Design is the rush that comes of taking a long long ride and finally arriving someplace new.
--Carolyn Ray
The Company
Environmental Philosophy
Application
The Company
For more than 25 years Carolyn Ray Inc has been combining art and industry in beautiful alternatives to conventional surface materials. A painter who started her company during the art textile movement of the seventies, Carolyn Ray, President and Creative Director, attributes the studio's longevity to her desire to "extend the limits of what is possible in wallcoverings and fabrics". Extending the limits has meant finding ways to create unique hand-produced materials that are also durable and reliable.
Nature provides the biggest inspiration to Ms. Ray's collections and the Yonkers studio is filled with the flora and fauna from her minimalist mountain home, her summer cottage on the rocky Atlantic coast, and from her travels around the world.
Environmental Philosophy
At Carolyn Ray, our environmental policy--like our design philosophy--is inspired by the harmony of the natural world. We strive to embody the concept of "less is more" in nature-based textures, forms, and colors, and to tread lightly on the earth throughout all of our processes.
We are committed to recycling paper products, inks and materials. In our in-house production, we use water soluble, non-toxic inks, and entirely EPA-approved products. Our suppliers share our commitment to the highest level of conscious environmentalism, using only EPA-approved processes, recycling inks and paper goods, and insuring that no hazardous wastes are produced during the creation of Carolyn Ray originals.
We realize the significance of human impact on the environment and the importance of taking responsibility for its protection.
Application
Carolyn Ray's "raw materials" have been used in the finest residences and commercial installations around the world. Every major product introduction has won top industry awards, and its designs are in the permanent collections of institutions including the Cooper-Hewitt Museum of the Smithsonian Institute, the Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.
Carolyn Ray's work has been the subject of exhibitions including: Material Beginnings: Illusion, Inspiration and Realization, The Decorative Fabrics Association and Color, Light, Surface: Contemporary Fabrics, The Cooper Hewitt Museum. Carolyn Ray products have been featured in books on American design including: Material Wealth, by Jack Lenor Larsen and Decorating with Paper, by Donna Lang and Lucretia Robertson.