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Heavy Metal: 7 Recent Interior Finishes That Add Luster

Sheila Kim Sheila Kim

When a space is in need of a pick-me-up, a little color or shimmer can go a long way. With regards to the latter, a plethora of recent products offer metallic finishes on every level, from highly reflective and light-catching to subdued and subtle. Here’s a look at seven such products that can help reinvigorate interiors.


From left: Relais in pewter and Sultan in silver from Ann Sacks.

Ann Sacks: Lux Decorative
Inspired by solid bronze entry doors of ancient mosques, these intricately patterned tiles are actually composed of smooth marble onto which metallic colors are hand-leafed in the old-world tradition. Three designs are available — Relais, Sultan, and Riad — each measuring 16 inches square and offered in silver, gold, or pewter colorways. The tiles are suitable for indoor, dry vertical applications only.


From left: Glint and Gild are new additions to the Full Circle line by 3form.

3form: Gild and Glint
3form’s Full Circle program is widely known in the design community for its employment of artisans in remote Senegalese and Nepalese villages. Its most recent Full Circle collaboration is with Indonesian artisans in the valley of Wonosobo who are crafting metallic-foil textiles to be embedded in 3form’s Varia Ecoresin, bringing old-world decoration together with a modern material. Gild has a traditional foil look, while Glint sports a more deconstructed pattern of distressed strips. Both are offered in silver, gold, and copper.


Multiple bevel formats are offered by Pratt and Larson.

Pratt and Larson: Bas Relief Bevels and Frames
In addition to the classic bevel tile, this series includes pyramidal and square versions that can be mixed and matched with the standard rectangular tiles. Squares come in three sizes (three, four, and five inches), as do the rectangles (three by six, four by eight, and five by 10 inches), while the pyramidal tile comes in a single size (eight inches squared). All are available in Pratt and Larson’s wide range of colors and glazes, including metallic finishes.


Baroque from Wolf-Gordon’s Tjep.Cubism collection.

Wolf-Gordon: Baroque
Designed by Frank Tjepkema for his Tjep.Cubism collection, this wall covering sports an isometric geometric pattern that simultaneously deconstructs a traditional damask motif over a 24-by-19¾-inch repeat. The design can be scaled up or down and is digitally printed onto Mylar with a non-woven backing. In addition to the standard metallic finish, custom colors are available for minimum orders of 100 yards.


Banker Wire’s S-18 installed in the IBI Group’s corporate headquarters in Edmonton, Canada.

Banker Wire: S-18
For its own offices in Edmonton, Canada, A+E firm IBI Group selected S-18 wire mesh tiles to energize a gallery space and technology boardroom. S-18 features a basket-weave pattern with a low-percent (25) open area resulting in a sophisticated textural and reflective appearance. Banker Wire formed the product to fold over hidden frame brackets. Options include stainless steel, brass, and bronze.


New Ravenna’s New Leaf

New Ravenna: New Leaf
Part of the company’s new Dimensioni collection, New Leaf evokes the delicate contours and curves of a leaf in a reflective glass tile. The tiles, and coordinating liners, are available in platinum, champagne gold, rose gold, and gunmetal.


Dimension Walls by MDC

MDC: Dimension Walls
Adding visual interest to walls, this pliable panel series offers nine metallic designs which range from deep textures to dimensional geometric patterns. Each Class A fire-rated unit is composed of high-impact thermoplastic, measures four by eight feet, and has an abrasion resistance of 700 grams on the Hoffman Scratch Test.


From left: Aleutian and Elliptical are part of the MDC Dimension Walls line.

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