unilin panels' master oak design out-performs the real wood equivalent

New Unilin Panels designs include the color-stable and textured matt Master Oak design – a decorative option the brand says is better than the real thing.

Unilin’s new carefully curated range includes 222 different designs. The color choice is honed to contemporary tastes, while matt textures become all important in the mix

It’s a bold claim, but Unilin Panels are undeterred in making it. One of the surface specialist’s newest decorative panels, Master Oak, is indistinguishable from its natural-world inspiration. In fact, since the durability of the oak-style HPL and Melamine surface pips the real wood equivalent, they dare to declare it better than nature’s work.

The decorative panels are melamine-faced MDF, with co-ordinating edge bands. It is durable, scratch resistant, colorfast and antibacterial. The core material might also carry color too

This season Unilin Panels is honing its decorative range, in a bid to present architects and interior professionals with a broad but carefully-curated collection of colors and textures that are not only high-performing but also consistent with modern tastes. ‘New trends require new designs,‘ says product manager Ann De Blanck. ‘We’ve kept 128 designs from our previous collection, and have added 94 new ones. Of those 94, 27 are a refresh of an existing design. With their new structure, they are now fully in line with the contemporary trend for matt finishes.‘ The five matt finishes of Master Oak – from Natural, to Double Fumed and Elegant Black – are joined by new scratch-resistant, color-stable lacquered MDF panels in a range of fresh shades and a new selection of soft-hued textile finishes.

Master Oak, in various shades, is a new design which has resulted from in-depth studies by the R and D department. It faithfully mimics natural oak, while offering superior durability

The depth of research and development that has gone into Master Oak is reflective of the attention to detail Unilin Panels bestow on all its designs. ‘Holding Master Oak in your hands you truly feel and see the oak,‘ says Caroline Van de Populiere, R&D Director. ‘That’s because of the subtle shifts in the product’s depth, sharpness and pores. It’s because of the play of colors; this varying intensity. And the matt surface.‘ The patented technologies used to create it don’t only seek to draw it in perfect line with nature, but add scratch and UV resistance to its properties – and that all important quality – ease of cleaning. Much as we love a natural finish, designing to last from natural waste is perhaps the best way of allowing nature to keep doing what it does best.

Guest feature by Emma Moore / Architonic