The history of ornamentation reaches back to prehistoric times. Down through the ages, men have decorated, enhanced and customised everyday objects and devices. Colours, graphic designs, materials and techniques are all signs of their time and reveal the desires of their creators- and also of their clients.

From simple decorations painted on earthenware in Asia Minor to the 3D thermal sublimation on composite materials, a multitude of different techniques have been developed that allow ornamentalists to show their creative skills.

These craftsmen have painted, sculpted, engraved and inlaid all kinds of materials including wood, metal and stone. Certain materials that have become rare or outdated have been replaced by other, more modern ones. Resins and bamboo have thus taken the place of horn or brass in marquetry. Yet the discovery of new processes and materials that allow improbable decorative effects now make some astonishing designs possible. Engraving can now be done under the surface, into the very material itself, by concentrating several laser beams on a sheet of glass. Active and reactive agents can be inlaid into the object so that it comes alive, changing its colour and shape.

New ornamentation technologies and materials of this kind open up new creative possibilities in a difficult environment; for, if we are not careful, all products the world over will look alike.
This Innovation Newsletter presents these technologies and materials in a series of detailed technical reports.

Jean-Marc Barbier
Manager of the VICA Team

The Industrie show, the largest industrial trade fair in France, was held in Lyons this year from 10th to 13th March. There were more than 1,000 exhibitors who presented production equipment, products and subcontracting services.
 

Held from 24th to 26th March, this international show specialising in composites was a great success. The exhibition attracted a lot of designers and engineers as well as a large number of users of such products. Renewable energy, wind power, space, construction and bio-composites for a wide range of different uses were all on show. Despite a worrying global economic climate, a large number of innovative projects are in development in the composites sector. 1,065 international companies took part in this event (75% from outside France), which covered an area of 46,500 m2, and it attracted 25,500 visitors from 96 countries, 65% from abroad and 35% from France.
 

Judging by the absence of certain brands and the lower numbers of visitors to the two main trade fairs at the beginning of the year, the impact of the world economic crisis has been all the greater in our sector of activity because it is easier to postpone purchases here than in the food sector.
       

China has been affected by the current crisis, even though this has only brought its economic growth rate down to 7-8%. Most companies have seen their orders decrease by up to 30% due in particular their main client, the USA, being in recession. About a hundred companies have had to close down. As an immediate response to this situation, many manufacturers have lowered their prices by about 10%...
 

After several decades during which minimalism has dominated design, ornamentation is finally coming out of its purgatory. This is the consequence of free, creative inspiration and has been helped by the development of new technologies that are continually pushing back the boundaries of what is possible. As a differentiating and value-adding factor, it is proving increasingly popular with consumers- and they are more and more aware of it. Last but not least, in a global market France is entirely justified in using its historic expertise in matters of ornamentation and the decorative arts…
 

Located in Fontenay-sous-Bois, LEGRAND-SGM is an SME employing 10 people and specialised for over 70 years in impact surface treatment (sand-blasting, shot-blasting, and microball shot-blasting). The company invited us for a visit to show us all the possibilities these technologies offer.
 

Our aim is to make a space interesting, to work against the implacably static nature of interiors and make a wall come alive, a piece of furniture unstable or a lamp shake.
The Boulle school taught us to reconsider how know-how and techniques are used- especially in the cabinet-making profession.

www.oberflex.fr

In its custom-made range for cabinetmakers, Oberflex offers new panels developed together with the team at 5.5 designers.
The panels are made from a substrate bonded on one side with a balanced Oberflex® real wood laminate and counter-balanced on the other side. The custom-made panel is supplied entirely machined. There are several different finishes available including matt sandblasted, raised panels, natural gloss, and brushed, as well as combinations with panels from the Contrastes & Matières collections. The perforations are either round or oblong.
There are 5 collections - Climate, Skin, Plant, Seam, and Vibration - containing 5 product references each and a total of 25 perforations. Each collection is inspired by a particular environment such as representations of meteorological phenomena, skin (scales, fur, beauty spots, etc.)…

www.oracdecor.com

This is a range of semi-finished products, cornices, baseboards, and rigid or soft rosettes for all kinds of decorating into which lamps can be inserted. All Orac Decor products are made of Duropolymer®.
Orac products provide a sensible alternative to plaster decorations since they are light but not fragile, supple and very resilient, unbreakable, easy to install and resistant to UV.

www.translucides.fr

Translucides is a design agency founded by a French-Japanese couple, Jean-Michel Letellier and Miki Nakamura. They started out by designing Japanese paper, which they had the bright idea of protecting… They worked together on designs for shadow paper that could be included in glass or resin. Their designs are inspired by Japanese houses made out of paper that allow the sunlight to filter through. Both of them work on all stages from research to manufacturing, as well as on large construction projects (interior design of large private houses, public spaces, etc.)

www.bencore.it

Lightben-Plus is an ultra-light composite panel made by covering a transparent polycarbonate core arranged in cylindrical cells with a colourless transparent PETG skin with either a gloss or chrome finish.
The special structure of the product makes it partially transparent depending on the viewing angle, while the external sheets and the honeycomb make it possible to modulate the intensity and colour of the light. Due to its aesthetic properties and its lightness and rigidity, Lightben is widely used by interior architects and for furniture. The Lightben Plus panel is easy to cut and can be combined with standard accessories (profiles for edging, frames, doorknobs, and hinges).