The best new products for ceilings, flooring, textiles, and wall treatments.
Record Products 2016: Finishes & Surfacing
Best in Category: SoftFold
This modular acoustical ceiling with a parametric design is scalable, easy to install, and offers an NRC of 0.75. It is constructed of Soft Sound—a proprietary material made of 100% PET plastic with up to 50% recycled content—and has a Class A fire rating.
“Sculptural and faceted, SoftFold is beautifully crafted. Its acoustic properties are excellent too.” —Juror Meena Krenek
Zen24
Zen24 is a concrete aggregate that is half the weight and one third the cost of the real thing. The stone surfacing offers a texture reminiscent of raked sand and comes in three neutral colors. Its large format (12" high x 24" long x 1" deep) makes it suitable for sizable interior and exterior applications.
Paper
Featuring a graph-paper pattern, Ornamenta’s 24"-square rectified tiles feature a special glaze that allows them to be written and drawn upon like a chalkboard. The porcelain grès tiles come in three colors and can be used on floors and walls in residential and commercial settings.
Plaid
The woven-vinyl textile uses 14 different colors of thread to create a bold pattern that does not need to be aligned. Made of TerraStrand yarn, which contains phthalate-free renewable vegetable compounds, Plaid is available in plank and square tiles as well as wall-to-wall flooring. Its Microban antibacterial protection also inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew.
Extraordinary Collection
This offering includes three 12" x 48" designs that can be used alone or together to generate varying degrees of texture. The collection, which is Cradle to Cradle Silver–certified, utilizes a special process whereby stray ends of yarn that are typically sheared after tufting are left on the carpet face to serve as a design feature.
Blenz Patina
Blending color and texture, this metal surfacing collection features variegated earth tones suitable for use on walls, columns, and facades. The lightweight, solid-core aluminum material is available in 48" x 96" and 48" x 120" sheets; it is easy to clean and install. Custom options are also available.
Dekton Trilium
Made of 60% recycled material, this Dekton ultracompact surface replicates the texture and color variation of aged and oxidized stainless steel, with hues ranging from deep grays to rusty undertones. It can be used for both indoor and exterior surfaces and is impervious to stains, UV rays, and temperature shock.
Christiane Müller Collection
For her eponymous HBF Textiles collection, Amsterdam-based designer Christiane Müller drew inspiration from the abstract paintings of Dutch artist Jan Schoonhoven and the minimalist architecture of Peter Zumthor. The line’s seven designs (Smart, pictured) play with texture and pattern and come in a range of 45 colorways.
Bespoke Surfaces
Designtex’s custom surfaces for branded environments comprise artwork from contemporary artists and photographers digitally printed on a choice of 15 substrates. The images can appear on textiles, wallcoverings, magnetics, glass film, ceramic steel, and decorative rigid panels.
OverStitch
Part of the Open Archive Collection, OverStitch woven carpet features interlaced backing yarns and face fiber; the combination creates an inseparable unit that resists delamination, moisture, and yarn zippering. The 100% solution-dyed carpet is available in 12 palettes and comes in a 9" x 36" plank size.
Lift
This piece-dyed textile by product designer Konstantin Grcic utilizes a network of interlocking ovals to form large vertical stripes. The polyester fabric has a 3-D structure, with its standing center fibers bonding its two outer layers. Offered in neutral and bright hues, the fabric is Greenguard-certified.
Jali S Glass
Sensitile Systems expands the material palette of its light-filtering Jali panels with this line of slim, lightweight options that contain 20% recycled cullet. Available in PMMA acrylic resin as well as annealed or tempered glass, Jali S comes in 19 patterns and over a half-dozen colors; custom filters may also be inserted to create unique hues. Each panel is custom-manufactured, with thickness and shape defined by the customer.
La Bohème
Neolith created this wood-look composite surfacing material using a combination of its proprietary technology and sintering techniques. Inspired by the trunk of the Lebanese cedar tree, La Bohème can be placed directly on existing surfaces, reducing cost and installation time.
MA’s Concrete
Used in Europe for over 20 years by architects including Jean Nouvel, MA’s concrete is now available in the United States. This ultrathin cement finish is less than ⅛" thick when applied and exceeds European requirements for mechanical and chemical resistance. Available in 72 colors, it can be applied on walls, flooring, and countertops, among other uses.
Editor's Choice: Paint Shield
After two hours of contact, this EPA-registered microbicidal paint kills greater than 99.9% of bacteria, including staph, E.coli, and MSRA. The interior coating may be applied on nonporous ceilings, walls, doors, and trim. It comes in an eggshell finish in a choice of 590 colors.
