Feb`s issue of FX magazine

Materials
EASY WOW
FACTORS
Annabelle Filler introduces a selection
of materials that are easy to apply and
easy to impress with...
W
e work so hard to look after our client. They look to us
for inspiration, without which we would be redundant.
For the most part, and particularly when the brief is
interesting, inspiration is the raw commodity we trade with.
Occasionally though many creatives can have a moment when
juices run dry. Time, costs and the project space itself can sap
them and it is on these occasions we need to find the quick-fix
of materials that bring back the va va voom.
The wall is a natural ally. We can deliver creative integrity
using less than 25 per cent of the total area in whatever way we
choose to divide it, whether it is as straightforward as a feature
wall or simply as a splashback or series of panels. If we remain
resolute in the face of the inspirational fix not necessarily being
a tsunami approach to design, liberation is at hand, particularly
with materials that have a genuinely broad appeal and go in
without a murmur.
The materials featured this month can restore those arid
moments back to a fountain of inspiration and also have a
resounding quirkiness. Their designers have in turn taken cues
from other sources of inspiration, and in doing so deliberately
chose to share their eureka moment by leaving a gentle patter
of clues within the context of the material.
arched BronZe
Border
These crafted solid bronze
tiles cast from art grade
bronze ingots are,
surprisingly enough, well
heeled. Cast in a LEED
Gold-rated building facility
in the USA, they work the
partisan line between craft
and glamour, a tricky one for
many materials to straddle.
Rocky Mountain
Hardware, the company
behind these Arched Border
tiles, specialises in bronze
work from door hardware
to sinks, tiles and lighting.
In essence the company acts
as the intermediary between
the molten bronze and the
environment, which then
ButonG concrete
coco moSaicS
How fortunate we are to
find a material as equable as
this, which literally falls into
our hands. And the coconut
husk has just got a lot more
interesting. Until recently
the normal use was to burn
the husk (the by-product of
the coconut fruit industry)
for charcoal. Now the
Indonesians have decided that
there is a market to reuse the
coconut chippings to create
94 February 2012 FXmagazine.co.uk
tiles suitable for both domestic
and commercial interiors. The
tiles are not only from a 100
per cent renewable resource
but the grass-root economy
is benefitting from their
production, generating new
work opportunities for the
local population.
The tiles themselves are
made using water-based
glues and lacquers, and the
highly tactile surface takes
full advantage of the naturally
reversible coconut shell as
a visual commodity. The
result is a panel with either a
convex or concave disposition,
depending on the designer’s
preference and vision.
There is a natural lustre
to these hairless tiles, and
one range, White Patina,
has a white-painted coating
that leaves the natural finish
apparent in places. This is
unadorned chic and would
sit as equally happily in both
a high-specification hotel and
in a design for a cool, modern
residence. For those with a
bolder desire for colour, the
range Fancy is the one.
Manufacturer/distributor: UK.
Size: 42cmx42cmx8cm. Colour
& range: Classic and Fancy:
Nine styles (Classic), eight in
Fancy (solid colour range).
Applications: Walls,ceilings,
floors and furniture.
cocomosaic.com
While concrete may not be
in the top 10 of ‘quick-fix’
materials, the decorative
impact of this material on
a space is undeniable.
Here Lars Höglund –
a prize-winner in a 2006
European concrete design
competition and an
architect – began exploring
the potential symbiotic
relationship between the
diaphanous quality of bubble
wrap and the more steadfast
nature of concrete. In effect
concrete is squeezed between
two layers of bubble wrap
and then rolled. After 24
hours the new panel may be
formed into complex shapes.
The final product is one
with a delightful translucence,
even luminance. While it
would have been easy to
draw the line at this stage,
Lars has continued, and the
porous panels may be infilled
either as individual pores or
with an additional recycled
glass layer which comes alive
as light levels alter.
Butong is now being used
creatively as a filter and the
potential for it as a green wall
to contain and nuture plants
is being explored. Using
admixtures that break down
responds through time and
touch to deepen the patina.
This is a useful, versatile
tile, creating a tactile threedimensional surface that
produces options including
grid or basketweave designs.
This bronze tile is as
interesting in its youthful
stage as it is as age advances
upon it. Without doubt, its
a tile you could take home
to meet the parents.
Manufacturer/distributor:
USA. Size: 25mm x 152mm,
ref TT622. Colour & range:
Bronze in nine finishes,
including patina, brushed and
white bronze. Applications:
Splashbacks and interior walls.
rockymountainhardware.com
carbon monoxide could give
further credence to this and
allow the plants themselves
to absorb the carbon:
concrete with the opportunity
to contribute indirectly to
the environment – now
there’s an interesting thought.
Manufacturer/distributor:
Sweden and France. Size:
Maximum size: 2.8m x 1.4m
Colour & range: Any. Main
finishes are butong pattern,
butong struktur and butong
glazed. Applications: Filters,
green walls, furniture, lamps,
art installations, panels
butong.se
FXmagazine.co.uk February 2012 95
Materials
Turkish Rug
printed Porcelain
At the outset this would
seem to be an interesting
exploration of two very
different visual identities.
Yet the idea of printing
a faded rug design on to
a full-bodied porcelain
has proved successful.
Fap Ceramiche, the Italian
manufacturer behind it, has
designed a range of tiles
that draws on the precise
geometrical designs and
classic friezes of the Turkish
rug. The attention to detail
is meticulous and the finish
is reminiscent of the worn
rug fibre developed through
years of use. The design is
intended to be integrated
into another porcelain tile,
evocative of marble. It
was a bold move to create
a tile with a Turkish rug
connection but it is one that
works surprisingly well.
Silver ‘Gilt’
Interior Film
or enlivening tired spaces.
It is a highly technical
material that is durable, selfextinguishing and may be
applied without creating air
bubbles. It may be wrapped
around complex curves and
shapes, and adheres to a
comprehensive selection of
surfaces, from wood and
aluminium to melamine
and plasterboard.
To the purist this new LG
Hausys interior film may
be one bridge too far to
cross, but for many this
new printed material will
bring a sigh of relief.
It is a vclever decorative
solution, simple to install and
cost effective. This is one of
many film designs that will
open up opportunities for
the designer. It may feel a bit
like cheating, but for those
happy to employ the latest
generation of self-adhesive
PVCs, it could lead to great
design and happy clients.
This material has great
va-va-voom and could
easily mix with more natural
materials, and could be useful
in revamping existing fittings
Manufacturer/distributor:
Italy. Size: Fap Natura Tappeto
Istanbul 120cmx180cm.
Colour & range: Part of Fap
Natura Range. Applications:
Walls and floors, domestic and
commercial. fapceramiche.com
Manufacturer/distributor:
UK. Size: 120cm width, in
rolls and cut lengths. Colour
& range: Vast, including
stone, wood, metals, leather,
concrete, decorative designs,
high gloss and solid colours.
Applications: Refurbishments,
including walls, doors, furniture,
skirting and architraves.
davidclouting.co.uk
FXmagazine.co.uk February 2012 97