Freaky Hip Materials for Avant-Garde Interiors

Do you find the materials on your walls, floors, doors and counters underwhelming? I’ve got great news – here are some fresh and snappy reboots that will start you dreaming of the next remodel. Be it for the home or office, these stylish finishes and materials are sure to create a buzz!

Glass encased decorative wall panels
Stunning surfacing materials for your every need: these panels are perfectly suited for walls, floors and counters.

The venerable Italian house of Sicis, famed for its art mosaics, has scaled up its ambitions to offer avant-garde large format designs encased in glass. The Vetrite collection offers 47 ¼ x 110 ¼” panels and is shown to withstand abuses from wine bottle and car without ill effects! Designs imprinted on a fabric substrate is sandwiched between thin sheets of glass and can be customized as desired.

I have seen them installed as bathroom floors. They look fantastic, but I assume Sicis has addressed the very real slip and fall hazards when water gets onto the glass surface…

Stone-look glass panels for walls and furniture
Want the look of stone without its bulk? Try Electric Marble!

Thin yet strong, Vetrite is perfect for use in furniture, lighting and paneling. This newest rendition heats things up with its artistic interpretation of marble in eye-popping fuscia, turquoise and gold. Gray and silver veining are also available for those prefering a more classic look.

Felt panels of stylized birch forest
Looking for the Sound of Silence in the hive? Check out this stylized birch forest in sound absorbing eco felt.

Made by BuzziSpace of 100% upcycled plastic bottle waste, these whimsical partitions can slide along wall or ceiling tracks or hang directly from the ceiling. The mono or bi-colored dividers come in a myriad of natural and geometric themes as well as cityscapes foreign or domestic. San Francisco, New York, London and beyond, the choice is yours…

Mirrored doors with punched leather
Not all doors are created equal, and these doors are definitely over-the-top luxe!

Each of these doors of non-corrosive Inox steel is clad with a mirrored panel. The specular surface is then overlaid by a lacey ‘skin’ of intricately punched leather. A glass doorknob provides an elegant finishing touch.

Counter made from slabs of recycled Murano glass
Here’s an antidote to the ubiquitous stone or boringly patterned engineered quartz slabs.

Love the blast of colors on the counter! Beautiful flecks of Murano glass are randomly interspersed in the white resin, creating a dynamic look and ensuring no two slabs are alike. Green creds aside, the glass chips’ depth of color and rich shade variation really add to the material’s character. Best of all, the polymer substrate is non-porous, extremely resistant to acids, oils and abrasion making it the perfect choice for kitchens and baths.

Translucent sustainably-sourced veneer for lighting and furnishings.
A translucent sustainably-sourced veneer for lighting and furnishings.

The innovative German product design firm out for space created a new material from rattan palms, plants whose internal structure resemble a bundle of tubes. By using a patented process to strengthen and color the strands, karuun® can be used in cane form for furniture or sliced into veneers with different profiles. The light weight but strong karuun® shine is made by cutting across the material’s section, which allows air and light to flow freely through the panel’s hollow channels.

Striking demountable partitions that create privacy without blocking light or views.
Striking demountable partitions that create privacy without blocking light or views.

Today’s dynamic business environment demands flexible, responsive and Instagram-worthy interiors. Functional art panels that can be used as wall systems, freestanding dividers or decorative privacy screens for walls and ceilings will fill the bill perfectly. Razortooth Design offers modular partitions of aluminum composite and various synthetic plastic polymers for interior or exterior applications. The Constructor series shown here features sturdy double panels with concealed hardware for a contemporary look. Made with computerized cutting tools on pre-finished materials, they are more cost-effective than comparable laser cut metal processes to boot.

Karim-Rashid-Ring-Door
Hmm, are magic incantations needed for access??

Created by renowned industrial designer Karim Rashid for Albed, the minimalist Ring Door shows no visible knobs or levers. The secret lies in the Ring housed inside the ‘volcano’ or raised section of the sleek face. Activate the Ring and a magnetic lock will do the equivalent of Open Sesame!

Sculptural door with hidden hardware
Just as intriguing are Rashid’s Bow doors, this one in lacquered walnut. In fact installing a pair of double doors really amp up the cool factor!

Also maglock operated, this sculptural door once again challenges our concept and expectation of utilitarian objects. The handle to operate the door is cleverly hidden inside the fold of the ‘wave’, rendering the hardware virtually invisible. Not to cramp any designer’s style, the doors come in a myriad of wood finishes and colors, guaranteed to work with any color scheme!

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