Cover The Akustra acoustic panels are dressed in a tactile array of Arova laminates. Image: Wong Wei Liang
The Akustra acoustic panels are dressed in a tactile array of Arova laminates. Image: Wong Wei Liang
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Tatler Homes Singapore teams up with Arova and CutLab for a special installation to be showcased at the upcoming Tatler Homes Design Awards 2023
Sometimes, the most creative ideas arise from a mix of necessity and, of course, entrepreneurial gumption. This was the case for Eric Lim, director of local laminates brand Arova.
Lim saw the next business opportunity present itself when he observed that there weren’t many decorative options for acoustic panels in the local market. With hundreds of patterns and hues available in its product library, Lim felt that Arova laminates were the perfect way to extend the aesthetic appeal of these sound-dampening screens. Thus, he launched Akusträ, a sister acoustic-panel brand to Arova laminates, tapping on the synergies between the two labels.
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“Currently in the market, most of the acoustic panel designs are pretty straightforward and dull. We decided to tap into this niche market, where laminates can complement acoustic panels to create aesthetically pleasing designs,” says Lim. “The use of laminates also provides additional certificates like Green Label, Greenguard and antimicrobial [certification] for the acoustic panels, and elevates their look.”
To showcase these decorative possibilities, Arova and Akusträ have created a series of custom acoustic screens to be displayed at the upcoming Tatler Homes Design Awards - Singapore, which will be held on June 27 at the Pan Pacific Orchard. After the awards ceremony concludes, these Akusträ acoustic panels will be taken back to the Arova showroom to be repurposed as art installations.
In case you missed it: How Design Firms Architology Interiors and UPSTRS_ Turned Arova Laminates into Works of Art
Above These screens are clad in Supreme Lite Fusion Black Marble, Light Sauvignon Oak, Limestone and Sea Blue laminates respectively. Image: Wong Wei Liang
These screens are clad in Supreme Lite Fusion Black Marble, Light Sauvignon Oak, Limestone and Sea Blue laminates respectively. Image: Wong Wei Liang
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Created in collaboration with CutLab, these panels are fabricated with laser-cut geometric patterns that create shadow play, depending on the light sources in the room they are placed in. The perforated patterns on the panels feature geometric motifs that take inspiration from architectural design, such as cuboid and linear forms.
For this collaboration, the Tatler Homes Singapore team selected several laminate designs from the Arova laminates catalogue that show the wide breadth of colourways and patterns. A laminate in the matte Sea Blue finish incorporates a laser-cut herringbone pattern, while the Supreme Lite Fusion Black Marble and Light Sauvignon Oak laminate-clad screens feature more intricate geometric motifs. Last but not least, the Limestone laminate-clad panel incorporates a perforated dotted-line design that allows the original stone-like veins to stand out.
With the goal of seeking “out of the box” ideas, as this collaboration readily demonstrates, the Singaporean entrepreneur is not one to rest on his laurels. His newly minted acoustic panel brand will soon participate in the next Find - Design Fair Asia event, to be held in September at Marina Bay Sands.
As Lim proudly proclaims, there is much one can do with both laminates and acoustic panels. “We want to show the public how versatile laminates and acoustic panels are; the design possibilities have improved tremendously from two decades ago, and they come in a huge variety of choices.”
Credits
Photography: Wong Wei Liang
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