Morrow Design Competition students are invited for a special program at the Philadelphia Zoo at 10:00 am on Thursday, March 6, 2011. You might make Lucha even more famous, by creating a designer carpet line inspired by his beautiful coat. Good luck everybody, and don’t forget, you may post questions here in the comments area, call the mill or send us questions via your professor liaisons.

All participants are invited to the Annual Flower Show for a private tour and special program, where we will meet the the people behind the show and learn about orchid patterns and designs from one the world’s leading orchid experts.

When: March 3, 2012 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia

Langhorne President Bill Morrow illustrates the capabilities of the Jacquard Wilton Broadloom

Langhorne welcomed students from the Tyler School of Art, who visited the mill in Penndel for “orientation.” With just about all teams back from break, having completed orientation, and firing on all cylinders, we are looking forward to a very exciting semester. Check back regularly, as we will be announcing the submission date, awards ceremony, and planned visits to the Philadelphia Zoo and Horticultural Society’s Annual Flower Show. Feel free to post questions to the blog or ask your professors to submit them as guest bloggers. We want everyone to get the benefit of answers to all questions asked. Good luck everybody.

Bucks County Courier Times / The Intelligencer

Interior designer Bennett Weinstock has joined the judging panel for Langhorne Carpet Co.’s Morrow Design Competition, which is open to student designers.

Weinstock, who along with his wife runs Bennett and Judie Weinstock Interiors, will judge the work of students from 10 area schools. New York designer Alex Papachristidis was previously announced as a judge.

“Having Bennett Weinstock, a world-renowned Philadelphia design icon, serve as a judge is indicative of his commitment to students and the craft he has helped elevate to new heights,” Langhorne Carpet Co. president Bill Morrow said in a statement. “The competition is a great learning experience for all the participants, and I know every student will relish the insights of judges like Bennett and Alex.”

Students from Philadelphia University, Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, University of the Arts, Penn State University, Art Institute of Philadelphia, Moore College of Art and Design, Drexel University, Arcadia University, University of Delaware and Rider University are all expected to submit entries into the contest. The winning designs will be woven into Langhorne Carpet Co.’s new Eco Lines, sales of which benefit conservation groups.

AD 100 Designers

Bennett and Judie Weinstock

“The gutsiest thing we ever did was to totally redesign our lives!” says Bennett Weinstock, half of the Philadelphia-based design firm Bennett and Judie Weinstock Interiors. “Bennett gave up a successful law career to follow his passion for interior design and joined me to establish a firm that has been emotionally rewarding,” adds Judie Weinstock. It is not surprising that the duo, who will celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary this year, have a knack for pushing the boundaries of color and pattern in unorthodox ways to create timeless and comfortable spaces: Judie Weinstock is passionate about early American quilts and folk art, and it is clearly reflected in her interiors.

Bennett and Judie Weinstock
215-735-2026

As for Bennett Weinstock, he credits the style and joie de vivre of his mother, Lucille, as his greatest influence. “A true eccentric, she had a flamboyant style that announced her presence wherever she went,” he notes. “We continue to combine a sense of playfulness with elegance in our work,” says Judie Weinstock. The team’s current projects include interiors for an Anglo-Caribbean house in Palm Beach and the restoration of a Tudor-style house on Philadelphia’s Main Line. “Decorating should be fun!” maintains Judie Weinstock, who values a client with curiosity, passion and a sense of humor. “A client with an open mind, one who is willing to take chances, makes for a wonderful relationship for all involved,” adds Bennett Weinstock.

Read more: http://www.architecturaldigest.com/architects/100/bennett_weinstock/bennett_weinstock_profile#ixzz1icYDmC00

Students Compete in Langhorne Carpet Company Design Competition

• By Michele Cohen

By Gwen Shrift Staff Writer, The Intelligencer, November 21, 2011

Kim Weimer / Staff Photographer

Plenty of up-and-coming design talent resides in the Philadelphia region, and the Langhorne Carpet Co. wants to tap it.

The small weaving mill in Penndel recently established the Morrow Design Competition for college students, named for the family that started the company in 1930 and still owns it. The company specializes in high-end and custom carpeting.

The goal was to promote Langhorne Carpet, using the brainpower of budding textile designers to “hopefully, create a great product, because we are going to market it,” said company president Bill Morrow. Usually, the company’s products are designed in-house.

The contest offers cash awards for winning designs for two patterns, each to be manufactured in three colorways and sold by Langhorne Carpet under its newly established Eco line.

“We’re going to work with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Philadelphia Zoo, with sort of a flora and fauna kind of theme,” said Morrow, adding that some of the proceeds of the line will be donated to conservation groups.

All the major design schools in the region have signed on, including Philadelphia University, some of whose students recently visited the carpet mill.

“It’s a wonderful addition to the curriculum,” said Marcia Weiss, the university’s coordinator of textile design. “It gives our students a great opportunity to test their skills, and to make it real-world (through) actual manufacturing processes.”

Though it’s a student contest, it’s not for absolute beginners. At Philadelphia University, about 15 juniors, seniors and graduate students are expected to compete, according to Weiss.

“We know that some of the great designers and decorators of the world come from our region. The Morrow family could not be more energized,” said Stephan Rosenfeld, a marketing communications consultant to the carpet company.

He said a national design publication is interested in following the students’ progress, à la “Project Runway.” During the design phase, to take place in early 2012, students likely will be sketching at the Philadelphia International Flower Show and at the zoo, according to Rosenfeld.

The company hopes to make the competition ongoing, but for now, “We’ll take it the first year, one stitch at a time,” he said.

Morrow said the competition likely will be judged in May by New York designer Alex Papachristidis and others to be named.

“Once the judging takes place, it would take about three to four months to do the dyeing, cut cards (that produce the design on the looms) and weave the carpet,” he said.

Besides Philadelphia University, textile design departments have agreed to participate from the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Moore College of Art and Design and the University of the Arts, plus Temple, Penn State, Drexel, Arcadia, Delaware and Rider universities.

Here you will learn about the participating team members, their instructors, the conservation beneficiaries, Langhorne Carpet, and much more.

We encourage you to post your stories, questions, or comments during what we hope will be a wonderfully educational and enlightening design journey.

Enjoy!