Formica Future Vision by Futurevisions

FUTURE VISION

Volume 1

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Fletcher Building Laminates & Panels Group Formica Group is a global group of companies consisting of Formica Canada Inc., Formica Corporation, Formica de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Formica IKI Oy, Formica Skandinavien AB, Formica Limited, Formica S.A., Formica S.A.S., Formica Taiwan Corporation, Formica (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Formica (Asia) Ltd. and Homapal GmbH, among others. Laminex is a group of companies across Australia and New Zealand consisting of Laminex Group Pty Ltd in Australia and Laminex New Zealand. The Formica Group of companies, Homapal and the Laminex group of companies are part of the Laminates & Panels division of Fletcher Building.

Please Note: All trademarks are property of their respective owners. ÂŠ Fletcher Building, 2015. Fletcher Building 810 Great South Road Penrose, Auckland 1061, New Zealand. Fletcher Building is a leading infrastructure and building materials manufacturer, and general construction contractor. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced without written permission from Fletcher Building.

Proud to be part of the Fletcher Building Group.

introduction Welcome to Future Vision – Volume 1 from Fletcher Building Laminates & Panels Group, the inaugural issue of our trend and colour forecasting publication created by the global design team from Formica Group, Homapal and Laminex Group. This exciting project has been developed as an extension of an ongoing series of reports, exploring current and future topics across the broad spectrum of the design industry. One of the largest surfacing producers in the world, Fletcher Building Laminates & Panels Group is expert in all things colour and construction material. With a passion and sixth sense for what’s next, our global design team is dedicated to anticipating our customer’s future needs. We know first hand the importance of monitoring emerging social, economic and design trends from around the world as these provide the context for our product design research. Here, we share three themes – Personal Sanctuary, Spectral and Smart Organic – that we believe will impact the direction of design for 2016-17. We explore how they will influence the industry as a whole along with our own product development and colour choices.

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TREND DRIVERS

Confronting our out of control consumption and always on digital world, we feel inspired to achieve a more mindful balance. Reclaiming responsibility for our environment, health and relationships has never been more important. Responding to this, we notice designs encouraging us to appreciate real world experience, rethink our resources, and consider our wellbeing. Here, we take a look at the bigger picture and notice recurring themes having an effect on the near future.

Image: Warriors of Downpour City, Anne van Galen, annevangalen.com

TREND DRIVERS

TAKING TIME Do not disturb app Shhh! and the No Phone aim to tackle digital distractions.

We reassess our relationships with people and technology by engaging in the now, actively disconnecting from our digital world. Interacting on a more human level sees us moving away from screen to screen contact. Do not disturb apps can schedule your phone to suspend all alerts when you are with friends and family, allowing you to live more fully in the moment. We also notice a rise in public spaces enforcing digital barricades, ensuring that people face fewer distractions in social situations.

Integrated Health

Fervent carpet by Dutch design Studio Siem & Pabon is a rug designed to be connected to a radiator and heated to a temperature of 60 °C (140 °F) every two months in order to kill off allergy causing dust mites that might be living within the textile.

With the rise in popularity of wearable technology and smart health tracking apps, we grow more mindful of our surroundings and their effect on our health, both mental and physical. We see integrated health benefits creep into product design aimed at tackling issues such as allergies and balancing our mood.

Image clockwise: Shhhh!, Ilwon Yoon, idesignforhumanity.com | No Phone, nophone.eu | Fervent Carpet, Studio Siem & Pabon, studiosiem-pabon.com

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Rethinking Resources

Being more mindful about the environment welcomes a waste-less attitude towards the consumption of food. Also concerned with climate change, we notice designers move away from simply recycling or using natural materials. Now we enter a new phase where man collaborates with nature to develop a new breed of smart organics.

Silo is the first zero waste restaurant in the UK aiming to set a new standard by recycling all of its waste, using a special compost machine to process all of its food scraps.

Recycled denim fibres are turned into an innovative stone-like material.

Japanese designer Kosuke Araki transforms food waste giving it new purpose as a collection of recycled food ware. Araki has designed a process whereby leftover scraps of food are carbonised and pressed into silicone moulds, making a range of subtle organic vessels with the colour and luminosity of charcoal. Image clockwise: Silo Restaurant Brighton, Photo: Lisa Devlin, silobrighton.com | Matteo Fogale & Laetitia de Allegri, matteofogale.com, laetitiadeallegri.com | Food Waste Ware, Kosuke Araki, kosuke-araki.com

TREND DRIVERS

Appreciating craft

Striving to put a stop to mindless consumption, a greater emphasis on process and storytelling becomes important in adding value to a product. This more considered approach prompts us to appreciate the time taken to craft a beautiful product. The focus is on quality and forging stronger emotional connections to our surroundings.

Serendpt textiles by French designer Marlene Hissoud are an exploration into automatic drawings done by hand with a simple pen. Each drawing represents between 20 hours to 30 hours of drawing, with the mistakes included reminding us to appreciate slow process crafted by hand.

RECOGNISING HISTORY

Zig Zag cushions by Sunny Todd echo techniques used in the paper cut artworks of Henri Matisse.

Noticing the arts enduring influence on design, we are encouraged to reflect on practices and theories that have stood the test of time. Hugely influential shows such as Frieze London or Art Basel/Miami, have evolved over time into art and design fairs, blurring the line between both disciplines.

Image clockwise: Serendpt, Marlene Huissoud, marlene-huissoud.com | Zig Zag Cushions, Sunny Todd, sunnytoddprints.co.uk

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THEME 01

PERSONAL SANCTUARY Seeking a place of refuge and comfort amidst unending global turbulence, we look to build more emotional connections with everyday objects, as our personal time and space become ever more precious.

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INSPIRATION

PERSONAL SANCTUARY

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seeking a place of refuge and comfort, this trend uses a palette that is rich and timeless.â&#x20AC;?

Responding to larger concerns surrounding overcrowded cities and transitioning populations, Personal Sanctuary looks to create a moment of calm amidst the urban chaos. With personal space at a premium, designers explore ideas of privacy within public areas and reassess our shrinking domestic interiors. Organic, cocoon-like structures provide a much needed escape, whilst cleverly subdividing space. With an overall feeling of gentle luxury, an elegant palette of deeply saturated colour is balanced with serene neutrals and a finely crafted approach to pure materials.

INSPIRATION

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COLOUR PALETTE

*Denotes existing solid colours in the Fletcher Building Laminates and Panels Group portfolio.

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PERSONAL SANCTUARY

Stone

Aged Nickel

*Fossil

*Terril

Camel

*Brass

NaVARRA

*Denim

Winter Sky

INSPIRATION *Magnolia

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COLOUR COMBINATIONS Personal Sanctuary has a rich and timeless palette. Brass and Aged Nickel used as accent colours add personality, whilst calming neutrals form the backdrop.

Warming hues are balanced with soft Stone and pale Fossil grey, adding an elegant feel to this neutral and pure direction.

Classic deep midtones of Camel, and Navarra red are key to this story bringing warmth to the palette.

COLOUR COMBINATIONS

PERSONAL SANCTUARY

METALLICS Whether using the raw material or replicating metallic finish, patina created by the ageing process is key. Telling a story of passing time, high shine metallics are left untreated to collect marks through use. This not only strengthens the objects unique narrative, but also builds greater emotional connections between user and object. Warm and rich metallic tones, such as aged nickel and tarnished brass are used to add fine detailing, elevating the everyday ordinary to the extraordinary.

MATERIALS

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TRANSPARENT Transitional elements made from frosted and semi-transparent materials are used in interiors to build private spaces within larger communal areas. In product, ultralight framework and mesh materials create a barely there aesthetic, helping to reduce visual noise. A feeling of peace and calm is created as designs are stripped back to essential form with weightless structure. Reacting against an all-consuming digital world, technology becomes more integrated into our environment. Translucent materials are cleverly used to help technology blend into the background.

MATERIALS

PERSONAL SANCTUARY

A truth to materials and fine detailing is key to Personal Sanctuaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s subtle luxury. Soft textures and smooth finishes create a comforting tactility that invites touch and interaction. Hard surfaces such as ceramics and wood mimic softer materials sculpted into squishy, organic forms that mirror the human body. Soft coloured, monochromatic woods are waxed with a matte silk finish, creating a minimalistic and Scandinavian feel. Used for both furniture and flooring, wood remains an essential material for this theme.

PURE & FINE

MATERIALS

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EARLY ADOPTERS

Russian based Prokk is a clever collection of mix and match wall panels with integrated shelves, niches, switches and sockets. A complete self-contained design, Prokk is available in a wide variety of fine materials and finishes.

Swedish design studio Note has created Focus, a space dividing table screen in textile that helps define your personal space within a shared public space. The flexible construction allows the screen to take any shape needed and can easily be folded and transported.

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PERSONAL SANCTUARY

Paris based Agence Jouin Manku has redesigned Abbey de Fontevraud Hotel with a neutral palette to create quiet resting places that reference the monastic history of the building. Reducing visual clutter with clever integrated technology, touchscreen tabletops and tablets are built into the furniture in the main communal areas.

Transparent panels in architecture are key for commercial use to zone shared space. Privacy can be created whilst still retaining the lightness of an open plan interior. Sheets of translucent corrugated plastic maximise natural light and reveal the timber framework of this photography studio in Japan by FT Architects.

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THEME 02

SPECTRAL Brushing up on established colour theory, this theme pays close attention to the interaction of colour across the spectrum, using clever and considered placement in layers of semi and full-saturated pigment.

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INSPIRATION

SPECTRAL

Brimming with creativity, this theme takes inspiration from fine art where colour is confidently layered, creating bold contrasts and considered effects. Cutting through the technology-driven aesthetics of recent times, Spectral takes a lowtech approach, championing a more free hand style. With a solid colour back to basics palette, a feeling of energy and optimism is created. Key to this story is proportion, drawing on theories from the likes of Johannes Itten or Wassily Kandinsky.

INSPIRATION

â&#x20AC;&#x153;inpsired by the arts, this trend observes interactions of colour across the spectrum.â&#x20AC;?

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COLOUR PALETTE

*Denotes existing solid colours in the Fletcher Building Laminates and Panels Group portfolio.

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SPECTRAL

Mint

Melon

Matrix Blue

Signal Yellow

*Clementine

Lipstick

*Carnaval

*Spectrum Green

*Ultramarine

INSPIRATION *Black

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COLOUR COMBINATIONS Strong primary tones are balanced with softer pastels for a contemporary clash.

Inspired by art and design movements such as Bauhaus, Pop-Art and Memphis, Spectral has a palette of bold contrasts taken from the full spectrum.

Lipstick, Melon and Mint bring a fresh edge to the palette, whilst Signal Yellow and Matrix Blue add another punchy contrast.

COLOUR COMBINATIONS

SPECTRAL

PAINT

Colour is applied in a free, confident fashion revealing the mark of the makerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand. Painterly brush strokes and textural daubs make for intriguingly tactile surfaces, further heightening the sensory experience associated with bold colour. Painted hard materials in furniture and flooring are integral to the theme. Layered paint and lacquer in opaque colour is stripped back revealing hidden pops of colour beneath, adding a rich depth of surface and finish.

MATERIALS

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MOULDED TEXTURE

Intensely saturated flat colour is given a three-dimensional edge with playful textures that appear moulded. Repeat embossed pattern is embedded into hard material, creating visual illusions and tactility. Challenging our perceptions of material, sculpted details in textiles and upholstery fabrics appear solid, as if moulded from hard material.

MATERIALS

SPECTRAL

Overturning traditional notions of grown up good taste, this story encourages a cut and paste attitude that is experimental and full of energy. Collage motif and layered colour are carefully considered to create a sophisticated clash that appears accidental.

CUT & PASTE

MATERIALS

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Pavilion of the Blind by Canadian art duo Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins is a kinetic installation of colourful window blinds that rearranges itself into a series of constantly abstract compositions in spectral colour.

EARLY ADOPTERS

Corners shelf by Korean designer Kyuhyung Cho are glorious, bold pops of colour. Simple in composition, these shelves can be reconfigured to play with colour proportions.

3 Pieces Desk by Belgian studio Muller Van Severen, also plays with colour combinations. Flat contrasting colour surfaces interact in this sophisticated configuration.

EARLY ADOPTERS

SPECTRAL

The Biomuseo in Panama by Frank Gehry is a colourful origami-like series of metal canopies.

Pieces of Work by London based designer Dean Brown, uses bold colour to zone private, personal and communal working areas with his office furniture that aspires to be useful, but not overly formal. EARLY ADOPTERS

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THEME 03

SMART ORGANIC With future generations and resources in mind, man and nature collaborate to scientifically enhance and refine natural resources, harnessing new sustainable materials, colour and energy.

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INSPIRATION

SMART ORGANIC

â&#x20AC;&#x153; enhancing

natures resources, this trend explores new sustainable colour and material.â&#x20AC;?

Smart Organic marks a much more scientific approach to an environmentally conscious theme. Designers manipulate desirable qualities of both natural and synthetic materials to create never before seen smart bio-composites. These new materials challenge our preconceptions about recycled products as they take on a slick, contemporary appearance. With sustainability now an everyday consideration, recycling must go further to address concerns surrounding the environment. A waste-less attitude is developing and new technology is used to re-evaluate what we throw away.

INSPIRATION

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COLOUR PALETTE

*Denotes existing solid colours in the Fletcher Building Laminates and Panels Group portfolio.

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SMART ORGANIC

Mineral

Enamel

Concrete

Forest

Earthenware

*Sphinx

*Just Gold

amber

Verdigris

INSPIRATION Green Slate

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COLOUR COMBINATIONS Amber and Earthenware ground the palette, a natural contrast to the strong green influence. Mineral white has a touch of blue, adding light and balancing the bolder shades.

With multiple greens, this colour story is harmonious in feeling. Green also has a strong influence on the pale neutrals in the range.

Natural elements such as Forest and Green Slate, mix with man made synthetic shades, Enamel and Concrete, to dictate Smart Organicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s colour palette.

03 COLOUR COMBINATIONS

SMART ORGANIC

INHERENT COLOUR

Colour derived directly from nature is a starting point for Smart Organicsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; natural greens and warm resin tones. Elements such as lichen, algae and moss provide new inspirations for colour and texture where pigment is extracted from cells or ground from raw materials. Designers promote a new appreciation for the life cycle of colour, abandoning colour-setting chemicals. Natural pigments are left to age and fade.

MATERIALS

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Raw materials are suspended in resin, capturing a moment of beauty in its life cycle. Designers mimic geological processes and natural phenomena, speeding up the preservation process to create imagined fossils for the future. Wood, minerals, flora and fauna are encased in solid block shapes with high gloss finish, in contrast to the organic forms at their core. Adding depth to surfaces, these trapped textures have a jewel like quality elevating the organic materials within to precious luxury items.

TRAPPED TEXTURE

MATERIALS

SMART ORGANIC

ORGANIC SYNTHETIC

Natural materials and synthetics have become intertwined, evolving to create new false geologies that hover somewhere between organic and man-made. Designers explore accidental composites such as Plastiglomerate â&#x20AC;&#x201C; plastic infused stone created when plastic rubbish fuses with natural materials â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to better understand the possibilities and benefits they could offer as materials for manufacture. Bio-resins combined with waste material from manufacturing create endless possibilities for strong lightweight materials that are mouldable.

MATERIALS

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German design studio, Llot Llov has used the organic process of osmosis to create a unique surface finish on its Osis tables. The tabletops, made of spruce wood are glazed with colour, and then sprinkled with salt. The results are affected by the kind of salt used, humidity and length of reaction time.

EARLY ADOPTERS

Dutch Studio Tjeerd Veenhoven has created Palm Leather, a sturdy textile made using the leaves of the Areca palm. Made by soaking the plant matter in a biological solution, the leaves are left supple and pliable.

London designers Matteo Fogale and Laetitia De Allegri, have created designs from a stone-like material that is entirely made from post-industrial waste, such as recycled denim fibres.

EARLY ADOPTERS

SMART ORGANIC

German designer Milena Kling plays with process in her collection The Presence of Absence. Surface pattern is embedded into the glass using copper moulds that leave behind an imprint of their colour when removed.

Bureo Skateboards, made from recycled fishermen’s nets, are a result of a scheme for social change. ‘Net Positiva’ is Chile’s first ever fishnet collection & recycling program.

EARLY ADOPTERS

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*Magnolia

Stone

Melon

Lipstick

considered and Confident

*Clementine

*Just Gold

CAMel

Signal Yellow

Amber

Earthenware

*Carnaval

Inherent and extracted

*Sphinx

Rich and Timeless

*Brass

NaVARRA

Serene and neutral

Mint

COLOURFLOW

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Mineral

Concrete

*Fossil

Enamel

Verdigris

*Denim

Green Slate

Contemporary clash

*Spectrum Green

Matrix Blue

Synthetic and Natural

Forest

Winter Sky

*Terril

*Ultramarine

*Black

*Denotes existing solid colours in the Fletcher Building Laminates and Panels Group portfolio.

Aged Nickel

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Fontevraud L’Hôtel Agence Jouin Manku patrickjouin.com Photo: Nicolas Matheus

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Hideaki Sakurai / Alamy

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Fabrica Photo: Marco Zanin/ Fabrica Daikin Italy

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Crisp tile, Levi Fignar kazaconcrete.com

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Sendagrup Medical Centre Pauzarq pauzarq.com Photo: Xabier Aldazabal

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Tape Paris, 2014 Numen/For Use Photo : André Morin

Basket Container, Nendo Photo: Akihiro Yoshida nendo.jp

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Photo: Eva Hoernisch

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Light Shed, FT Architects Photo: Shigeo Ogawa

Embracing Touch Marija Puipaite Photo: Lisa Klappe

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Invertuals 4 Photo: RAW COLOR www.rawcolor.nl

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Well Light, Mejd Studio mejdstudio.com

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Photo: Eva Hoernisch

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Well Proven Chair for Transnatural Marjan van Aubel & James Shaw transnaturallabel.com

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Corners Kyuhyung Cho kyuhyungcho.com menu.as

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The Anthropogenic Specimen Cabinet Yesenia Thibault-Picazo yeseniatp.com

P34 3 Pieces Desk Muller Van Severen Viaduct viaduct.co.uk

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Reversible Destiny Lofts Mitaka Photo: Masataka Nakano

Sea Me Studio Nienke Hoogvliet Photo: Femke Poort nienkehoogvliet.nl

Pavillion of the Blind Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins marmco.com

T7 Bluetooth® speaker bowers-wilkins.com

Stone Fossil Quartz 01-02 Nucleo, nucleo.to

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Nathan Carter Brooklyn Street Treasures 2011 Photo: Cary Whittier Casey Kaplan, New York

HUSH Freyja Sewell Photo: Al Be Dos

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Detail from Chair 67 Markus Friedrich Staab markusfriedrichstaab.com

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Vase with Stone Martín Azúa Photo: Martín Azúa martinazua.com

Biomuseo Panama Frank Gehry Photo: Fernando Alda

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Sun Goes Down Diána Farkas farkas.diana.ta@gmail.com www.behance.net/furt

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Allegory Ce_4 ring Benas Staskauskas staskauskas.com

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ISH No.03 Matteo Fogale and Laetitia de Allegri matteofogale.com

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Rutuu Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec iittala.com

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Photo: Eva Hoernisch

Étagé wooden tile Atelier Anthony Roussel anthonyroussel.com Photo: Marcos Bevilacqua

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Multi-functional wall panels. Prokk prokk.ru

AW 14 miuniku.com

Moon Chair Charles Kalpakian kalpakian.fr

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Assembled Objects, object 07 Philip Lüschen philipluschen.nl

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Pieces of Work Dean Brown/ Fabrica Photo: Marco Zanin/ Fabrica

SMART ORGANIC

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Algaemy Textiles Studio Blond & Bieber blondandbieber.com

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Palmleather Project Studio Tjeerd Veenhoven tjeerdveenhoven.com

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Dust Matter’s Lucie Libotte lucielibotte.com

Ruby Milena Kling milenakling.com

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CREDITS

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CONTACTS www.fletcherbuilding.com www.formica.com www.homapal.com www.laminex.com.au www.laminexnz.co.nz

Project Coordinators: Eva Hoernisch & Renee Hytry Derrington Printed by Toppan Printing Co., (H.K.) Ltd 1 Fuk Wang Street Yuen Long Industrial Estate Hong Kong

FLETCHER BUILDING GLOBAL LAMINATES & PANELS DIVISIONAL OFFICES Asia Formica Group 903, BM InterContinental Business Centre 100 Yutong Road, Shanghai, China T +86 21 6010-2688 Europe Formica Group 11 Silver Fox Way, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE27 OQJ, United Kingdom T +44 191 259 3100 North America Formica Group 10155 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45241 USA T +1 513 786 3400 Homapal Homapal GmbH Bahnhofstraße 30/32 D-37412 Herzberg am Harz Germany T +49 5521 8560

Australia Laminex Australia 90-94 Tram Road Doncaster, VIC, 3108 Australia T +61 3 9848 4811 New Zealand Laminex New Zealand 1 O’Rorke Road, Penrose, Auckland 1642, New Zealand T +64 9 571 4444 Proud to be part of the Fletcher Building Group.