What comes to mind when you think of Italian design? Expertly tailored leather goods, sleek cars, finely crafted furnishings and, now, high-performance laminates. With FENIX, the hallmarks of the nation’s rich design history — timelessness, sophistication and quality — are imbued in a versatile series of durable surfaces.

First launched in 2013 by Arpa Industriale, the innovative collection is now available on the Canadian market for architects, interior designers and consumers alike. Thanks to the pioneering surfacing brand Formica Corporation — who will not only manufacture but distribute the line — these smart and sophisticated coverings are set to bring Italian craftsmanship north of the 49th parallel.

With 27 refined colourways across three lines — ranging from soft pastels and rich neutrals to punchy tones and even metallic looks — FENIX is suitable for a wide range of vertical and horizontal applications. The collection is also available in up to 152-by-366-centimetre sheets and in four thicknesses (0.7 millimetres up to 12 millimetres), making it as adaptable as it is striking. These features allow the product to easily combine with other materials — wood, glass, metal, stone and more — to striking effects in residential and commercial projects, especially in high-traffic healthcare and hospitality environments. 

In Milan’s Carlo e Camilla in Duomo restaurant, for instance, designer Gio Tirotto leveraged FENIX’s surfaces for a number of the space’s furnishings as well as interior features. Tirotto fitted the moody environment with tables made of FENIX, including a sprawling 11-metre-long communal table clad in the matte Grigio Antrim and surrounded by stepped, amphitheatre-like seating. Elsewhere, the rich black Nero Ingo was used as a boiserie due to its low light reflectivity to give the luxurious eatery its intimate ambiance.

Alongside aesthetics, FENIX also provides unparalleled resilience and performance. The product is composed of next-generation acrylic resins that are hardened through an Electronic Beam Curing process and later finished with a multilayer coating, together helping to achieve its distinct soft touch and opaque appearance as well as its anti-fingerprint properties. This process also ensures that each surface is resistant to scratches, heat, mould and abrasion while remaining easy to clean without risk of damage from acid-based solvents or household products.

FENIX can further be used for a host of applications that require its unique technical and visual precision. The material provides an excellent finish for furniture aimed at servicing bustling communal spaces, while also functioning as the perfect choice to wrap custom millwork, cupboards and more for commercial and industrial kitchens. It can even add a high-design feel to mundane lavatory stalls.

From countertops to cabinetry, furniture to fit outs, FENIX brings almost a decade’s worth of design, performance and craft to any project. Get ready Canada, there’s a taste of Italy on the way.

This content was published by Azure on behalf of FENIX.