"The Innovative Spirit Impacting the World of Design" When Maya Romanoff was living the ultimate student experience at the University of California in Berkeley during the sixties, he probably never imagined his studies would lead him to where he is today: artist, inventor, and director of the Maya Romanoff Corporation; the leading manufacturer of innovative wall covering and surfacing materials in the world of design. Maya’s journey began with travels to such exotic places as North Africa, where he observed art as part of everyday life. From there he moved to the couture houses of Paris, where he gathered practical business experience while feeding his growing interest in textiles.Enter Woodstock, where Maya discovered the intriguing technique of tie-dye, and his fascination with using common materials to create uncommon art was born. Soon he was producing fabrics that swept tie-dye into the realm of couture as well as an apparel line, aptly named Wearable Art, which sold in top retail establishments across the country.In 1969 he established the Maya Romanoff Corporation to bring his artistic creations to profitable fruition. To this day the Chicago based corporation has remained true to Maya’s founding vision: to transform modern design by combining ancient artistic techniques with the latest production technology, all with a keen regard for nature and environmental concerns. Splitting his focus between business and art during the seventies, Romanoff’s main business concern became the development of unique production techniques. As the art world became enamored with resist-dyes and textiles Romanoff received international acclaim and was called upon to create exhibitions that showcased fabrics as fluid works of art. Among his many outstanding exhibitions was New York’s Museum of Contemporary Arts’ 1972 Fabric Vibrations, the first to address this emerging contemporary art form.As the corporation moved into the eighties, Romanoff continued to explore fabric as an expression of unbridled art. Indoor or outdoor, Romanoff’s art on a massive, moving scale created a stir. Known as “The Christo of Chicago,” Romanoff gave the industrial Chicago Sun-Times building a shot of adrenalin by suspending 28 brightly colored ribbons from the seventh floor terrace down to the Chicago River. Never content with the status quo, Romanoff sought inspiration in such places as Japan, where he uncovered an ancient method of papermaking that could be translated into a modern process, making more of his avant-garde surface coverings marketable. Romanoff’s endeavors have brought the corporation into focus as a prime resource for top interior designers and architects. He credits his wife Joyce with being the strong business push behind his artistic efforts. Since joining him in 1989 she has elevated the business by increasing its visibility, fine-tuning product consistency and stepping up production.In the world of design Romanoff takes the lead, receiving countless awards over the years including The International Furnishings and Design Association’s Trailblazer Award, Metropolitan Home’s Top 100 Designs 2004, NEOCON’s Best of Show, and International Contemporary Furniture Fair’s Editor’s Award. Romanoff’s ability to step beyond the ordinary, and his affinity for organic beauty has led to beautiful and unexpected surface coverings. Along with fabrics and wood, Romanoff gives free reign to his love of natural, genuine materials. Gold leaf, mica, grass and bamboo are part of the mix, but the most captivating introduction has been Beadazzled, a collection of wall coverings made of tiny glass beads. The collection has not only has taken the interior furnishings world by storm, but has earned a permanent place in the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum