The Maker Movement's Influence on Laminate Design

01/03/2020 19:45

As makerspaces continue to surge in popularity in schools, libraries and communities both big and small, the impact of the “maker” culture has filtered its way into the larger design industry. Each with their own unique approach and materials, makers have created beautiful hand-crafted ceramics, textiles and furniture through the use of these spaces which continue to influence design culture.

Through our research with designers and homeowners alike, Formica Group has heard firsthand the impact of the maker movement.

“We’ve seen a surge in requests for handcrafted patterns, artisanal materials and beautifully simplistic designs that add a personal touch to rooms throughout the home,” said Gerri Chmiel, residential design lead at Formica Corporation.

Formica Group joins the handcrafted culture with feedback from designers and homeowners to develop a unique approach to the 2020 Living Impressions™ Collection.

“This year’s launch is particularly exciting because many of the designs aren’t based on a traditional scan of an existing material, but instead are handcrafted by artists to make a striking modern impression in a home,” Chmiel said. 

Included in the 2020 Living Impressions™ Collection are four hand-crafted designs for beautiful interior spaces: 

Painted Marble Series:Inspired by natural movements in stone and planetary imaginary, the Painted Marble series uses water based paints and oil additives to create a unique “push and pull” of the two materials. While the Painted Marble series has visual references similar to real stone, this is where the similarity ends.  The artwork takes the concept of marble in a new direction with surprising results

Watercolor Series: The artist on the Formica Group design team who created these patterns found that in creating her artwork the design created its own “fluid energy that seemed to take on a life of its own.” Inspired by the translucent and serene qualities of marble, the Watercolor series uses colored pigments, alcohol and forced air to create a piece of artwork that captures the soft gradations, delicate watery veining and hard edges of real marble.  

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