Laminate Redux! Return of The Millennium Collection

What a find! Brendon’s new table, in situ in the kitchen of his “pint-sized apartment”. Courtesy of Brendon Frasier

In 1999 Wilsonart released The Millennium Collection of 22 off-beat, digitally printed laminates developed by 22 talented artists and designers from diverse fields. This collective spoke to the wide-range of possibilities that could be produced through Wilsonart’s Custom Laminate division. Included in the mix were works by Christine Schultz, a tattoo artist, to the ultra urbane industrial designer Karim Rashid, to the popular ceramicist and style maven Jonathan Adler. The collection earned recognition from design media. It won the 1999 ICFF Editor’s Award for Body of Work, was featured in theCooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s 2002 exhibition SKIN: Surface, Substance and Design, and received The Chicago Athenaeum’s Good Design Award. Continue reading →

Jul 28

2010 Wilsonart Challenges… Winners

THE WINNER
ESIN ARSAN

Esin was born in 1985 and grew up in Ankara, Turkey. In 2001, she received a scholarship from the Italian Government to study at the United World College of the Adriatic in Trieste, Italy. After receiving her IB diploma from UWCAd, she returned back to Turkey in 2003.
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Nov 18

Laminate and the Environment

Rolls of paper used in the production of laminate

Is Laminate “green”. Can projects receive LEED credit for using it? JUST TAKE A LOOK!

The LEED Rating system sections that are applicable are the Materials & Resources; Recycled Content (MR Credit 4), Local/Regional Materials (MR Credit 5), Certified Wood (MR Credit 7), Indoor Environmental Quality; and Low-Emitting Materials (EQ Credit 4.1 and 4.4) Continue reading →

Oct 18

SWAG: “Stuff We All Get”

We all have that secret collection of “goodies” that we pick up along the way. The Spinneyback baseball from NeoCon. The awesome canvas bag from the ASID conference. In 50 years, the Wilsonart team has produced literally hundreds of trinkets that have now found their way into the Wilson House Museum.

1967 Keychain

Keychains: How to keep what is important close to you. Before there was a big ring worn on a belt, a key ring was a finger ring. Romans fashioned keys into rings which could be kept close at hand. The idea of a ring migrated to the waist where it enjoyed immense popularity by the 18th century in the form of a chatelaine or an ornament that was fastened to a belt on clipped onto a pocket. Continue reading →

Sep 18

Wilsonart Logos

Since it’s creation in 1956, Wilsonart has used several different logos as a way to represent the traditions and values of the company. From the “flying W” to artistic calligraphy to three notched reversed out W, the Wilsonart logos represent the past, present and future of our 50 year old company.

Logo used from 1956-1962

The original hyphenated Wilson-Art logo, used from 1956-1962, is derived from calligraphy to emphasize the design or “art” aspect of Wilson-Art designs. Continue reading →

Aug 18

1990s

Nebula Brochure

Ah, the 1990s. When America moved away from the cool austerity or neon excitement of the 1980s toward a richer, more old-world, prestigiously driven palette. Country club hunter green, deep nautical navy blue, and burgundy as deep as a Bordeaux became the norms. America entered a new age of opulence; in a strictly American style. This era saw the rise of Planet Hollywood, the boom of casinos and the emergence of Martha Stewart. And Wilsonart was there to provide new trends in surfacing, colors and materials. Continue reading →