Bequillard Stresses Importance of Fabrics in Hospitality Jobs
December 12, 2000
New York — "You can pick the interior textiles and the architecture, but the biggest challenge is to find the right textiles," said Marcel Bequillard, principal of Marcel Bequillard Inc.
While any project confronts the interior designer with a myriad of decisions — and quandaries when budgets and buyer preferences don't jibe — fabric choice has become more of a focal point recently, for the simple reason that the average hotel room uses more of it.
"The typical room requires about 35 yards of fabric," Bequillard said. "But it's increasing because they're doing headboards, and top-of-bed. There's also a new trend here that people want European duvet covers.
"We have to order three times the amount of textiles on the beds because they are washed.
"There is a trend for public rooms to use more fabric. We need fabrics there because as bigger, more open rooms become popular, fabrics help the acoustics.
Clients want wide-widths, one-piece bedspreads of 120 inches.
"Also, we're using more fabrics for window treatments. Sheers are becoming big. We're getting bombarded with goods from Europe, though they're still expensive. The sheers are not used as background only anymore — they're becoming more focal points. Now they have designs."
Bequillard also said that as the rooms require more fabric, buyers are learning more about hospitality fabric specs.
"Clients have become more demanding and aware of quality of the textiles. Clients would come and say, 'Oh, that's pretty,' and they'd buy it. Now they don't. They ask for a certain finish; they want to know whether the fabrics are inherently flame retardant. It's been a learning curve. Everything has to be inherently flame-proof."
Bequillard has been doing hotel work for 22 years. He's originally from New York and grew up in Managua, Nicaragua. "My family in Managua was also in textiles," he said. "They own a mill for apparel and t-shirts."
Bequillard, however, was more interested in furnishings textiles than t-shirts. His education background consists of training in textile design at the Philadelphia College of and Textiles. He also studied design at Drexel University.
He said that using European textiles is beneficial in terms of both cost and design. "The cost of technical production is better, especially with flame-retardants. More advanced looms than in the U.S. European mills are better for specialty items, too. "Europe is 10 years ahead of America in terms of designs. The European color trends are fresher, too, a little more daring than in the American market. In the U.S., fashion comes in with patterns and colors and then home furnishings follow in nine months. In Europe, it's just the opposite. The trends are less predictable, more avant garde.
"In the U.S., a company comes up with a new product the others follow and all the products look the same.
"Europeans are more niche. More companies have their own look especially by country." He also said that European minimums tend to be lower.
One of Bequillard's most anticipated projects is nearly underway in Europe: the Marriott in Ghent Belgium. Bequillard said he will use all European products in the 250-plus rooms. "We're very excited to be working on this project," he said. "The use of textiles here is going to be quite challenging. We really need to consider the acoustical problem," he said referring to the hotel's large atrium. "I want to be very bold with the use of the textiles. I want to be able to make almost an art piece with the furniture arrangement and the carpet patterns so that when you are in the atrium looking down, it's something very exciting to look at."
The project itself is also influencing other buildings on the Ghent riverside. Bequillard said that the facades of old buildings will be restored and that artifacts which are excavated from the hotel construction site will become part of the décor inside the hotel.
Among Bequillard's recent projects are the Courtyard Marriott on 40th Street and the New Courtyard at John F. Kennedy airport, both in New York City. He said that his firm has also done several renovations for Hyatt Hotels.
"We did the Grand Hyatt restaurant on 42nd Street in New York City, using all European fabrics. We placed a lot of mohairs from Dutch mills, lots of Bergamo upholstery and some Swiss upholstery that sold for $110."
He has also worked for Celebrity Cruise Lines. "I used a lot of mohair from Holland, more unique designs, especially in Avora."
Bequillard said that he prefers working directly with mills in order to get the volume price. "Hotels have gone direct to mills. You get a volume price for 200 or 300 hotel rooms this way. 80% of the time, we're working on something custom. Valley Forge is like the ambassador to European mills. They know the background and the cost issues."
While any project confronts the interior designer with a myriad of decisions — and quandaries when budgets and buyer preferences don't jibe — fabric choice has become more of a focal point recently, for the simple reason that the average hotel room uses more of it.
"The typical room requires about 35 yards of fabric," Bequillard said. "But it's increasing because they're doing headboards, and top-of-bed. There's also a new trend here that people want European duvet covers.
"We have to order three times the amount of textiles on the beds because they are washed.
"There is a trend for public rooms to use more fabric. We need fabrics there because as bigger, more open rooms become popular, fabrics help the acoustics.
Clients want wide-widths, one-piece bedspreads of 120 inches.
"Also, we're using more fabrics for window treatments. Sheers are becoming big. We're getting bombarded with goods from Europe, though they're still expensive. The sheers are not used as background only anymore — they're becoming more focal points. Now they have designs."
Bequillard also said that as the rooms require more fabric, buyers are learning more about hospitality fabric specs.
"Clients have become more demanding and aware of quality of the textiles. Clients would come and say, 'Oh, that's pretty,' and they'd buy it. Now they don't. They ask for a certain finish; they want to know whether the fabrics are inherently flame retardant. It's been a learning curve. Everything has to be inherently flame-proof."
Bequillard has been doing hotel work for 22 years. He's originally from New York and grew up in Managua, Nicaragua. "My family in Managua was also in textiles," he said. "They own a mill for apparel and t-shirts."
Bequillard, however, was more interested in furnishings textiles than t-shirts. His education background consists of training in textile design at the Philadelphia College of and Textiles. He also studied design at Drexel University.
He said that using European textiles is beneficial in terms of both cost and design. "The cost of technical production is better, especially with flame-retardants. More advanced looms than in the U.S. European mills are better for specialty items, too. "Europe is 10 years ahead of America in terms of designs. The European color trends are fresher, too, a little more daring than in the American market. In the U.S., fashion comes in with patterns and colors and then home furnishings follow in nine months. In Europe, it's just the opposite. The trends are less predictable, more avant garde.
"In the U.S., a company comes up with a new product the others follow and all the products look the same.
"Europeans are more niche. More companies have their own look especially by country." He also said that European minimums tend to be lower.
One of Bequillard's most anticipated projects is nearly underway in Europe: the Marriott in Ghent Belgium. Bequillard said he will use all European products in the 250-plus rooms. "We're very excited to be working on this project," he said. "The use of textiles here is going to be quite challenging. We really need to consider the acoustical problem," he said referring to the hotel's large atrium. "I want to be very bold with the use of the textiles. I want to be able to make almost an art piece with the furniture arrangement and the carpet patterns so that when you are in the atrium looking down, it's something very exciting to look at."
The project itself is also influencing other buildings on the Ghent riverside. Bequillard said that the facades of old buildings will be restored and that artifacts which are excavated from the hotel construction site will become part of the décor inside the hotel.
Among Bequillard's recent projects are the Courtyard Marriott on 40th Street and the New Courtyard at John F. Kennedy airport, both in New York City. He said that his firm has also done several renovations for Hyatt Hotels.
"We did the Grand Hyatt restaurant on 42nd Street in New York City, using all European fabrics. We placed a lot of mohairs from Dutch mills, lots of Bergamo upholstery and some Swiss upholstery that sold for $110."
He has also worked for Celebrity Cruise Lines. "I used a lot of mohair from Holland, more unique designs, especially in Avora."
Bequillard said that he prefers working directly with mills in order to get the volume price. "Hotels have gone direct to mills. You get a volume price for 200 or 300 hotel rooms this way. 80% of the time, we're working on something custom. Valley Forge is like the ambassador to European mills. They know the background and the cost issues."
