Though seldom used in modern interiors at the time, the Hartnetts forecast a wallpaper revival.  After two years of R&D, twenty2 debuts their first collection of hand-printed wallpapers at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City.

“The principles of twenty2 combine art and commerce for wallpaper with a twist…Kyra and Robertson Hartnett eat, sleep, and literally breathe wallpaper.”

House Beautiful, 2003

Designtex- a leader in the design and manufacturing of applied materials- invites Kyra and Robertson to design a collection of commercial wallcoverings and textiles, garnering the ICFF Editor’s Award for Best Wallcovering.  In honor of the award, Bergdorf Goodman features twenty2’s wall coverings in their iconic New York City store windows. twenty2 is asked to design a second Designtex collection in 2008.

“Kyra & Robertson Hartnett create a revolution in the wallcovering industry.”

Chicago Tribune, 2004 

twenty2 invents Wallbands - DIY wall decor for the creative modernist. The collection of pre-pasted bands of pattern are designed to be used vertically, horizontally or diagonally and are sold through Design Within Reach.

Asked to design a room for the Kips Bay Showhouse in New York City, Kyra and Robertson paper every surface of the bathroom in one of their signature wallpaper patterns and create a multi-media installation featuring photography paired with audio of NYC street sounds. The New York Times declares it their favorite room.

“Wallpaper is enjoying a resurgence helped along by husband-and-wife design team Kyra and Robertson Hartnett of twenty2.”

Time Style & Design Luxury Index A to Z, 2006

Kyra and Robertson are named two of House & Garden Magazine’s “50 New Tastemakers.”

“ ‘You can’t chase after trends, says Kyra Hartnett… ‘You have to make your own path.’ The trail they’ve blazed has made twenty2 the darling of such interior designers as Kelly Wearstler and Jamie Drake and even young architects (notoriously averse to decorative flourishes) who embrace the firm’s stylized organic and geometric designs.”

House and Garden, June 2007

twenty2 headquarters are relocated to Litchfield County, Connecticut, bringing fresh inspiration and opportunities for growth to Kyra and Robertson’s life and designs.

The NEXT Things

 “These designers are building the edge, even as we speak. What makes twenty2 so special is how Kyra and Robertson Hartnett blend color, pattern, sophistication, and wit, all tied up with a late modernist bow, in everything they do.”

New York Magazine, Home Design Issue, May 2007

Working with architects Diller, Scofidio, Renfro, twenty2 produces an 85 foot long wall mural featuring the entire works of Shakespeare for the Alice Tully Hall at Julliard in New York City.

Adding to their pre-existing collection of grasscloth solids, twenty2 introduces a range of 32 earth-friendly, sustainable and biodegradable natural wallcoverings.  The offerings lay the foundation for the twenty2 grasscloth collection, a thriving component of the business today.

After more than a decade spent designing wallpaper, Kyra and Robertson establish an in-house digital printing division.  Building upon their own experience and expertise, they shift their focus towards helping artists and designers bring their own designs to life through wallpaper.

Grace Bonney includes twenty2 in her Black Book, a highly regarded design industry resource.

“I really enjoy the subtle prints they put on the top of grasscloth. I think these would be just as beautiful now as they would be 20, 30 years from now.” 

Grace Bonney, Black Book Design Sponge, 2014

Architect and Pratt Institute Professor Sarah Strauss invites twenty2 to critique her student’s wallpaper projects, exploring 3D repeat patterns. Deeply impressed with the student designs, twenty2 works with Strauss to curate a collection of the best designs.  The five pattern DEEP 3D wallpaper collection debuts at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City. The 3D Bloom Pattern is acquired by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum for its permanent wallpaper collection. 

Kyra and Robertson are chosen to record audio clips with their impressions of selected patterns from the Cooper Hewitt archive featured in their interactive Immersion Room.  While listening to the audio, the museum guests use a huge touch screen table to select patterns from the archive and project them onto the walls for a fully immersive visual experience.

twenty2 moves into a 6,000 SF factory studio on the banks of the Bantam River in Bantam, Connecticut.  This expansion allows for continued growth of the private label and custom wallpaper printing services.

twenty2 grows into a full-service private label design and print studio for both wallpaper and textiles, offering expert digital printing, pattern consultation & development, graphic design services, wallpaper memo sampling and blind drop-shipping.

team twenty2 grows to over 40 people dedicated to creating and delivering well-crafted beauty every day.