Quality Inside – Made in Europe
Europe’s trend surfaces

Oak still dominant – As in the past, oak will continue to dominate in the decor world – of that the decor printer Schattdecor (Germany) is certain. In addition, other woods such as chestnut, hickory and elm are getting a chance. The focus is on the natural and authentic expression of the decors. Rustic decors that have big cracks, knotholes and extreme defects are still in demand. The “Catania Eiche” decor from Schattdecor is a natural-looking oak reproduction with rustic details.

Concrete is the trend – At the Impress Group (Germany), the producer of wood-based material surfaces for the furniture and flooring industries, concrete is the trend. The material itself or imitations of it can be found in shades of colour ranging from light grey to anthracite on furniture fronts, countertops, walls, doors or floors. “Cement” by Impress makes an authentic impression with its distinctive look and the feel of fine sand: mélanges of brown run through the different grey regions in a striking way, matt areas alternate with shiny ones in the surface structure, bubbles and scratches create a fine three-dimensionality. At Impress, the decor is part of the trend theme “I’M inspired by Urban Spirit”.

Alpine larch – Wood, stone, concrete and steel: for its “Six Pack 2018” – six selected decors for furniture surfaces and interior decoration – the international decor printer Interprint (Germany) is focusing on a wide range of materials. They include “Artisan Oak” with the old wood character of oak, “Hansen”, a light wood in Nordic style, “Aurora”, a steel panel that is produced by means of a cold-roll method and shows traces of the sanding process, “Garbo”, a walnut interpretation of a fruitwood, “Grid”, a mix of materials with the look of concrete and stone as well as “Delios”, an old larch from the Alpine area that is shown here. Smoked, rough, cracked and planked. Treatment with white oil produces a special colour effect. The influences of nature and craftsmanship create a recognition factor.

Metal and concrete – According to the surface specialist Surteco (Germany), two topics cannot be ignored: metal and stone. The decor printer has recently introduced the “Meton” surface – a creation made of metal and concrete, in which the nuances in colour and the corresponding feel determine the visual perception. “Meton” can present itself in different ways; as patinated metal or poured concrete, soft like velvet or puristically raw, plain matt or shimmering metallic, simply minimalistic or powerfully impressive. The “Meton” decor is very versatile, sometimes with the look of poured concrete and sometimes of shiny metal.

Inspired by limestone and textile surfaces – The producer of wooden composites, Swiss Krono (Switzerland), has created the “CamuStyle TX” surface structure. The rugged structure is inspired by limestone and textile surfaces and gives surfaces a vintage look.

Focusing on the genuine – Homapal (Germany), one of the world’s leading producers of special laminates, is focusing on “the genuine”: aluminium, copper, stainless steel, brass. For this purpose, the producer uses thinly rolled-out foils and presses them on a core of HPL. Some of the decors are even refined by employees by hand. So they offer a unique feel and an extraordinary look with their range of colours and distinctive shine – a combination that creates unmistakable designs.