Balancing Warmth and Function in Residential Design

Kevin McDonald is the Vice President of Sales for ALVIC USA, the US arm of Grupo ALVIC, Spain, a company focused on fabricating panels and furniture components in high gloss, supermatte, and textured TSS using unique patented processes and based in Auburndale, Florida.

BY KEVIN MCDONALD, VP OF SALES, ALVIC USA

For most Americans, prior to 2020, a home office space was a place to mail greeting cards and handle household bills. Typically, dedicated home office spaces were only used on daily basis by freelancers, the self-employed, or the relatively few Americans (roughly 7% according to Pew

Research) whose employers embraced remote work or telecommuting. According to a study by Upwork, 41.8% of the American workforce continues to work remotely since the start of the pandemic. Although an estimated 26.7% will still be working from home through 2021, 36.2 million Americans (22% of the workforce) will be working remotely by 2025. This is a staggering 87% increase from the number of remote workers prior to the pandemic. This means millions of people have shifted to working out of home office spaces and for many, this change is permanent. This new, increased need for remote work has influenced the design and material mix of home spaces. Designers are now balancing durable, functional surfaces while maintaining residential warmth —and they’re coming up with innovative ways to use durable materials as they do it.

“Work-from-home areas are becoming dedicated spaces, rather than temporary adapted spaces,” says Vicente Aguilar, Regional Sales Manager, ALVIC USA. “People can't work 9–10-hour days at the end of their kitchen bar.” Instead of quickly putting together a secondary space where minimal time is spent, homeowners are now taking ample time to plan their home offices and are investing more in the process. Many larger companies are even subsidizing office spaces for employees. This extra planning and investment leads to more possibilities to design solutions that combine durability and comfort, while reflecting a more personal, residential aesthetic than the typical corporate office.

HOME OFFICE FURNITURE BUILT TO LAST When manufacturing home office furniture that must stand up to high-traffic and frequent use, decorative panels are a popular material solution for a number of reasons.

The permanent, adhesive-free bond inherent to TSS and UV lacquer coated panels makes them a long-lasting, durable material for home office furniture that is efficient to manufacture and easy to maintain. Because panels allow manufacturers and designers to mix and match surface design while maintaining surface durability and core properties, decorative panels have limited competition for furniture and interior design specification.

CREATING COZY, PERMANENT CASE GOODS Beyond home office furniture, purpose-built case goods are another application where decorative panel products have an advantage.

“People are no longer limited to adapting freestanding big-box office furniture. They’re turning to designers for custom built-ins and purpose-built case goods for the space,” says Aguilar.

Warm, home office designs are being crafted with decluttering front-of-mind.

“Most homeowners who are able to dedicate a full workspace to adults (or learning space for children) incorporate lots of organization. We see a lot of cabinets, open shelving, etc. Anything that can be custom-built and set to organize is useful,” says Sami Stephens, Designer and Broker, Buy Invest Sell. “Decorative panel products are particularly useful in these types of applications because they save us the step of bringing in the finisher to paint and stain the product. Once the product is assembled, it’s complete. It saves on time and cost and is less disruptive in an occupied space. Decorative panels are also highly durable and many manufacturers offer lines that are stain resistant, scratch resistant, and color-fast. This is key for any high-traffic space in the home, especially an office.”

Using decorative panels is also is a fantastic way to incorporate warmth into work-from-home spaces.

“People are trying to make their home office space blend with their overall home aesthetic as much as possible, which still supports the use of textured, matte, or gloss panels. Whether that look is clean lines and solid colors, or more natural wood looks and textures, TSS panels accommodate that,” says Aguilar.

Many designers are turning to textured TSS panels with natural finishes when designing these spaces. These durable pieces are colorfast, yet easily cleaned and maintained, unlike their wood counterparts.

“Work-from-home areas are becoming dedicated spaces, rather than temporary adapted spaces.”

VICENTE AGUILAR, REGIONAL SALES MANAGER, ALVIC USA

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Available in a choice of 12 tinted colors from the Milesi Collection (XWT510x Color System series). Milesi Distributors can produce any tinted color desired using the clear base (XWC5AA1) in combination with pigmented pastes. They feature excellent foot traffic resistance, and unparalleled protection against weather conditions, mildew, fungi and UV exposure threats. UV exposure threats.

As children often play on decks and pool decks, these impregnators have been formulated to comply with EN71/3 European regulation related to toy safety, and are Non-Slip certified according to UNE 41901 regulation, making decks not only beautiful and protected, but also safe.

Ideal on softwoods, exotic woods and thermotreated wood, can be applied by brush, manual roller and automatic impregnator.

Coated surfaces can be maintained using the same products, without sanding. ‹ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

“Consistent, long-lasting product is more important than ever because we’re seeing homeowners gravitate more toward wood-like finishes and ranges of color in these spaces. Most often, we see people wanting to incorporate light oak and ashy woods. Dark heavy woods are being passed over and anything with the red undertones is out,” says Stephens.

TSS panels with natural finishes ranging from wood-like to leather-like can be used alongside UV lacquer-coated highdurability panels with gloss or matte finishes, quickly creating contrast and making an impact.

BEYOND THE WORKSPACE Because they’re being integrated into the home, many new office spaces have a spot to relax, in addition to spots to work. Because of this, designers are also choosing decorative panels to incorporate built-in bookshelves, feature walls, and other living-room-like features into these spaces. “Using panels, we have control over texture that would only have been possible using multiple materials before—now it's incorporated into a whole panel. Once it's installed, it's done,” says Stephens.

And, as designers work to craft permanent home office spaces, trends suggest the carrying of these material mixes to multiple rooms in the home for a cohesive feel.

“We are seeing orders get larger with a wider mix of surfaces in them, which suggests people are redesigning more than one room in their house,” says Aguilar.

“Panels can be used in applications like headboards, bunk beds, closets, shelving, and built-in furniture like armoires. The possibilities are truly endless and the durability of the materials holds up well to everyday living,” says Stephens. s p