Corian®: 40 years, 40 Designers

above: David Rockwell's Golden Grain, made of Corian®

DuPont, the manufacturer of Corian, has marked the composite material’s 40th birthday by commissioning 40 designers to create products using the material.

Solid Surface Innovator Marks 40 Years of International Design Excellence

WILMINGTON, Del., May 15, 2007 - To mark its 40th anniversary and its continued leadership in innovative and contemporary design, DuPont™ Corian® presents the exhibition, “40 Years/40 Designers.” DuPont invited 40 multinational designers to create an original, functional ‘objet d’art’ for the table or desktop that reflects their imaginative vision and demonstrates the endless possibilities of Corian® .

After being unveiled at the 2007 Milan Salone del Mobile, the exhibition will be shown at Design Within Reach – Chelsea in New York City from May 19 – 31. Additionally, several of the objects will be showcased at the DuPont booth during the upcoming International Contemporary Furniture Fair® (ICFF), North America’s singular showcase for contemporary design May 19 – 22 at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Some of the featured designers include: Werner Aisslinger, the duo, Laura Aquili & Ergian Alberg, Harry Allen, Matali Crasset, Jeffrey Bernett, Christian Ghion, Arik Levy, Ximo Roca, David Rockwell, Martin Ryan, Katrina Olina Young.


above: Luca Casini's mirror fruit bowls made of Corian®

“Since the 1967 introduction of the solid surface category by DuPont, Corian® has earned trust and respect as a proven design material with an ever-increasing variety of innovative uses,” said Tom Powell, vice president and general manager – DuPont Building Innovations. “This exhibition demonstrates how Corian® enables designers to push the boundaries of how we use and see objects.”

“Our contribution to this exhibition merges fine craftsmanship with advanced technology to create a rich, yet subtle metallic wood grain pattern. The end result – Gold Grain tabletop objects and occasional tables – are a sophisticated and glamorous play on the natural and the manmade,” said David Rockwell, of the Rockwell Group. “Due to the Corian® high tech material and the organic feel of the decorative tabletop design, we were able to evoke both glamour and wit, mimicking nature with subtly glittering man-made materials.”


Above: Katrina Olina Young's Demons and Daises placemants made of Corian®

The genuinely functional objects highlight the inherent characteristics of Corian®, such as its formability, its expansive range of colors, and its ability to be routed, lighted and engraved. Non-porous Corian® is a high-performing, easy to clean, stain-resistant solid surface material that is durable and renewable. Scratches are easily removed without marring its beauty and uniformity of color. Available in over 140 colors, Corian® can be thermoformed or shaped into virtually any conceivable design, as well as sandblasted, routed, carved, laser-etched and backlit.


Above: Monika Kobiakov's desk set made of Corian®

DuPont Building Innovations is a strategic business unit of DuPont that manufactures and markets Corian® solid surfaces and Zodiaq® quartz surfaces. DuPont™ Corian® is a well-known global brand in the solid surface category.

DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.


above: Harry Allen's Tic Tac Toe, made of Corian®

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of DuPont™ Corian® solid surface material, DuPont has presented in Milan (April 18 to 23, at the new “Corian® Design – Milano Store” showroom of DuPont), “Corian®: 40 Years - 40 Designers”, a travelling exhibition consisting of new creations by 40 designers (individual professionals, design studios or design teams) from around the world. After having been exhibited in Milan, the exhibition will be moved to other locations in Europe and in the USA. A selection of these objects will be produced in limited edition and commercialized.

The 40 designers participating in “Corian®: 40 Years - 40 Designers” are:
01) Aquili Alberg, Italy
02) Arik Levy, France
03) Atrium (Anton Nadtochy & Vera Butko), Russia
04) Beat Karrer, Switzerland
05) Christian Ghion, France
06) Christine Van Gemert, The Netherlands
07) David Rockwell, USA
08) Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Austria
09) Demet Bilici, Turkey
10) Emma Lewis, UK
11) Francesco Draisci & Paolo D'Ippolito, UK
12) Gamze Güven, Turkey
13) Graft, Germany
14) Hans Schoonemeijer (HP Design), The Netherlands
15) Harry Allen, USA
16) Igor.MarQ arquitectos & Pedro Nuñez, Spain
17) Imogen Lawson, UK
18) India Mahdavi, France
19) Ingenhoven Architekten, Germany
20) Jeffrey Bernett, USA 21) John Sebastian, Denmark
22) Katrin Olina Young, Iceland 23) Luca Casini, Italy
24) Marie Garnier, France
25) Martin Ryan, UK
26) Matali Crasset, France
27) Matteo Ragni, Italy
28) Miguel Milá, Spain
29) Miriam Mirri, Italy
30) Monika Kobiakov, UK
31) Nils Kjeldsen, Denmark 32) Noé Duchafour-Lawrance, France
33) Nucleo (Piergiorgio Robino, Stefania Fersini), Italy 34) Piers Mansfield-Scadden, UK 35) Savinkin-Kuzmin project group (Poledesign), Russia 36) sieger design (Benedikt Sauerland), Germany
37) Tanju Ozelgin, Turkey
38) Werner Aisslinger, Germany
39) Ximo Roca, Spain
40) YES Architecture (Ruth Berktold), Germany

See all the work here.