A Cincinnati restaurant coaxing character out of a cavernous shell, a D.C. university campus projecting prestige under daily institutional use, and a Texas esports facility demanding performance at full capacity around the clock. In each project, surface material selection was central to what the space could deliver, and all three arrived at the same specification: FENIX® Innovative Materials.
Developed through multilayer coating and next-generation acrylic resins cured with Electron Beam technology, FENIX® produces an ultra-matte, soft-touch surface that resists scratches, abrasion, heat, and fingerprints. Its nonporous exterior stays clean with basic care, is suitable for contact with food, and micro-scratches can be thermally healed — keeping the surface consistent over time across furniture, countertops, walls, and millwork.
“Luxury should hold up to everyday use,” says Meghan Howell, Design and Creative Director at Formica Group North America. “When a surface shows wear too quickly, it changes how a space feels. The material is designed to maintain its super-matte appearance over time, while providing the durability and cleanability needed in high-traffic commercial environments.”
Colour-Drenched Character
The design brief for Marigold, an English-Indian public house in downtown Cincinnati, called for a soulful, layered dining destination inspired by early 20th-century London. Housed inside a gutted department store shell with 19-foot ceilings and concrete block walls, the space required Nutter Group Design to build atmosphere from the ground up. Their strategy was to drench the space in a single material and colour: FENIX® NTM J0750 Verde Comodoro, applied across cabinetry, wait stations, countertops, and custom millwork with integrated LED lighting. Sherwin-Williams colour-matched the Verde Comodoro for surrounding walls, dissolving the line between painted surface and fabricated element.
The deep green tone and low-light reflectivity created what designer Vikki Nutter described as a “spatial hug,” a sense of enclosure that softened the room’s soaring volume and anchored the restaurant’s Arts and Crafts-inspired design identity. “The richness of the feel and look of FENIX® set the tone in creating an upscale dining experience,” she says. In a hospitality environment where surfaces face constant contact and cleaning, the material held its appearance across every guest-facing touchpoint.
Material Identity at The Chicago School
HED’s program for The Chicago School’s new Washington, D.C. campus called for a 21,000-square-foot environment that felt both aspirational and functional, a space that could project luxury while absorbing the demands of heavy daily institutional use. A two-story copper-accented stair anchors the space, linking a student coffee bar on the lower level with an IT help desk and collaboration zones above. For the main pantry and bar area, the design team selected FENIX® J0754 Blu Fes for cabinetry, a deep brand-appropriate blue chosen as much for its tactile softness as its colour depth.
“FENIX® is unique in that its texture is so soft—it gives a sense of luxury,” says designer Rebecca Swanner of HED. The material’s low-light reflectivity allowed the team to achieve a consistent, calm visual register across the space, while its anti-fingerprint surface and thermal healing capability addressed the practical realities of a high-traffic campus environment. “This was a highly successful project, well received by faculty, students, and visitors,” Swanner notes. “The success was also due in large part to the amazing materials specified and the supportive reps that helped ensure finishes arrived on time and on budget.”
Full-Capacity Finish at Comet’s LANding
SmithGroup’s 17,000-square-foot addition to the University of Texas at Dallas student union brought together 80-plus PC gaming stations, console lounges, a multi-use event venue, and an outdoor lawn. Completed in February 2025 and recognized with an ASID award in the Commercial Unique Space category, the Comet’s LANding Esports Facility was designed to feel contemporary and cohesive under conditions that would test any finish: constant food and beverage use, heavy student traffic, and screens, projectors, and LED lighting throughout.
The design team specified FENIX® J0720 Nero Ingo in both 12mm and 1.2mm formats with matched colour core, fabricated by MGC Inc. into custom millwork across gaming station desks, the main reception desk, a TV wall and partition in the gaming lounge, and the dining bar. The ultra-matte, low-reflectivity surface reduced glare across workstations packed with monitors and LEDs, while the anti-fingerprint finish kept surfaces looking clean despite constant use. “We use FENIX often in our projects because it has a high-end, clean, contemporary appearance,” says Kenda Draper, Interior Designer at SmithGroup. “The durability is a plus in the type of heavily trafficked spaces we design.”
Completed in 2025, the three projects differ in program but converge in FENIX®, a surface that remains consistent under pressure.
This content was published by Azure on behalf of Formica Group North America.
Lead image: FENIX® J0720 Nero Ingo. Courtesy of Formica Group North America. Photo Credit: Ryan Dyer and Ripcord Content Studios.
FENIX® Innovative Materials Support Demanding Interiors
Across hospitality, education, and esports, three high-traffic interiors turn to a single surface solution that balances durability, tactility, and a distinctly low-glare finish.