Innovation Nation: Design Going the Distance
Modern Modalities For decades, there has been an invisible wall between materials suitable for residential construction and materials suitable for commercial construction, said Phillip Thomas, founder and principal of Phillip Thomas Inc. in New York City. "In recent years, this wall has come tumbling down, as residential designers look for the sustainability and the cost effectiveness of materials most often found in commercial design, and as commercial designers look to up the ante and the luxury of their designs," Mr. Thomas said. Resins, for example, have made transformations recently that have rendered them as luxury materials to be used on all surfaces of the homes. "Gone are the days of the utilitarian connotations of resin, and in are the luxurious tones of the material," Mr. Thomas said. "We're seeing them used in a multitude of ways, from lighting ...