The desire to make Evola decorative panels ‘true to life’ sees the UNILIN product design team look to where it all begins: with the original.
Working from original materials is the key to the impressive authenticity of UNILIN Evola panels and the design studio is packed full of discoveries from the natural world, trade shows and even personal purchases set to inspire new decors in HPL and melamine-faced chipboard. Working from these original materials, the UNILIN design team begins a process of experimentation.
Ann De Blanck, Evola product manager, explains: “We need variation, so we start treating the genuine specimens; for example, adding a patina or saw marks to the decor. That is a job for the specialists, because it’s a very fine line between attractive authenticity and hopelessly overdone. Our ultimate goal is always very clear: if we put our Evola panel next to the real thing, we don’t want to be able to see a difference.
“That takes an awful lot of skill. By that, I mean that our team experiments and tries things out by hand, day in and day out. For example, when the ‘reclaimed trend’ was all the rage, we created a decor with cracks in the panel. We did that using a drum that we threw nails and screws into; as the drum turned, they made scratches in the decor. Yet another conscious choice and essential if you want to bring unique products to the market.”
This meticulous attention-to-detail sees UNILIN Evola panels beautifully replicate natural materials. From the deep grain and knots of Nordic Pine’s rustic texture to the subtle, super-matt surface of White Birch, each décor is a true to life recreation of original materials. This realism is not only down to the experimentation of the design team, but also through using production technology to develop surface structures synchronous with the design underneath.
“As well as an authentic look, the feel needs to be right too, and this has become more-so in recent years. That’s why we have specialised in developing surfaces where the structure follows the pattern beneath perfectly. This gives a realistic design, hardly distinguishable from solid wood or veneer. A realistic, budget-friendly and sustainable alternative for real material,” explains Ann.
The UNILIN Evola collection is available in an incredible 168 different looks available in HPL, melamine and edging tape. Promising life-like wood decors and authentic embossed textures in concrete and metallics, as well as plain; it is a well-rounded collection that brings beautiful authenticity in scratch and stain-resistant panels for commercial use.
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