We teased a peek of this unique collaboration last week when we shared Februaryโs Designer Desktop, but today weโre excited to introduce Sea Galaxy, a mural wallpaper and fabric collaboration between Shanan Campanaro, founder of Eskayel, and Jaime Derringer, founder of Design Milk!
Jaime recently tapped Shanan to help her design custom drapes for her living room using her own artwork, which is instantly recognizable by their graphic, defined shapes and intricate details. Shanan, however, is known for her fluid watercolor style which creates more organic forms. The process of reinterpreting Jaimeโs drawings in Shananโs own medium and signature style led to the creation of Sea Galaxy, a painterly collage of elements found throughout Jaimeโs sketchbook.
How did the collaboration come together, especially when it involved two vastly different artistic styles? Jaime and Shanan share more in this Q&A:
What was this unique collaboration process like for you?
Shanan Campanaro: This was kind of the most fun collaboration because Jaime has so many cool elements in her art, it was super fun to work with them. The brief was really clear because jaimeโs art is super high resolution and detailed and my style is super loose and watery โ so all I had to do was paint her elements in my style. I took favorite elements from several of her paintings and collaged them together to make something completely new but that still had the spirit of her original world. It was so much fun!
Why did you want to work with Shanan/Eskayel to create this mural?
Jaime Derringer: I have known Shanan and Eskayel for a long time but I hadnโt considered working with her because our work is so different. I was collaborating on my living room design with Olivia Stutz Design and I told her that I wanted something custom and personal for my own space. She recommended working with Eskayel to create a design for custom drapes and shades. I hadnโt thought of it before because our work is so different, but I love the idea of pushing my art into new territory. I was excited to see how Shanan could soften my hard edges and create a more liquified, ethereal world. After we created the design, we fell so in love with it that we wanted to expand it to a collection.
What inspired the artwork that was used to design Sea Galaxy?
JD: I have been keeping a regular sketchbook drawing practice since 2006 and the imagery created was based on a handful of my sketchbook entries that Shanan was drawn to. My work is inspired by so many things, but undersea creatures and sci-fi are two that have been key inspirations for my art practice, and thatโs how we ended up with the name!
JD: I gave Shanan carte blanche to take my drawings and come up with something that she could make her own, too. I had never done anything like this before, but I was surprised and delighted by the end result โ I had no idea that my work could be interpreted in such a unique โ and vastly different โ way.
How did you originally envision the mural and are you happy with the final result?
JD: Once we determined the final color and composition that we used for my own space, I worked with the Eskayel team to determine the final product designs and colorways. It was truly a collaborative process. It was such a great experience to have Shanan come and see the curtains in my space.
How would you describe Sea Galaxy?
SC: Itโs kind of like an imaginary world under the sea or out in the galaxy.
JD: Ethereal, soft, flowing, but energetic.
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For more information on Sea Galaxy, visit eskayel.com.
For this monthโs Designer Desktop, weโre excited to break the exclusive news that founder Shanan Campanaro ofย Eskayel is launching a new mural wallpaper and fabric collection with Design Milkโs very own founder, Jaime Derringer! But wait โ we canโt share too much yet! Youโll have to check back on February 7th when the collection officially launches to get more details on this unique collaboration. Trust us when we say itโs worth the wait. For now, consider this your official teaser to Sea Galaxy.
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