The aim of the project was to demonstrate how an existing building could be renovated to provide a new amenity space for commercial tenants. “The overarching goal was for the space to be an unexpected and inviting destination that would help attract tenants to the...
Woodgrains, warm and familiar, are a design staple. Far from lacquered 70’s wall paneling and cheap vinyl, advances in surfacing technology have allowed wood-like products to maintain their relevance while offering a plethora of new applications. Whether choosing or designing a custom surface, where does...
Specular won a Planet Positive Award in the Surfaces, Tiles, and Materials category. The award, by Metropolis Magazine, “recognizes the most creative projects and products from around the world that benefit people and planet.”...
Graphic. Symbolic. Dramatic. Ornate. The possibilities with patterned metal are nearly endless. When designing custom patterns, we love exploring the limits of what architectural metals can be and mean by reinterpreting familiar tones and textures – such as blackened steels, bronzes, rusts, and silvers –...
What elements of design impact the way metal surfaces receive light? Texture, gloss, and the panel profile itself. A lot of visual interest can be achieved via the shadow lines and glint created by corrugations as they interact with light, offering additional textures that will...
Custom interior finishes focus on the intersection between craft and design, breaking away from the banal to create something meaningful and beautiful. Because we experience interior spaces so intimately, color, texture, and gloss all play a significant role in our perception of rooms – relaxing,...
Often the unsung heroes of buildings, soffits are, at their core, a functional and critical building element. With so many materials available today, what should be considered when designing or choosing a soffit material? We developed four major considerations to help guide performance-based soffit design...
No longer just industrial or ornate, modern finishes are changing what was previously possible with interior metal cladding. Taking on modern interpretations of iron rust and white glazed terracotta with textured topcoats, Akoya and Serra represent this new future of metal. The materials were featured...
While we believe all metals are beautiful in their classical forms, Robert Venturi once said, “Blatant simplification means bland architecture.” Metal can be much more than rust, blackened steel, or stainless, stepping outside the normal metal color chart to offer super saturated colors that inspire...
Historically, building elements that transition from exterior to interior have been a pain point for designers. Soffits, walls, ceilings, canopies, and entryways have had their designs sacrificed in the name of performance, or vice-versa. Materials seem to focus on interior or exterior applications, but often...
