Glass, Walls, Floors, Ceilings, and Doors
“Glass, Walls, Floors, Ceilings, and Doors” – it’s a good tagline, and not just for the catchy cadence. Where a lot of companies only provide finishes for glass or only for walls, MetWest takes a very holistic look at the space. You can create more with a greater variety of surfaces, using custom surface film, than you might think.
We encourage clients to take a look at the entire space rather than focusing in on a single wall or on just the windows. There’s a lot of options for clever design! This blog invites you take a look at the design opportunities each of these surfaces offer:
Glass
Our most beloved and versatile offer! We’ve got all sorts of glass films for your glass. Gradient films, frosted films, colorful films, patterned films. We have film to protect from sun and another to protect from graffiti. We even have window film that protects birds.
Many clients look at glass film as a primarily functional finish for their space. Simple frosted bands for privacy or solar and safety films for energy savings and property protection. But custom surface film for glass has a lot more to offer.
Our customization capabilities allows for endless options. Simple print and cut options make it easy to add your logo, match a color, or otherwise ensure the final install is personalized to your company. And for our ambitious clients, glass film installations can be a true work of art.
Walls
After glass film, wall coverings are our most popular product. In regards to materials, there are a lot of options for what to cover your walls with. Smooth or more textured options. Metallic wall coverings that shimmer in gold or silver. Even writable and magnetic wall coverings if you want to add functionality (and toss clunky whiteboards and corkboards). And because we are at our heart a print company, every one of these options can be specified as a custom surface film for your walls.
Many wall covering companies offer a selection of basically elevated wallpaper. A repeating pattern and/or texture to install in any size space. Certainly some beautiful offerings, but often on the understated and subtle side. And we can certainly install this type of look if it’s what you desire, but many of our clients come to us because they’re after a showstopper. Our specialty is custom printed wall murals, incorporating dramatic imagery. The size of wall covering lends itself perfectly to a statement installation in a space.
Floors
Floor graphics require some specialization due to how durable they need to be. They take quite a beating after all. Walked over all day, the wrong material gets scuffed or torn up quite quickly. When our clients have a floor graphic project, we have an extremely durable custom surface film material designed to withstand demanding commercial use.
The unusual perspective offers some interesting opportunities. We are typically looking straight ahead at large imagery – a painting on a wall, an ad on a billboard. Rarely do we look down with much attention. Graphics that take into an account this top view can create a really interesting experience. Examples include floor graphics that mimic the top view of a river or stone pathway. And if your design allows for a certain degree of playfulness, optical illusions pair nicely with custom floor graphics. Again, the unusual perspective comes in handy here, making it easy to play with your perception of depth.
Ceilings
Ceilings are often ignored, which is a real shame, because what an opportunity! They offer both a massive canvas and thus a massive impact. It is rare to see a ceiling utilized fully, well at least besides outside of Baroque palaces and the Sistine Chapel. But this rareness does mean that ceiling installs are especially memorable.
Because of their rarity, one might think a ceiling is incredibly specialized or complicated. Not so. Ceiling graphics can be added using the same custom surface film materials and install techniques as a standard wall covering. Plus a couple of ladders.
Now that you know ceiling graphics are on the table, what about design? Although they are created using the same material, ceiling graphics require a slightly different strategy than wall graphics. It is best to limit the complexity in this application. No one wants to strain their neck staring up trying to understand what you’ve placed above them. Instead of detailed graphics and typography commonly found on wall imagery, focus on thoughtful color and pattern use. Simple and bold to create a dramatic effect at first sight.
Doors
As a relatively small area (at least compared to full walls or glass offices) – doors can get overlooked when it comes to final design touches. But they by virtue of being walked through constantly, they naturally draw a lot of focus, so why settle for standard?
Doors are a wonderful application for DiNoc Film. DiNoc is architectural film which mimics the look and texture of other materials. The effect is extremely convincing. Available in a huge variety of looks to imitate woods, metals, stones, and more, DiNoc custom surface film is an easy way to upgrade a standard plywood door.
Custom cut vinyl is also a great choice for doors. Simple cut lettering or numbers are very popular with our clients, offering an easy way to provide clear wayfinding in a building. Although these are the most common vinyl application for doors, colorful graphics or logos can also be easily added the same way.
*AND
Why does the conjunction of “Glass, Walls, Floors, Ceilings and Doors” get its own blog section? The beauty of so many options for so many different surfaces is how the variety of installs can work together seamlessly. The colorful glass graphic that continues onto the adjacent door. Or the sprawling imagery that reaches from the ceiling down a wall to spill out onto the floor.
Incorporating multiple surfaces creates a truly dynamic and exciting experience. With MetWest, there’s no need to limit yourself to either or – embrace the “and” and let your creative vision run wild with our custom surface films!
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