Formica Corporation Blurs Line Between Nature, Technology with SurfaceSet^® 2020

CINCINNATI (Sept. 4, 2019) — The lines between humanity and technology are blurring, yet nature remains a grounding factor. It’s this “blurred lines” theme that serves as the basis for SurfaceSet^® 2020, a collection of new woodgrains, solids and patterned Formica^® Laminate designs to help interior designers and architects create beautiful and functional commercial spaces.   

“Our team of experts spoke to hundreds of architects and designers to identify trend drivers that blurred the overlap between natural, human and technological aspects,” said Renee Hytry Derrington, global design lead for Formica Corporation. “We created SurfaceSet^® 2020 to help professionals embrace these new trends with design-forward solutions that are functional and carry the warmth of the natural world, from a boutique hotel in San Francisco to a senior living facility in New York.”

The 2020 SurfaceSet^® Collection is grouped into three key palettes – No Boundaries, Engineered Design and Fluidity – with on-trend, usable design solutions created within each one.

No Boundaries

A combination of raw elements and natural warmth give this palette a familiar sense of security and a hint of exploratory wonder. Organic greens and grounded earth tones contrast with pops of blue sky to create a harmonious connection to the natural world. 

Natural Recycled Kraft and Black Recycled Kraft: Utilizing 100% recycled pulp and natural additives such as coffee bean chaff from roasting and the fibers from coffee bean bags, this technical paper was produced to be an authentic laminate version of Kraft paper. A mixture of post- and pre-consumer waste streams, the Recycled Kraft Series achieves FSC 100% FSC Recycled Credit. 

Layered White Sand, Layered Sand and Layered Black Sand: This granular design is inspired by large-scale rammed-earth architecture. Various colored sand grains were pounded into bands and layered into a linear furniture-scale layout before being scanned to make a new optical solid visual. 

Blond Cedar, Raw Cedar and Noir Cedar: Enhanced by the new Pure Grain (-PG) texture, this simple cedar structure without knots is the first pine added into the Formica^® surfacing range in more than 30 years.

Planked Raw Oak and Planked Coffee Oak: Salvaged from an old Hawaiian warehouse, this sun-weathered oak has soft 4-inch planks and sparse knots, bringing warmth into contemporary spaces. The new stain colors reflect designers’ preference for light and dark options.

Earthenware and Algae: Organic meets contemporary, as the outside is brought into interiors through nature-inspired hues.  

Engineered Design

Structure and sophistication meet in this future-forward palette that combines synthetic designs with natural materials. On-screen brights, technical grays and strong saturated colors – along with tactile textures like felt – create a playful and bold feeling.  

Felt Series (Natural Gray, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue): As a color carrier, Felt is perfect in gray and bold colors for office and modern hospitality spaces. The Felt visual is a hard-surfacing solution to an all-purpose material common in floors, walls and furniture. The fabric-inspired optical solid is enhanced by a Paper texture (-PA), marrying the visual with a tactile touch.

White Washed Birchply and Black Birchply: A casual rotary birch veneer, plywood has become a hero material used in furniture and interiors. 

Moonstone, Night Forest and Night Shade: Classic gray and black made modern with a drop of added color for moody interior schemes.

Fluidity

This palette invokes a sensory approach to the digital world in the context of nature to create a generation of new creative possibilities. Soft and ethereal tones like weightless beiges, pastels and iridescent effects make for an atmospheric and dreamlike experience. 

Aluminum and Stainless: A realistic, linear brushed-metal design perfectly paired with the reflective Brush texture (-BH) to create a durable HPL-version of brushed metal that can be used on vertical millwork and cabinetry as well as any hardworking surface, like horizontal tables and countertops.

Cream Softwood, Greige Softwood and Walnut Softwood: Created from the softwood linden tree, this barely-there tinted woodgrain is ideal for applications where a wood “feel” is needed. 

Liquid Glass, Blush and Solar Orange: Fluid colors enhanced with glistening textures blur the line between nature and technology.

For more information about the 2020 SurfaceSet^® Collection, visit www.formica.com/lookbook.