Creative designer brings fresh furniture concepts to market with 3M graphic film
3M films represent vital enabler for custom decorative concept, reducing start-up costs, speeding up turnaround time and unleashing creative opportunities
Bracknell, UK, 29 November 2012 - Interior design start-up Couture Cases has debuted original furniture covers for radiators, console tables, TVs and mantel shelves in stunning creative designs, enabled by highly versatile graphic film from diversified technology company 3M.
Unveiling his designs at the Grand Designs Live event at the NEC Birmingham in October and most recently the Ideal Home Show at Christmas, 14-18 November at London’s Earls Court, Couture Cases designer Paul Johnson explained how 3M’s film allowed the company to bring an unusual creative concept to market with low start-up costs. “I had the idea for Couture Cases when seeking an alternative to traditional, plain radiator covers for a decorating project. Applying an image or texture using conventional materials or spray-painting is slow and can impose high business risks, production costs and selling prices.”
By wrapping with high-quality 3M film, Couture Cases is able to demonstrate an almost limitless range of styling ideas from colour combinations to laser-printed images from sources such as customers’ own photographs. Some designs also feature built-in illuminations that work with the digital graphics.
Couture Cases is now working with an artist who has an extensive range of paintings and images to choose from. It is also expanding its repertoire to include covers for other types of home appliances such as air conditioning units.
Considerable interest has already been received from commercial and retail clients who can see the potential opportunity in placing their company brand or logo, as well as products and imagery, on covers. The company is currently working with children’s nurseries, hairdressing chains, event organisers and car showrooms.
“We can work with customers anywhere in the country, and produce designs quickly using 3M’s network of authorised wrapping service providers. Our first orders have included a cover with a corporate logo, a set of covers including photographed driftwood and complementary single colours, and we are currently working with a client to produce a cover using their own image of a long held and cherished motor scooter. Customers love the opportunity to personalise their covers at a realistic price,” continued Paul Johnson.
Intense interest in the radiator covers during Grand Designs Live drove large numbers of visitors to the Couture Cases stand. Similarly, at the Ideal Home Show at Christmas, where Couture Cases launched new console table and TV covers, Paul Johnson received some exceptional feedback on the uniqueness and beauty of the covers from stand visitors, including interior designer celebrities.
Stuart Weir of 3M’s Commercial Graphics division added, “3M vinyl wraps allow designers to customise a tremendous variety of items, from home appliances to racing cars and commercial vans, without incurring the long lead times or high costs of conventional techniques and materials. By enabling Couture Cases to start with a small amount of capital, and produce professional items to test Paul Johnson’s design ideas in the market, our vinyl is showing its potential to help new ideas drive dynamic businesses.”
Couture Cases is using Controltac Graphic Film IJ180 and Controltac Graphic Film IJ380 from 3M. Both are extremely conformable, premium cast films featuring a grey pigmented, pressure-activated adhesive for easy, positionable installation. Furthermore, both have a temperature range of -60°C to +107°C so they can easily withstand the heat from radiators once applied.
For further information about 3M graphic films and Couture Cases, please visit www.3M.co.uk/graphicsolutions and www.couturecases.co.uk
3M and Controltac are trademarks of 3M Company
Beky Cann
Neesham Public Relations
Tel: 44 (0) 1296 628180
Email: bekyc@neesham.co.uk
About 3M
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Its culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better.
The $27 billion diversified technology company has, since 1902, been creating innovative products that help make the world healthier, safer and more productive. Well known 3M brands include Scotch, Post-it, Scotchgard, Thinsulate and Scotch-Brite.
3M employs some 80,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. The UK and Ireland is home to one of the largest 3M subsidiaries outside the USA, employing more than 3,500 people across 19 locations, including 10 manufacturing sites.
Products manufactured in the UK include coated abrasives, occupational health and environmental safety equipment, adhesive tapes, industrial microbiology products, drug delivery systems, high-performance coatings, secure documents and passport scanners.
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