Photo by Landino Photo
Creators Stacy Kunstel and Michael Partenio are taking the idea of a traditional tablecloth to new heights. The owners of Dunes and Duchess are offering a new custom process that seals custom fabrics directly onto tabletops. The result is a completely unique, durable fabric finish that stands the test of time.
Raymond Paul Schneider: When did you start to develop this new collection?
Stacy Kunstel and Michael Partenio: When inspiration hits you just have to run with it. This also means there’s no forcing creativity. It comes from an authentic place. A wonderful client asked us to take one of our table bases and make a fabric wrapped top to go on it. At first, they thought they would cover it with glass, but we had all sorts of concerns about staining over time along the edges. Whenever we design anything, we are thinking about longevity in terms of decades, not just years. When we make something, we want it to be around for your children and grandchildren and even their grandchildren. Michael knew there was a way to develop a finish that would be both beautiful and durable and so our new offering of fabric wrapped surfaces was born.
We already had developed a robust selection of table tops and bases for our standard collection. Michael worked on the idea of encapsulating the fabric wrapped top for two or three weeks, experimenting with different techniques and materials until he found the perfect combination of things.
RPS: What was your initial inspiration?
SK+MP: For us, home furnishings need to be both beautiful and practical. The beauty comes from our table bases and legs and the fabric the client chooses. The practical part is that this process leaves you with one of the most durable surfaces in your home. This is just one more way that interior designers can customize our pieces to fit their designs.
RPS: Describe your overall creative and design process.
SK+MP: We are storytellers. Each piece begins with a story before there’s even a line on the page. We often mine our own memories for things that we either miss or remember having a specific purpose or shape. We also take great inspiration from our travels, museums, antiques, and architecture. The stories we tell through our products often have names that reflect that too.
RPS: Did you have a specific audience or theme you had in mind?
SK+MP: We present interior designers with as many possibilities for easy customization as we can. The more options they have the better the project will be. The clients of the designers we work with really appreciate beautiful colors and finishes. They are always looking for more ways to weave color into their homes. Some think of our pieces of having a coastal vibe but we make just as many things for people who don’t live anywhere near the water.
Design by Megan Gorelick for Kips Bay Palm Beach 2024; Photo by Venjhamin Reyes
RPS: Did you utilize a new technique or technology to develop this product?
SK+MP: This isn’t a new technology, but it is a new way of using and thinking about it. We love thinking differently about things.
RPS: Describe any challenges that affected the design.
SK+MP: All fabric reacts differently to the process, so it helps to have a number of solutions to address that. The experimentation process taught us several different ways to approach how we do this.
RPS: Describe your overall brand DNA and ethos.
SK+MP: We are a couple of dreamers who became furniture manufacturers. Our romantic notions express themselves in our furniture and accessories and how we design. But there’s also a really strong Yankee sensibility to what we do. It was our dream to make things in our own backyard and we’ve successfully done that for more than thirteen years.
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