Award

Rugged Concrete 4033 from Ceasarstone. Wood wrapped ceiling system from Sound Solutions. Custom biofilter systems from Nedlaw Living Walls. DECEMBER 2017 | 27 WOOD WRAPPED CEILING PHOTOGRAPHY BY LISA LOGAN/COURTESY HUNTER DOUGLAS ARCHITECTURAL Walls & Ceilings W Walls and ceilings get the royal treatment thanks to smart finishes by STACEY MCLACHLAN Living On The Edge Walls and ceilings rarely get the attention they deserve, considering they are so vital to shaping a space. They surround us and protect us from the elements, and provide the foundation for so much opportunity for expressing our personal or architectural style. New innovations and materials, as well as techniques and finishes continue to advance resulting in a new genera- tion of drywalls, beams, acoustic panelling, surfacing and biofilters that are subtly making our homes and offices more comfortable and beautiful places to be. N E W F I N I S H E S Caesarstone's Rugged Concrete 4033 takes surface technology to the next level, thanks to some serious advancements that allow the finish to be applied to not just accent walls but also countertops, backsplashes and floors. "This is a breakthrough in quartz manufac- turing," says John Filomena, national marketing man- ager for Caesarstone Canada. "Our other surfaces are also brilliant in that they perfectly mimic natural mar- ble." The tactile finish and industrial look add a layer of texture and interest to a space, but they're also highly durable; Caesarstone even backs that up with a 100 percent non-porous lifestyle warranty. The concrete look is just one example of the trend towards embracing natural materials. "Rugged Concrete 4033 has received a lot of attention for its industrial look, with the rough-looking stone surface creating attrac- tive, zen-like bathrooms and kitchens," says Filomena. And for those looking for a wood look, new devel- opments in veneer application have made those types of finishes that much easier to apply, notes Ed Makarchuk, principal of Sound Solutions. "Companies have developed an amazing ability to laminate wood veneer to thin aluminum. It's something that has changed our industry dramatically. They're good quality and they're adhesive, and these companies are using incredible methods to apply veneer to thin alu- minum that are really impressive." Walls, of course, do not exist in a vacuum, and more often designers are exploring the way that different surface finishes can play with – and against – each other. "We are seeing that it's increasingly common to mix kitchen countertops and wall surfaces; people are becoming adventurous and combining different designs, colours and textures," notes Filomena. "The combinations to mix and match are endless. There are also more risks being made this year when it comes to patterned backsplashes." This newfound passion for bold colours and patterns inspired Caesarstone's latest additions to its Classico and Supernatural collections. Rugged Concrete is part of this nature-inspired suite, along with Montblanc 5043 and White Attica 5143, while the brand's Turbine Grey 6313 and Moorland Fog 6046 are two new designs that have been added to the romantic Granite series; combining natural esthetics with contemporary style. The rugged, rustic look extends to ceiling styles right now, too. "I would say the beam look is very pop- ular right now – parallel running linear beams or baf- fle-style products," says Makarchuk, who has been installing a high volume of Hunter Douglas beams in wood finishes. Trends, of course, aren't what every business is chasing. Ron Kent, sales manager for Envirowall, says that his company's core product lines stay pretty con- sistent year to year: "Our colours are pretty static because we have to bring in such huge amounts of vinyl." however, Kent adds he is seeing a growth in the amount of matching trims people are requesting. "That part has grown big time this year," says Kent. Otherwise, it's business as usual. Because even in this age of limitless customization, the simple classics are still a huge player in the marketplace. "A big part of our business is our ceiling tile business, which we don't talk about much," he says. "It's a clean room tile. It's not nec- essarily an architectural product, but at the same time it has to be used in every kitchen, and that business is a thriving and important part of what we do." The fire- rated tile is cleanable, washable and non-permeable, which explains why it really never goes out of style. And for a technology company like Nedlaw Living Walls, trends are hard to comment on because essen- tially every project is one-of-a-kind. "We're specifi- cally a biofilter company and our technology intends to solve the challenges of indoor air quality and high energy costs," says Randy Walden, president of Nedlaw Living Walls. "For the most part, our walls are each carefully designed for a particular space – considering the square footage we need to provide clean air for, the HVAC integration and so on. We don't introduce new products per se, mostly because our walls are modular and incredibly flexible in terms of design. Although, we have refined our system over the years and have yet to see an installed wall wear out." Nedlaw's systems combine biofiltration and phy- toremediation via a hydroponic plant wall that con- stantly circulates water and nutrients with a pump from a reservoir at the base. The essential components

• Cover