Carnegie Announces Partnership with Italian Product Manufacturer WOOD-SKIN
Carnegie is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with innovative Italian manufacturer WOOD-SKIN. Based in Milan, WOOD-SKIN is an interdisciplinary company made up of architects, designers, and engineers who are passionate about materials, details, digital manufacturing, and software. Through this alliance, Carnegie will be the sole North American distributor of the company’s paneling products, which utilize the patented WOOD-SKIN® process that makes rigid surfaces flexible and flat surfaces three-dimensional.
“Carnegie has always championed innovation within the design industry, and we’re thrilled to add WOOD-SKIN to our diverse portfolio of offerings,” says Heather Bush, Chief Creative Officer of Carnegie Fabrics. “We strive to create unique products that provide novel solutions, and are excited to see how our clients will utilize such a versatile material within their projects.”
Made in Italy, WOOD-SKIN panels are created through proprietary software and technology, a direct file-to-machine process, which tessellates the surface of a 3D model, generating its precise unfolded geometries onto sheets of rigid composite material. Once machined, each sheet is then connected through a textile core to recreate the exact configuration of the digital design without the use of heavy and expensive structures. Clients can define the external layers by choosing from a wide range of materials including wood, laminates, aluminum, and felt. The brand offers three systems: Mesh Sheets, Fold Panels, and Tailor Made.
Fold Panels
WOOD-SKIN Fold Panels are 3D panels with intriguing geometries, built within a rectangular or square module. Fold Panels’ design is uniquely suited to transform a space with the colors and configurations that best fit the project’s overall vision. A robust frame keeps the shape and makes it easier to install on walls and ceilings. Fold Panel’s design is highly customizable thanks to the powerful online configurator available for all designers and professionals.
Mesh Sheets
With Mesh Sheets, it’s now possible to create sleek, 3D membranes using rigid materials such as wood or aluminum, yet achieving the look and feel of lighter, flexible materials like paper or fabric. Thanks to the variable size of the facets and the parametric nature of the product, its curve radius can become remarkably tight while still maintaining fluidity. The standard solution uses certified metal wires with a quick tensioning system to connect the wooden flaps on the WOOD-SKIN assemblies to the ceiling/wall.
Tailor Made
The WOOD-SKIN architectural and design team has years of experience working with top firms on international projects and can engineer tailor-made surfaces to create sculptural feature elements, intricate, large-scale 3D installations, design custom details, and devise solutions to complex problems.
“WOOD-SKIN products are the result of a hybrid approach, where Italian style meets advanced manufacturing technologies and parametric design,” says Giulio Masotti, CEO of WOOD-SKIN. “We have been working at the intersection of digital and physical for years, with the intent of making rigid materials textile-like and more malleable in the hands of designers. For us, it is a perfect fit to partner with Carnegie, a leader in sustainable and innovative interiors fabrics. We could not be more excited to make our products available to the US market with their support, experience, and shared vision.“
A certified B Corp—dedicated to responsible design and manufacturing practices that have a positive impact on the environment—it was important for Carnegie to partner with a brand that was aligned with these key values. The WOOD-SKIN brand is FSC®-certified, and only uses materials from forests where natural diversity is protected and preserved, and the rights of workers and local communities are respected. The company also employs a process that can be studied and tested prior to installation, only producing optimized elements with minimal waste of material, shipping volume, and time.
Ever future-focused, Carnegie continues to expand its impressive finished product portfolio with new additions, including the company’s first furniture piece, Boost Ottoman, which was launched in February 2019 and Bar Hardware, a space division solution, introduced in October 2020.
About Carnegie
Carnegie is a leading manufacturer and innovator of textiles in North America. Since 1950, the company has established a tradition of firsts, including the development of its own Xorelâ fabrics, which provide a durable alternative to PVC materials and Biobased Xorel, the first plant based high performance textile  in the world. In addition, Carnegie has built a reputation for its ongoing and comprehensive commitment to the environment through all parts of its business cycle by being a member of the Be Original organization, maintaining a B Corp certification, and by establishing themselves as the first and only interior textiles PVC-free company in the industry. For more information, visit www.carnegiefabrics.com
About WOOD-SKIN
Based in Milan, WOOD-SKIN is a brand that offers innovative products for architecture using digital manufacturing technologies. Since 2013 WOOD-SKIN supports architects, designers and general contractors from all over the world to bridge the gap between digital representation and architectural feasibility.
The patented WOOD-SKIN® process makes rigid surfaces flexible and flat surfaces three- dimensional, giving volume, dynamism, and soul to a multitude of materials that the industry and technology has traditionally relegated to the two-dimensional state.
