Swallowtail Farm Collection to Debut at NeoCon 2023

This June at NeoCon 2023, Design Pool is launching the new Swallowtail Farm Collection. The inspiration for this collection was to bring the healing power of medicinal herbs and plants into healthcare interiors through beautiful color and pattern. Ultimately, we want to foster an atmosphere of happiness, health, and wellness in healthcare facilities.

Being outdoors has many benefits, yet not everyone can get there. Studies have shown that for those unable to physically go outside, a view of the outdoors or images of nature can have similar positive effects. Interior designers and architects have long known this. It’s why they design many new healthcare facilities with views of the outdoors for patients and their caregivers. In addition, many interior designers specify materials with motifs from nature to help evoke these positive feelings.

The seed for the collection was planted in Holland.

On a trip to Holland in May 2022, Kristen met Lauren Pignatello from Swallowtail Farm and Creamery in Maine. Lauren is an experienced herbalist and farmer who raises animals and makes items such as yogurt and cheese. She also uses her knowledge of healing plants and herbs in her line of elixirs, salves, and face creams. In Holland, Lauren shared her knowledge of plants with the small group. On walks, she’d point out plants that looked like weeds but actually had the power to heal. Kristen was inspired by these walks and wanted to create a group of patterns featuring these healing plants.

The motifs in the Swallowtail Farm Collection feature healing plants.

Upon returning home, Kristen began her design process by reconnecting with Lauren. At her farm in Maine, she taught Kristen which herbs and flowers had medicinal properties and how they’ve historically been used to treat illness. After these discussions, Kristen began sketching these plants and eventually chose to focus on Yarrow, Queen Anne’s Lace, Roses, Bee Balm, Elderberry, and Lady’s Mantle. From her sketches, she created fourteen different patterns in seamless repeat. All of the designs are finished with Design Pool’s signature digital texture. This effect gives the finished upholstery the look of a textured woven cloth, despite being digitally printed on high-performance coated fabric.

Each pattern in the Swallowtail Farm Collection comes in six to nine colorways. Kristen referenced the Sherwin-Williams healthcare color palettes when coloring the patterns. She wanted all options to already coordinate with these popular colors. Whether used on upholstery, privacy screens, or communication materials like whiteboards, these patterns fit into a healthcare palette.

The Swallowtail Farm Collection makes its debut at NeoCon 2023 in Chicago, June 12 – 14, but you can check it out before then! View the entire collection ahead of NeoCon in our licensable library. You can also stop by to see us at the IIDA NE Rhode to NeoCon event in Providence, Rhode Island on May 4.