Wilsonart - A Marriage of Material with Creative Applications

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With Hadley Court’s Texas roots, we always enjoy seeing Texas companies do great things in the world of design. So it was delightful to see one of Leslie Hendrix Wood’s #BlogTourVegas sponsors, Texas-based Wilsonart, one of the leading international manufacturers of laminate surfaces for countertops and walls, receive accolades at the recent Kitchen & Bath Industry tradeshow, #KBIS2015 for its innovations in new and creative applications for surfacing materials.

And although this is a sponsored post, Leslie frequently specifies Wilsonart’s durable, family friendly surface materials for her interior design clients in Midland, Texas and we hope you enjoy learning more about this Temple, Texas headquartered company in today’s post.

Wilsonart won Second Place in the #KBIS2015 Innovation Booth Awards – their visualizer tool was a big hit, seen below:

and Wilsonart’s new quartz finish won 3rd place out of hundreds of entries in the “Best of KBIS People’s Choice Awards”

The two photos below show some of the innovations Wilsonart was recognized for – like their wall surface displays in their new quartz finish that is transparent so it can be backlit – and their innovative shelf and storage solutions. Who doesn’t appreciate more ways to de-clutter our homes, especially in high-use rooms like the kitchen and bath!

What do you think of this innovative bookcase/display/organizing solution for wall surfaces?

Wilsonart’s recent accolades come in a line of many recognitions for product innovation since the company was founded in Temple, Texas by Ralph Wilson in 1956. A few of its most recent innovations include its new Virtual Design Library of 150 custom laminate designs, its Spa Styling line of waterproof panels for wet surfaces and its Wilsonart Coordinated Surfaces program, an easy way to specify decorative surfaces that are the perfect match in design, finish and texture.

We’re especially impressed with how Wilsonart is creatively investing in the next generation of design talent with its Wilsonart Challenge, a student design competition that invites design students to create chairs celebrating the richness of laminate surfacing materials. Wilsonart provides each participating school with a grant and unlimited supply of laminate for experimentation. Here’s this year’s winner of the 10th Annual Wilsonart Design Challenge, Jenny Trieu of the University of Houston, with her “Infinite” Mid-Century Modern chair.

But far and away the big news for Wilsonart at #KBIS2015 was its introduction of the company’s first-ever Quartz Collection, 50 decorative surface designs inspired by a sense of discovery with designs named for locations and cultures from as far away as the Gobi desert and for native peoples of the Americas, Australia and Southeast Asia. A pretty neutral in this line is BADALING, shown below.

Most often compared to granite, quartz provides the high quality look of stone without its inconsistent patterns for those who appreciate symmetry in design. Quartz is also hard, durable and heat and scratch-resistant and doesn’t require polishing or sealing like granite.

It is amazing to think how transformative decorative surfaces can be in our homes, resorts, hotels and businesses. Enjoy a few ideas from these room designs that include Wilsonart surfaces and let us know in the comments which one is YOUR favorite.