Creating A Commercial Print Collection With Grace Garrett

Say hello to the new print collection by Grace Garrett

“Fish and chips on the beach, walking along the breakwater, Nobbys Beach, lunch at Scratchleys, fishing with the kids and shucking oysters.” Just some of the inspiration behind the Catch Of The Day print collection by Grace Garrett.

Comprising of eight designs, Catch Of The Day is digitally printed in Sydney onto our wide selection of commercial grade furnishing textile, wall covering and roller blind substrates. All are flame retardant, durable and easy to clean, perfect for high-traffic environments.

The collection enables architects and designers to bring a piece of the coast to any interior or exterior setting. A modern, muted colour palette and coordinating design scheme allows for a wide variety of applications.

Catching Fish And Memories

Catch Of The Day explores a coastal theme in a modern sophisticated way, with designs evoking moments from when Grace’s parents relocated to Newcastle on the east coast of NSW. The movement of sailboats, the sound of waves hitting the breakwater and the shapes found in fishnets are all elements that Grace has interpreted into the collection.

“Throughout the process I sought to incorporate coastal in a way that translates to a commercial design environment, with a timeless aesthetic in both colour and design. Designs were created from sketches based on memories of when my parents relocated to Newcastle, along with time spent there with my children,” Grace Garrett.

The Collection is dedicated to Grace’s Mum and the time spent with her children, catching fish and memories along the way.

We asked Chloe Evans, Head of Design at Materialised, how she developed the collection with Grace.

When  Grace  sends you initial ideas for the print collection, what is the first stage of the process from there? 

We start with quite a few concepts and images. These are evaluated to see what works together as a collection versus what might be more suitable as a different range. Then we move to test printing, as something on screen can look completely different on fabric and wall covering! 

Grace and I go through the test prints together and edit the range further, keeping the strongest designs with an understanding of how they can be used in the commercial design industry.

The next step is to look at each design’s composition, scale and repeat to see how we can develop this even further. For example, John B Sails, a strong graphic/retro print, originally started as one solid layer in two colours. We knew we loved the shapes and look but it needed something a bit more, so we played with adding two more layers and a texture overlay, creating much more depth to the print. 

Once we’ve finished the file work we do a strike-off test to ensure everything is printing perfectly. When these are signed off, we do my favourite part – colourways! There are usually a few different colour palettes for the designs. It can be quite hard to cull, but we edited until we had four very strong but different colour groups.

How do you consider our audience of professional Interior Designers and Architects?

There are some “go-to rules” when designing print collections for the commercial industry. With colour, for example, you need both dark and light in a range.

Colour

Think about the end user. If you’re using the prints for upholstery in a restaurant, you won’t want to add a pale colour to something exposed to food, drink, and heavy traffic. However, for sheers you may be looking for something to keep the space light and bright. 

Colour is also used as a wayfinding technique in places like aged care homes. This is another reason why we release more than one colour group. By using the same designs in different colours, designers can keep the scheme consistent throughout the project and successfully create separate zones.

Scale

The other element to consider is scale. You will see that our print collections always include a large, a medium, and a small scale or textured design. This is so designers can easily use the full range in one space…

1. Large hero designs for the feature elements.
2. Medium prints for areas with a bit more coverage.
3. Small/textured print for the main use fabric or wall covering.

You want to see a mix of scales in a room to help create interest, without prints competing against each other. 

Tell us about the amazing sneak peek! 

We wanted our clients to remember times by the beach and what’s more iconic than fish and chips wrapped in newspaper!

In this case we wrapped beautiful textiles in custom-designed newspaper. An accompanying menu shows what you were getting in your sneak peek order. 

We love doing things a bit differently here at Materialised and strive to make these experiences meaningful. 

Which base cloths did you select for the print collection release, and why? 

It can be easy to fall into the novelty or kitsch side of things when working with coastal-themed collections. Therefore, we used luxe velvets, rich golds, and deep navy to show the sophistication behind Grace’s range. The base substrate selections show the different applications we offer, from sheer curtain fabric and waterproof upholstery to wall covering.

Which is your favourite design/base substrate and how would you use it? 

I have two! John B Sails and Sailcloth. 

I would use the John B sails as a feature such as a bedhead in a beautiful velvet like Palermo, with contrast piping. Sailcloth would be amazing as floor-to-ceiling sheer curtain fabric on Segre. Imagine that print blowing in the wind! 

How to purchase

We recommend logging into (or registering for) your web trade account to order samples from our website. Or, contact your local Project Sales Manager for an appointment at our Design Studios in Australia or New Zealand. Our expert team can guide you with selections for your project, as well as help with coordinating fabrics and wall covering.