Out-Of-The-Box Thinking

Truly creative design often means pushing the limits of the materials you have to work with in order to leave a lasting visual impact.  One of the benefits of using high-pressure decorative laminate as a surfacing material is the ease with which it can be specified and fabricated.  Pick a pattern or color you like, purchase the material, and quickly lay it up either horizontally or vertically.  But what if you stepped outside that box and considered more creative means of manipulating the material?

That's just what Dorothy Bengochea of D.P. Bengochea Designs did in the outstanding office space she designed for Bentar Construction and Development of Las Vegas.  Upon entering the office, you are greeted by a very well-thought-out reception desk featuring a herringbone design.  Rather than simply applying Lamin-Art's Premier Ebony in a horizontal or vertical fashion, Bengochea chose to juxtapose the panels cut at precise angles.  Carefully butting the clear and dark lines of this stripy wood grain across the front of the reception desk results in a very fluid "V" motif which also manages to hide the seams that often result when applying two sheets of HPL next to each other over a large area.  While the technique here is applied to the front of a reception desk, a similar application used for wall paneling would be a great way to break out a long corridor, or create an interesting pattern on an accent wall.

A mix of finishes also adds punch to the design while increasing the functionality of the workspace.  A matte finish was selected for the top work surfaces while the vertical surfaces are covered in a high-gloss finish.  The reception desk also features a raised top made of a piece of acrylic with embedded river stones.  This provides for a natural, yet contemporary and sophisticated look, and allowed for the use of a high-gloss finish on the horizontal surface underneath.

Lamin-Art salutes out-of-the-box thinking such as that shown here by Dorothy Bengochea.  To see this and other inspiring applications of premium high-pressure decorative laminate, check out our online Portfolio.

Next Stop: NeoCon

Thanks to everyone who came to see us at the Hospitality Design Expo in Las Vegas earlier this month. We'll continue to rack up the frequent flier miles over the next few weeks. Make plans to join us at the Color and Materials Specifiers' Conference at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco on May 31, 2007. Be sure to check out our presentation, How Nature and Technology Drive New Product Development, at this inaugural West-Coast event sponsored by Display and Design Ideas magazine. To register.

Then it's THE commercial design industry event of the year, the NeoCon World's Trade Fair at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago June 11-13th. Thousands of cutting-edge products will be on display, including our new Alchemy Collection. Be sure to see us on the 7th floor in booth #4030.

Interzum 2007

In our constant quest for the latest and hottest in commercial interior design, our Design Director Hans Mutzke travels all over the world seeking inspiration for new and exciting products.  One of the best sources for such inspiration is Interzum, the largest international home furnishings manufacturing trade show in the world.  The bi-annual event took place earlier this month in Cologne, Germany and attracted nearly 50,000 attendees from over 130 countries.  Mutzke reports European ingenuity is taking wood print designs to a whole new level with unprecedented variety and clarity.  Walnut continues to be THE HOT wood, with hundreds of interpretations of this classic veneer on display, often with a new twist: fine lineal sap markings are now being used in both American and European walnut prints which adds a new dimension and character to the wood.

In addition, Mutzke says we are starting to see the emergence of extremely exotic, design statement type of wood prints including many species either on the verge of extinction or no longer available from South American countries such as Palisander, Jacaranda, Jatoba, and Santos Rosewood from Brazil.  "There is going to come a day when you will only be able to get these beautiful woods in a laminate, because either the real veneer will have vanished, or it will be too expensive to consider using in most commercial interiors."  Another interesting trend in wood prints noted at Interzum is the bookmatching of traditionally quarter-cut, straight grain exotics such as Zebrawood and Ebony.

In addition to exciting new wood designs, Mutzke also reports that floral and brocade abstract patterns are coming back in a big way.  He says the arrival of digital printing has opened the door for very large scale abstract patterns.  "It's a very classic, old-fashioned look, but has been completely modernized and stylized for a contemporary audience."

Mutzke says he always hopes to come home from Interzum with at least one good idea, but generally winds up with many more.  Look for some of those ideas to materialize in additions to the Lamin-Art line of fashion-forward decorative laminates in the very near future!