We have seen many advances in sustainable materials over the years, many of which we have championed in the studio. In Smart Organics, the third theme of Formica’s Future Vision, the lens is firmly focused on designers who are taking a more scientific approach to issues of sustainability.
The products highlighted showcase both synthetic and natural materials being manipulated to formulate smart ‘bio-composites’. "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."
Global Colour Research
The Anthropogenic Specimen Cabinet | Yesenia Thibault-Picazo | yeseniatp.com
The colour palette is derived from organic matter; think deep ambers with hints of strong green, grounded by pale neutrals. The natural pigments will develop a beautiful patina with time, giving interiors a lived-in, personal feel.
Well Proven Chair for Transnatural | Marjan van Aubel & James Shaw | transnaturallabel.com
Natural and synthetic matter merge to create a brand new material, ‘Plastiglomerates’. Formica showcases designers that have responded to this lightweight and mouldable material by producing striking artefacts.
Fabrica | Photo: Marco Zanin
"Designers mimic geological processes and natural phenomena, speeding the preservation process to create imagined fossils for the future."
Formica highlights the notion of ‘trapped texture’ where organic forms are encased in resin, suspending time. The viewer has a chance to catch a rare glimpse of organic forms halted in their life cycle with "jewel like quality elevating the organic materials within to precious luxury items ".
