The Formica® 2017 Specialty Collection Offers More Than What Meets the Eye

For architects, designers and specifiers who are frequently tasked with balancing client needs, aesthetics, performance and budget, material selection is a crucial piece of the successful project puzzle. And surfacing, in particular, can be a uniquely challenging application for which to specify. Natural wood surfaces in healthcare settings and leather finishes in hospitality projects, for instance, were considered impractical or exorbitant surfacing options in the past, but such desirable aesthetics can now be achieved with confidence thanks to Formica Corporation’s new 2017 Specialty Collection. Two new products are featured in the collection: Formica Infiniti™, featuring a soft-to-the-touch super matte finish, with fingerprint resistance and built-in antimicrobial surface protection and thermal healing capabilities, and dECOLeather™, an eco-friendly recycled leather veneer available in three textures, which boast a soft, realistic hand. In fact, since dECOLeather™ consists of 70 percent recycled leather fibers, end users and specifiers alike may not realize they’re actually touching a “man-crafted” material.

Health and Wellness Solutions
In a world full of sensory overload, architects and designers strive to deliver spaces that are not only beautiful, but also comfortable on different sensory levels. That’s where Formica Infiniti™ super matte laminates come into play. Offering natural visuals, solid colors and intriguing patterns along with high functionality, the series allows for endless customization options while requiring little maintenance. But in addition to meeting aesthetic and maintenance criteria, these super matte surfaces can also help support the health and comfort of those who occupy the spaces you’ve designed.

Applied on a desk, Formica Infiniti™ surfaces can reduce glare and, as a result, reduce eyestrain in the users. Bespoke conferencing or meeting room tables can be both stylish and sanitary due to the fingerprint resistance properties of the material.

Designers can achieve the biophilic healing benefits of natural materials, for instance, by specifying one of the numerous wood-look laminates in this line for hospitals and clinics.

Meanwhile, the fingerprint resistance is ideal for just about any application, from office reception furniture to retail store displays and fitting rooms that are constantly coming in contact with hands or to elongate the life of accent walls, up the durability of contract furniture and refresh tired and worn doors.

Accidents happen, but Formica Infiniti™ products are designed to stand up to any mishap with thermal healing capabilities. To repair dulled or burnished areas, place a paper towel over the affected area and dampen with water. Run a clothing iron at its highest setting over the area four to five times and then wipe clean. Formica Infiniti™ can even withstand rigorous cleaning protocols that may involve the use of harsh chemicals.

Ecologically Friendly Leather
The collection’s other family, dECOLeather™ Recycled Leather Veneer, lets you specify luxury responsibly and affordably. Composed of actual recycled natural leather, it comes in three different embossed textures — Crocodile, Walrus or Buffalo — to complement or unite any design concept. Think trendy cocktail bars, reception desks, accent or corridor walls and more. Customize your application further with one of 18 colorways.

These veneers not only lend exotic and luxurious feels to projects, but they also help the planet: Using a recycled leather product provides the benefit of being both resourcefully responsible and authentic to the natural material. And converting recycled leather scraps from shoe, car seat and leather tanneries into a sheet material reduces the waste that’s typically generated by custom cuts and sartorial precision.

Whatever your design vision, this new Formica® Specialty Collection is sure to have a surfacing solution that meets your and your client’s aesthetic and durability needs. “Our new Specialty Collection is a perfect hybrid of innovation and beauty,” says Renee Hytry Derrington, group vice president of design for Fletcher Building’s International Businesses Division, the parent company of Formica Corporation. “It is both visibly and tactically elevated, allowing for new opportunities and advantages in design and making for surfaces you’ll love at first sight — and touch.”