Hand-Cut Metal Laminate
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Handcrafted metal laminates in its Metal-Art line were launched by Lamin-Art at GlobalShop 2013, the retail interiors show held in Chicago in May. The collection features large-scale, three-dimensional designs that carry an artisan touch – since the original patterns are cut by hand before being transferred to the embossing cylinder.

Each sheet of Metal-Art is produced by hot-pressing a sheet of real metal onto impregnated kraft paper. The result is a dimensional metallic decorative surface, which can be applied using the same tools, substrates and adhesives as high-pressure decorative laminates.

“It was not easy to manufacture,” Don Krog, president of Lamin-Art, said during an interview at GlobalShop. “It’s something we have been working on for two years.” Krog has been a driving force behind Chicago-based Lamin-Art since he bought the division from a larger conglomerate in 1982. Lamin-Art remains the only privately held supplier of decorative laminates in North America.

“Because we are the size we are, we have been able to do custom development,” Krog says. “We don’t have levels of bureaucracy.” One notable project was a custom run for doors for 3,000 rooms at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Another was the creation of a laminate made from coffee bean bag burlap for Starbucks. “That’s another one that took two years,” Krog notes. The project was initiated by Starbucks. “Our customers inspire us,” he says. Krog sees a trends toward textured surfaces pretty consistently throughout all market regions, though colorations will vary locally.

The latest collection is comprised of five unique designs, complemented by classic brushed metals, all available in four colorations for a total of 24 Metal-Art surfaces.

Each design is available in four traditional metallic colorations: brushed aluminum, brushed stainless, brushed champagne and brushed bronze. Designers Hans Mutzke and Virginie Boucher planned the designs to seamlessly match when Metal-Art sheets are applied side-by-side and end-to-end.

The design for Axies, he notes, was inspired by the Beijing Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium.

Krog says Lamin-Art is small enough to develop custom materials for clients. Metal-Art designs come in 4’x10’ sheets, and are ideal for office, hospitality, retail, healthcare/assisted living and educational interiors.

“This breakthrough collection answers the call from interior designers and architects for new ideas and materials,” says Hans Mutzke, Lamin-Art’s design director. Three of the five large-scale, dimensional patterns are:

Waves: A flowing surface reminiscent of the timeless fluidity of rippling water or the sensuality of undulating sand dunes.

Axis: Inspired by avant-garde angularity, proactive lines intersect and converge at all angles.

Striations: A dynamic surface of linear three-dimensionality offering an illusion of spontaneous movement.

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