would welcome the challenge of covering the ceiling of his landmark TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport (now TWA Hotel) in our Japanese paper weave, “Mica”.
This is a stunningly subtle, yet impactful paper weave whose surface comes across as a soft gray matte, but with the right light, can dazzle with its metallic silver paperbacking. There would always be a curve or an angle that would show both sides of this elegant wallcovering.
View Twenty2’s grasscloth collection here.