Press Releases

MARCH 2024 (TUALATIN, OREGON) – Hartmann&Forbes, award winning maker of sustainable natural window and wall coverings, is honored to announce its collaboration with the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) for Spring 2024. Invited to view the Museum’s extensive textile, basketry, and pottery collections, Hartmann&Forbes selected four objects from which to reimagine in a range of modern windowcoverings. Each design is jacquard-handloomed and inspired by a different Native craft tradition: basketry, pottery, and weaving. This collaboration with the Museum pays homage to the natural materials and design motifs integral to the Hopi, Yurok, Diné (Navajo), and Pueblo peoples, and it is their hope that these interpretations honor the creative conversations between the maker and the objects. 

“As we collaborate with the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, an institution dedicated to sharing the rich tapestry of artistic and cultural traditions of the diverse peoples of the Native Southwest, our shared vision is melded into the fabric of a handwoven window covering collection—a testament to our mutual commitment to the pursuit of timeless beauty and meaningful connection,” explains Rebecca Welch, Director of Product Development. 

A portion of this collection’s proceeds supports MIAC and its mission.

WOVEN-TO-SIZE GRASSWEAVE WINDOWCOVERINGS

Starlight – The Starlight series reimagines a turn-of-the-century storage basket from California’s Yurok tribe. Jacquard-handloomed of ramie, the elemental motif evokes the timeless symbolism of a star-filled sky, serving as a guide for explorers and travelers alike.

Sky Ladder – Inspired by a 1940s Navajo wool saddle blanket, Sky Ladder is defined by a series of hexagonal shapes descending in vertical bands with delicate diamonds for artful detail. Jacquard-handloomed of ramie, its rich texture complements the tone-on-tone beauty, while the ladder-shaped motif symbolizes the rider’s journey along rivers and under the cloud-filled sky.

Waterlines – Waterlines draws inspiration from a 1977 Pueblo pottery jar made for carrying water. Woven of ramie on a jacquard-handloom, its geometric honeycomb pattern in a two-tone palette captures the elegant simplicity of interlocking circles formed when water swirls around river rocks. 

Passages – A 1960s Hopi woven bowl made of yucca leaves inspired Passages. Ramie is jacquard-handloomed in a rhythmic rectilinear pattern that draws references to the original conversation between the maker and the basket. The tactile weave softens the crisp geometry while evoking the intricate look of basketry.

JANUARY 2023 (Tualatin, OR) – Hartmann&Forbes, maker of luxurious natural windowcoverings, wallcoverings and textiles, announced that beginning in 2024, they will plant one tree for every order placed. In partnership with One Tree Planted, a renowned global reforestation non-profit organization, Hartmann&Forbes promises to make a lasting difference one tree at a time.

Recognized within the top 10 “100 Best Green Workplaces” in Oregon in 2023 for the third year in a row and appearing on the esteemed list for the last eleven years, Hartmann&Forbes continues to work diligently to reframe the context of responsible design by making products in ways that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. Passionately committed to drive change, the company continues to lead the industry and brainstorm ways they can reach the next level of sustainability. By cultivating unique natural fibers from well-managed ecosystems and weaving near the source, Hartmann&Forbes’ ensures authentic craftsmanship that leaves a smaller environmental footprint.

Additionally, the company started Project Green in 2005, a company-wide collaborative effort that empowers the entire staff to suggest and participate in ways to improve its sustainable workplace efforts. Project Green has led to numerous initiatives including the use of Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper, corporate recycling, a renewable energy program, carbon neutral deliveries, the use of recyclable shipping products and more.

To learn more about One Tree Planted visit https://onetreeplanted.org/

 

ABOUT ONE TREE PLANTEDABOUT ONE TREE PLANTED

One Tree Planted is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. Their projects span the globe and are done in partnership with local communities and knowledgeable experts to create an impact for nature, people, and wildlife. Reforestation helps to rebuild forests after fires and floods, provide jobs for social impact, and restore biodiversity. Many projects have overlapping objectives, creating a combination of benefits that contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon 2023 logo

This month, Oregon Business magazine named its 2023 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon, recognizing employers with best-in-class sustainable workplace practices. For the 3rd consecutive year, Hartmann&Forbes ranked within the Top 10 coming in at 7. Equally as impressive, this is the 11th consecutive year the company has been named to this esteemed list.

Hartmann&Forbes, maker of luxurious natural windowcoverings, wallcoverings and textiles, continues to work diligently to reframe the context of responsible design by making products in ways that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. Passionately committed to drive change within the industry, the company continues to lead the industry and brainstorm ways they can reach the next level of sustainability.

“Embedding sustainability in strategy is not only essential to a better future, but to one’s well-being. By infusing organic objects into our interior spaces, we can create a restorative human experience,” explains Michael Jones, Hartmann&Forbes Founder. “It's an honor and a privilege to be leading a company that is so intricately intertwined with our natural world and to be recognized for it.”

Handwoven and crafted with natural fibers including ramie, water hyacinth, and abaca fibers, each Hartmann&Forbes product begins with the careful examination and selection of premium natural fibers. By cultivating unique natural fibers from well-managed ecosystems and weaving near the source, they ensure authentic craftsmanship that leaves a smaller environmental footprint. The company crafts its products using natural materials and techniques that have low or no levels of VOC’s, minimizing the impact products have on indoor air quality. Additionally, each of Hartmann&Forbes natural products are designed and crafted using components that can be recycled, recrafted, or composted at the end of its lifecycle.

The company started Project Green in 2005, a company-wide collaborative effort that empowers the entire staff to suggest and participate in ways to improve its sustainable workplace efforts. Project green has led to numerous initiatives including the use of Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper, corporate recycling, a renewable energy program, carbon neutral deliveries, the use of recyclable shipping products and more.

Celebrating its 15th year and based on Oregon Business’ widely recognized 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon ranking, the 100 Best Green Workplaces come from a variety of industries, including manufacturing, professional and business services, construction, and the nonprofit sector.

MAY 2023 (TUALATIN, OREGON) – Hartmann&Forbes, award-winning maker of sustainable natural window and wall coverings announces new Grassweave Motifs Collection for Spring 2023. A visual representation of the concept of motifs, this collection deploys repeating decorative patterns to artfully express emotions and ideas. Ranging from the geometric and abstract to the botanical and traditional, these intricate designs are handwoven of natural fibers on a jacquard loom for rich color and texture and a calming, rhythmic effect. The collection includes two series of woven-to-size grassweaves, Canework and Pinisi, each offered in four colorways. 

Canework – Modeled after classic woven-cane chairs, this refined series is marked by a recurring geometric motif. The intricate design is jacquard-handloomed of natural banana fiber, crisscrossing the tonal ground in an elegant lattice pattern; the colors create contrast and visual dimension.

Pinisi – Traditional sailing vessels, known as pinisi, inspired this series, a modern take on traditional design. Jacquard-handloomed of ramie, Pinisi features a motif of the rigged boats in silhouette.

MARCH 2023 (TUALATIN, OREGON) – Hartmann&Forbes, maker of sustainable natural window and wall coverings is proud to announce product additions to their collection with J. Randall Powers. Coming off the success of their Spring 2021 collaboration, the update includes one woven-to-size grassweave windowcovering and one natural wallcovering design in multiple colorways.

WOVEN TO SIZE WINDOWCOVERING

Windsor – Corded French textiles inspired this transitional series by J. Randall Powers. Windsor’s tightly woven ramie ground is detailed with yarns that are individually twisted by hand into pencil lines. Their two-tone palette and horizontal relief offer a fresh take on a traditional striped design. 

NATURAL WALLCOVERING

Morgan – J. Randall Powers drew inspiration for this series from his collection of Native American baskets. Marked by a refined zigzag pattern that’s gravure-printed in three natural tones on a jute-paper ground, the wallcovering delivers visual dimension and a touch of playful flair.

MARCH 2023 (TUALATIN, OREGON) – Renowned creator of sustainable natural window and wall coverings, Hartmann&Forbes is proud to announce the launch of a natural wallcovering in collaboration with Amy Meier, founder and principal designer of Rancho Santa Fe-based Amy Meier Design. Coming off the success of their Spring 2022 collaboration, the wallcovering complements her window covering series which fuses inspiration from Japanese design, the Bauhaus School, and traditional Korean cloth. 

NATURAL WALLCOVERING

Framework – This sophisticated, yet soothing wallcovering is a contemporary nod to the traditional chogak bo or patchwork style of Korean Bojagi. Blocks of woven paper in varying sizes are hand-placed in a restrained linear architecture that can be custom arranged to create specific styles and ambiances.

MARCH 2023 (TUALATIN, OREGON) – Hartmann&Forbes, maker of sustainable natural window and wall coverings is proud to announce the launch of its first collection with Erinn V., founder and principal designer of the award-winning design firm Erinn V. Design Group, and ERINN V. furniture brand, as well as the visionary behind StyleRow. Adding to Hartmann&Forbes’ diverse portfolio of designs, the collection reflects her signature California style, and includes an assortment of weaves that are designed to be a very usable and livable “modern neutrals” collection.

“I love an open weave texture on windows.” explains Erinn V. “There is something very chic and beautiful to me in the feeling of a mesh-like texture in window coverings. Unexpected and yet so practical.”

The collection features three Woven-to-Size Grassweave windowcovering series.

WOVEN-TO-SIZE GRASSWEAVE WINDOWCOVERINGS

At Sea – Inspired by traditional fishing nets, At Sea features an open weave hand loomed from natural palm and ramie fibers. Rendered in a range of coastal hues, the design’s rhythmic, grid pattern gives the textural tableaux a sense of structure that suits formal and informal settings alike. 

Whitecaps – Evocative of waves breaking on the seashore, refined ramie is woven with richly dimensional ramie slubs that ebb and flow across the canvas, producing an artful, abstract pattern conjuring the look of cresting whitecaps.

Dockside – Drawing inspiration from picturesque docks found along the west coast, Dockside’s variegated stripes descend the relaxed ramie weave, evoking the profile of a pier and producing a play of texture and tension against the tonal, open ground. 

JANUARY 2023 (Tualatin, OR) – This coming May, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will implement new mandatory federal safety standards impacting cord use in all windowcoverings produced going forward. The regulation, eliminating all operational cords on windowcoverings, is an effort to prevent cord-related incidents involving young children and pets.

Hartmann&Forbes, maker of sustainable natural window and wall coverings, has always supported the effort to advance the safety of windowcoverings and, since its founding, has strictly adhered to the industry-established guidelines in each country they serve. As such, the company has been preparing for this inevitability in the North American markets for some time and is excited to broaden its motorized and automated product line to meet these new regulations. Hartmann&Forbes will continue to innovate new styles and systems that genuinely blend art and technology, creating not only the safest product on the market but the most luxurious product as well.

“Our high standards for both our product and personal integrity compel us to build products that meet or exceed the industry expectations, delivering the safest and most healthful window coverings possible,” explains Michael Jones, Hartmann&Forbes Founder.

The U.S. CPSC will impose these new mandatory safety standards on all products sold by the windowcovering industry, with an effective date of May 30, 2023. Hartmann&Forbes recognizes that while it must ensure it is meeting and exceeding these new standards, educating designers who specify windowcoverings is paramount. As a result, the company plans to offer an automation CEU throughout the spring to help designers understand what they need to know and what their methods of operation options are going forward.

These changes may be modified over the coming months, but Hartmann&Forbes remains dedicated to ensuring it has the latest information to inform its showrooms and designers. In addition, the brand will continue to develop tools to help its partners communicate these changes to their clients over the coming months. 

AUGUST 2022 (TUALATIN, OREGON) – Hartmann&Forbes, maker of sustainable natural window and wall coverings is proud to announce the launch of its first collection with Lisa Kanning, founder and principal designer of New York City based design firm Lisa Kanning Interior Design. Adding to Hartmann&Forbes’ diverse portfolio of designs, Kanning’s collection is inspired by her roots in rural Montana drawing on nature and her surroundings. The collection effortlessly layers varied textures and natural materials creating textural depth to the designs.

“It seemed a natural progression to interpret these forms of nature in my collection for Hartmann&Forbes, allowing for more concise versions of these natural elements,” explains Kanning. “The collection translates these natural shapes and materials into modern forms, utilizing a variety of techniques to elevate them to high design status.”

The collection features three Woven-to-Size Grassweave windowcovering series and four natural wallcovering series.

WOVEN-TO-SIZE GRASSWEAVE WINDOWCOVERINGS

Fungi – Meticulously hand-placed Mendong flowers distinguish this design. Woven of weighty ramie, individual flowers are inserted into the weft, creating a series of dark slubby streaks that recall the frilly edge of a mushroom cap sprouting from the forest floor.

Cenote – Long, hanging vines suspended over Yucatan sinkholes served as inspiration for this earthy yet elegant series. Refined abaca is woven with gleaming gold, silver, and copper threads, producing textural striations that conjure the rich dimension and natural colors of these underground caves.

Zenith – Slender metallic stripes shimmer against a field of sheer banana fiber in this series. The delicate tone-on-tone design is woven with dimensional traces of copper or silver that gracefully descend the fabric, their vertical trajectory evoking a streaking star in the night sky.

NATURAL WALLCOVERINGS

Birch – Inspired by natural birch bark, this series reinterprets its namesake in a richly textural design. The large-scale, dimensional pattern is elaborately stitched with slate or gold threads that play a delicate counterpoint to a rough-hewn cork ground over metallic paper.

Sycamore – Reminiscent of Sycamore tree bark, this series features a captivating camouflage pattern. The mottled motif is rendered in a complex layering of silver-painted paper, laser-cut cork, sisal, and metallic embroidery, the interplay of materials bringing rich depth and organic beauty.

Rocks – Faux suede intricately stitched in complementary colors creates this collection’s trompe l’oeil effect of strewn rocks. Artful tonal shifts produce a play of shadow and angles that lend depth and detail to the pattern, the sheen from the embroidery enhancing its dimensional quality.

Marsh – A desolate field of wizened grass is reimagined as a vibrant landscape in this series. Tonal paper weave is embroidered with dimensional stitches that free and separate the fibers. Its fringed eyelash effect is reminiscent of the graceful movement of grass in a marsh.

100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon 2022 logo

JUNE 2022 (Tualatin, OR) – This month, Oregon Business magazine named its 2022 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon, recognizing employers with best-in-class sustainable workplace practices. For the 10th consecutive year, Hartmann&Forbes made an appearance on the esteemed list remaining at the #6 spot compared to 2021.

Hartmann&Forbes, maker of luxurious natural windowcoverings, wallcoverings and textiles, continues to work diligently to reframe the context of responsible design by making products in ways that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. Passionately committed to drive change within the industry, the company continues to lead the industry and brainstorm ways they can reach the next level of sustainability.

“Embedding sustainability in strategy is not only essential to a better future, but to one’s well-being. By infusing organic objects into our interior spaces, we can create a restorative human experience,” explains Michael Jones, Hartmann&Forbes Founder. “It's an honor and a privilege to be leading a company that is so intricately intertwined with our natural world and to be recognized for it.”

Handwoven and crafted with natural fibers including ramie, water hyacinth, and abaca fibers, each Hartmann&Forbes product begins with the careful examination and selection of premium natural fibers. By cultivating unique natural fibers from well-managed ecosystems and weaving near the source, they ensure authentic craftsmanship that leaves a smaller environmental footprint. The company crafts its products using natural materials and techniques that have low or no levels of VOC’s, minimizing the impact products have on indoor air quality. Additionally, each of Hartmann&Forbes natural products are designed and crafted using components that can be recycled, recrafted, or composted at the end of its lifecycle.

The company started Project Green in 2005, a company-wide collaborative effort that empowers the entire staff to suggest and participate in ways to improve its sustainable workplace efforts. Project green has led to numerous initiatives including the use of Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper, corporate recycling, a renewable energy program, carbon neutral deliveries, the use of recyclable shipping products and more.

Celebrating its 14th year and based on Oregon Business’ widely recognized 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon ranking, the 100 Best Green Workplaces come from a variety of industries, including manufacturing, professional and business services, construction, and the nonprofit sector.

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