Photographer: © Josh Cameron @ Feed Me Content

Orange (S027)

HIMACS

Looking for a material to test their creativity, Rycotewood College turned to HIMACS, a versatile and visually stunning solid surface material. With the help of James Latham Ltd, the sole HIMACS distributor in the UK, students were challenged to create storage designs that incorporated curves and vibrant colours as part of the 2022 students’ competition.

Over the course of a 10-week period, students worked with HIMACS and other materials to craft their unique designs. The winning entry, a cool and contemporary bar cabinet, featured a striking s-shaped curve that showcased the material's seamless joints and consistency.

Yuchen Liu, one of the joint winners, was impressed with HIMACS' ability to hold a better shape and surface definition than bent, laminated wood.
Yuchen’s cool and contemporary bar cabinet is a true celebration of HIMACS, using its bright orange tone complemented with stained European oak, to create a visually arresting piece of furniture.

What made his piece stand out for the judges was the originality in its use of HIMACS, and the way in which he had formed the surface to create a seamless s-shaped curve. This feature ran across the top of the cabinet before cascading down its side and tapering off to create a multi-level effect.

Yuchen comments, “The beauty of HIMACS is you can create invisible joints. To look at the surface, few would guess it had been formed from four separate pieces, and it was great to be able to apply the same woodworking skills for timber to a completely different material.”
This competition was a resounding success, inspiring and encouraging the students at Rycotewood College to push their creativity and design skills to the limit. The use of HIMACS provided a level of versatility and consistency that other materials simply cannot match, making it a popular choice for designers and architects in commercial, residential, and public space projects.

With the 2023 edition of this award scheme already in the works, it is clear that HIMACS, James Latham and Rycotewood College will continue to push the boundaries of storage design and beyond.