110 Years of Design: New Book
Beyond Boomerang: A Celebration of 110 Years of Formica Patterns
For 110 years, designers and homeowners have trusted Formica Group to provide design-forward surfacing solutions. 2023 brings a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the 110th Anniversary of the Formica Brand with the launch of a book, Beyond Boomerang. The book celebrates 110 years of Formica Brand Patterns, the Formica Designers, Innovation Teams and outside partners who created them, and the inspired interiors where they’ve been installed.
Beginning with the company’s origins as the Formica Insulation Company, a start-up focused on using new plastic laminate techniques for industrial and electrical applications, the book provides a decade-by-decade look at each era’s prominent Formica® patterns and the stories behind their design, driven by contemporaneous current events, cultural moments, technology advancements and evolving design aesthetics.“The research for this book made it clear just how much Formica’s evolution has been a reflection of culture, particularly in the United States,” said Meghan Howell, North American design and creative director at Formica Corporation. “We’ve designed the book to highlight our patterns over the years and the untold stories behind them – from the designers to the economic, political and popular culture influences.”
The book was penned by Shawn Patrick Tubb, a licensed architect and historian who has a passion for mid-century modern historic preservation, with research support from Formica’s design team and other current and former associates. The nearly-150-page book reflects a decade of work compiling the brand’s history, including combing through Formica internal archives, searching decades-old magazines for Formica advertisements and even visits to the Smithsonian to study the Formica patterns that are a part of the institution’s collection
