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February Pattern – Capri and Nassau

February Pattern – Capri and Nassau

This month we continue our look back at iconic Formica® Laminate patterns with two introduced by Raymond Loewy Associates in the 1950s.

Formica laminate swatches for geometric and colorful Capri and Nassau patterns

By 1950, Raymond Loewy was a celebrity within the design world. Featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1949, Loewy was best known for his work designing for the railroad industry in USA. He would soon gain recognition for designing logos for iconic companies such as Shell and of course, his Coca-Cola vending machine and bottle redesign.

What many people don’t know is while he was doing all that, he was also working with Formica Group for a period of 12 years (from 1951 to 1963), designing patterns including Milano, Color Grain, Tidestone, Frost and more.

Two of the most recognisable Formica laminate patterns are Capri, launched in 1951, and Nassau, a 1957 introduction.

Capri was a contemporary geometric design with varying intensities of tones randomly placed on a neutral background. It was inspired by the mosaics of Capri, Italy and launched in six colours – later expanded to many more.

Inspired by the capital city of the Bahamas, Nassau recollects the blue waters, sunny shores, tropic nights, and waving palms of the popular Caribbean beach holiday destination.

Learn more about these two iconic Formica laminate patterns in the video below:

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