April Pattern – 180fx® Laminate

Formica Group launched 180fx^® laminate in 2009 to bring the large-scale drama of exotic and expensive natural stone to everyday spaces.

In the early 2000s, North American kitchens were getting larger. The kitchen island was also becoming a more prevalent feature, functioning as a central gathering area. Homeowners began looking to materials like granite and other natural stones to create a luxurious, vast visual.

Formica Group wanted to capture these looks in laminate and took on the challenge of inventing a realistic, cost-effective alternative to these expensive surfaces. It was time to innovate.

Traditionally, laminate patterns are created using a step-and-repeat process, with designs that replicate every 18 to 30 inches. The team worked with our decorative paper printers to develop new scanning and printing technology that would allow designs to span the full width of a laminate sheet — with no pattern repeats.

180fx^® laminate was born, revolutionizing the industry with highly realistic, elegant and large-scale visuals of natural stone slabs and wood.

The collection was first launched in North America but quickly expanded across the globe and into commercial interiors. With 180fx^® laminate, homeowners and designers alike could bring the look of granite, marble and other costly natural stones into everyday spaces affordably.

Golden and Antique Mascarello, Blue Storm, Dolce Vita and Calacatta Marble were some of the early top sellers.

Learn more about 180fx^® Laminate in this video: