Classified, a Wallcovering Collection

This fall at NeoCon 2021, Design Pool is introducing The Cryptology Collection, a collection of twenty original pattern designs inspired by code, the hidden messages they communicate, and the women codebreakers of World War II. Designed by Kristen Dettoni, The Cryptology Collection is part of Design Pool’s digital library, the only pattern library created exclusively for interior designers and home to over 600 designs. The Cryptology Collection includes four smaller groupings designed for specific markets, including upholstery, wallcovering, flooring, and acoustic panels. Classified is a wallcovering collection.

The Cryptology Collection asks us to consider what our materials communicate.

Codebreaking pioneer, Elizebeth Smith Friedman broke thousands of codes during World War I, Prohibition, and World War II. She was the inspiration for this collection. She and her contemporaries paved the way for women to have careers in the sciences, intelligence agencies, and the military. Their work not only brought down mob bosses and helped defeat the Nazis, it also opened the door for more women to study cryptology.

Kristen Dettoni, Design Pool founder and designer, is excited to debut this collection at NeoCon this fall. “When I first learned about the women codebreakers from this era, I felt an immediate kinship. Like them, I have worked with patterns my whole career and know their power to communicate in our lives. Through this collection, I hope to spark a conversation about what interior designers communicate in a built environment through their choices of materials and patterns.” Dettoni started her design process with a message written in code. She then used that code to create shapes and finally created a pattern from those shapes.

Classified: a wallcovering collection printed by Chroma Imaging.

This collection begins with pattern Decipher. In this pattern, Morse code spells Elizebeth’s name. That line of code becomes the outline for a contemporary rose pattern. The rose was a symbol of peace during WWII.

Ciphertext uses Morse code to create a floating, shaded floral. During WWII, people used a ciphertext as an added layer of security. Morse code unlocked another hidden message that needed to be decoded with an algorithm.

Key uses the Rosicrucian Cipher to create a modern geometric with the message: Knowledge is Power. Codebreakers lived by this phrase. In fact, Elizebeth requested it on her headstone.

In Encode, we used the Pigpen Cypher to write, “Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead.” This pattern is available with or without an additional QR code.

Finally, Code is a bar code stripe hiding the message, “Obstacles don’t block the path, they are the path.” This pattern is a nod to the many obstacles these women faced doing this important work.

Design Pool partners with Chroma Imaging, a printer with facilities in Virginia and Florida.

Chroma Imaging offers a wide range of substrates to choose from for wallcovering in commercial interiors, such as textured wallpaper, self-adhesive vinyl, felt, metallic, and more. Chroma Imaging’s substrates are all built for high-traffic areas such as hotels, spas, gyms, and offices. Their wide range of choices offers lots of flexibility in choosing the perfect product.

Through this partnership, interior designers can incorporate sustainable, on-demand printing into their material selection. We always vet all our printing partners for quality and service. They have low-to-no minimum requirements, quick turnaround, and high-quality products.

“While I was intrigued by the work these women did with pattern to crack codes, I was also inspired by their enthusiasm for science and the cutting-edge technology of their time,” reflects Dettoni. “I know they would be as excited as I am about the technological advances in digital printing and its ability to change the way products are manufactured in the US and around the world.”

NeoCon is the world’s leading platform for the commercial interiors industry. The event takes place on October 4 – 6, 2021 at theMART in Chicago, IL. This will be an in-person event. Find Design Pool on the 7^th floor of theMART in Booth 7-4049. Can you crack the codes in the designs? Give it a try!

Photo credit: Kristen Julianna Photography