REHAU polymeric surfaces are more versatile than ever in this anniversary year

A decade ago at interzum 2013, REHAU presented its vision for front boards to the furniture sector – an interpretation based on purist design, fresh looks and mesmerising materials. In the process, the edgeband specialist made another element of furniture components its own, true to the slogan ‘Discover a new dimension’. In the intervening years, instead of just following the designs of board manufacturers, REHAU has been developing its own collections for monolithic furniture items. Today, the REHAU Interior Solutions division is familiar to the furniture trade. The brand delivers exactly what furniture designers need to support their creativity process, combining high product quality in comprehensive decor collections with smart services – the ideal package when it comes to ‘Enabling exceptional design’.

For REHAU, the step from edgebands to surfaces was a logical progression in its development process, as Hans Peter Mehnert, head of REHAU’s Furniture Systems and Components subdivision, explains: “Replacing other materials with polymers to give products clever new properties and make processing easier is part of our DNA. Edgebands themselves call for a number of key prerequisites: you have to be familiar with materials and workflows in production and processing, and you require expertise in color fidelity, decorative adjustments and collection and quality management. We simply applied this expertise to our boards.” Know-how in carrier plate and laminate compression was also needed to arrive at a marketable product like RAUVISIO. REHAU invested a great deal of time in process technology to reach this point and produce a reproducible, true-color and distortion-proof board of the highest quality for the long term. Once the last essential step had been taken (namely, “producing the finished, laser-edged furniture item from a single mould”), the company was ready for a successful market launch at the interzum 2013 event.

Function and design in the spotlight

When considering its approach to RAUVISIO, REHAU kept in mind the processing businesses that it wanted to benefit from the clever characteristics of the new products. As well as functionality, the range would need to offer outstanding design. While following the designs of board manufacturers for the edging, the company succeeded in setting new benchmarks and trends for polymeric surfaces. The result was surface collections that are not only very easy to process and care for in everyday use but also look and feel good. Over the past 10 years, a lot of innovative ideas have come to light: customers now have a wealth of choices in terms of designs and functions across a whole range of applications and looks. “Our specialists monitor the international furniture markets and keep an eye on design-oriented sectors like automotive, fashion and cosmetics,” says Hans Peter Mehnert. With its ‘Passion for color’ trend collection, for example, REHAU consistently sets trends that reflect contemporary style for interiors. Product developments like the multi-award winning RAUVISIO crystal Deep Collection, with its subtle metallic gleam, have brought a breath of fresh air to the surface portfolio. From a sustainability viewpoint, REHAU introduced RAUVISIO eco.fino last year. All boards in this range consist of 98 percent recycled materials.

Design matches with other REHAU products

As a surface material, RAUVISIO has one very special advantage: design matching based on function, color and variety. As Hans Peter Mehnert says, “We transfer the surface not just to the edgeband but also to other front elements, such as roller shutters or plinth and sealing elements. Our holistic design scheme is a genuine USP for our clients. Anyone who has ever tried to combine different materials of the same color knows how difficult it is to find a perfect match. Our matching designs and collections make the purchasing process easier.”

After 10 years in the surfaces market, REHAU, the original edgeband specialist, has taken a successful first step into a whole new dimension. Now the journey continues with innovative and inspirational products, materials that are easy to process, sustainable solutions and convenient services.

Discover the RAUVISIO product range at: www.rehau.com/rauvisio