Making a design whole through its look and feel.
One thing is key when it comes to wood-based materials: Authenticity. In addition to how it looks, the feel of a surface is also important. The right texture gives a decor character and depth, as well as a natural appeal, brings it even closer to the real thing.
“In the past, we’ve seen that architects preferred to use the uni decors in our collections for their projects. Stone decors were often specified for worktops. It was rarely woodgrain reproductions because they did not have the desired natural character“, says Klaus Monhoff, Head of Decor and Design Management at EGGER. If an authentic woodgrain effect was required, the choice fell to either veneer or solid wood.
However, this has changed significantly in the past three years, claims the design and trend expert Monhoff: “Looking at our Feelwood surfaces, whose texture and decor grain are synchronized, architects confirm that the melamine-faced board achieves the authenticity of solid wood. Moreover, the boards are characterized by higher levels of lightfastness and are easier to clean than real wood surfaces.” These changes can also be spotted in material decors: With textures such as the ST16 Mineral Plaster or the ST87 Mineral Ceramic, concrete, metal, and ceramic reproductions are increasingly popular with architects.
Experience textures digitally.
Essential as textures are for the overall appearance, it is often difficult to visualize them. Until now, real samples were the only way to communicate to architects or clients the feel of the decor. But now those project presentations are often done digitally, there is a need for digital access. And the wood-based materials specialist now makes this available with the new 3D texture visualization. This means that selected real samples of woodgrain and material surfaces can now also be experienced on a screen: By moving the mouse or the mobile device (smartphone, tablet), the decor can be moved on the screen and the texture becomes visible. This already gives a digital first impression of the decor under consideration.
