Multifamily Interiors: Materials Make All the Difference
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Editor’s Welcome to Material IQ
one chicago exterior, Image courtesy of jdl
Multifamily housing is beyond booming right now, and developers are carving out competitive advantages with higher quality cabinetry and millwork, and so many shared amenities that renters never have to leave the building.
I was incredibly fortunate to score interviews with Heather Elkins, the director of interior design for One Chicago – a game-changing development by JDL – and Brenda Radziwon, a true innovator in collaborative design and materials expertise from Quest Engineering, who manufactured the cabinetry for the project.
In a hurry? The top three takeaways:
Multifamily design is trending toward natural looks in materials for all demographics
Durable and anti-fingerprint surfaces keep units looking fresh for longer
Great design, amenities, and upgrades are key in competitive markets
And of course, we dig into the details of how to specify the materials mentioned in these stories.
Thank you to the sponsors who made this possible, Riken USA, SSI North America, Uniboard, Egger, Northern Contours, and Genesis Products; and to Heather and Brenda, both experts and thought leaders in great multifamily design.
We’re glad you’re here!
Kenn Busch, Editor, Content Architect
Want Your Multifamily Projects to Stand Out? Use Materials That Feel Contemporary, But Not Cold
Living and Kitchen area, 23 west Apartments at One chicago. image courtesy of JDL
One Chicago, in the buzzing River North area, has 812 units in its 76 floors, and tops out at 971 feet high. This is a big project by any standards, and it sets a new standard in a very competitive market.
“When we build multifamily apartments, we want to make sure it looks as good three years from now as when we installed it. At least as good as it can with normal wear and tear,” says Heather Elkins, director of interior design for JDL Development, a major force in Chicago’s competitive multifamily housing market.
“We always search for products that look great and can stand that test of time. Aesthetics are important because that helps us lease up projects faster. Our for-sale condo projects, they’re all about aesthetics. We approach apartments in the very same way, so we buy the best products for the best price that can give us a high-end look, with a feel similar to our condos. There might be a variation in the materials, but the aesthetic is very much the same.”
On the Timeless Side of Trends
Elkins says researching products and having great relationships with JDL’s manufacturing vendors helps her choose materials with twofold staying power – durability and design.
“A lot of times, we’re planning a building that’s going to be completed years from now. And that’s the trick, right? We want something that’s going to look as relevant in three years as it does today.
“So, I wouldn’t call our buildings ‘trendy’ – we don’t want [the design] to look dated in five years – but we certainly keep an eye on where things are headed.
“It’s a fine line between what’s ‘current’ and what’s trendy. We still want people to feel excited about moving in, so we try to keep it on the more transitional, timeless side of the [current] trends. There are some things we just don’t use because we know they will look out of date before they actually need to be replaced.”
Elkins says hardware is one element that has a considerable impact on the function, and aesthetics, of cabinetry design.
Galley Kitchen, 23 west lofts at One Chicago. image courtesy of JDL
“We’ve minimized this by using simple finger pulls, or no decorative hardware at all; using instead, a recess that allows you to open a drawer either from the top or from the bottom, or an overhang that you can grab from the bottom of the door or drawer. For harder-to-reach areas, like above the refrigerator, push-to-open touch latches are a great solution.”
Back to Natural
When it comes to materials and finishes, Elkins says JDL is always working to find the very best options that work with their budget.
“Woodgrain looks and natural feeling materials are everywhere right now, and we don’t see that fading any time soon. A few years ago, when everyone was doing grey cabinets, we went with slightly warmer greys, but now we’re looking at a lot more emphasis on woodgrains and wood-feeling textures. The market is leaning toward a more natural aesthetic than even a few years ago.
“Live plants, natural colors, woodgrains, and even stone looks, make our apartments feel very homey. We’re seeing positive responses to these palettes in the suburbs as well as downtown in the big city. I’d say it’s contemporary, but not cold. It’s a trend we’re seeing a lot of.”
Elkins delivers on these demands by balancing wood looks and natural tones in laminate flooring and cabinetry, without actually using real wood in most cases. It’s just too prone to wear and damage in most multifamily projects, and very few building owners have wood-repair specialists in their budgets.
Downsizing Kitchens
small footprint kitchen at 23 West Lofts. Image courtesy of JDL
In some urban projects, Elkins says JDL is working to minimize the footprint of the kitchens, especially in smaller apartments where kitchens can eat up a quarter of the floorplan.
“We would rather give that first square footage to the living room. People that live downtown are eating out more than they’re cooking, and they’re not just hanging out in their kitchen that much. So for this project, we’ve designed inset kitchens on a single wall of cabinetry and appliances, and it’s framed in by a two-inch millwork frame surfaced in 3D laminates. We also use 3DL for the ceiling of the kitchen space, with inset lighting.
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“For this project, North Union, we’ve put the island on wheels, so you can use it as a dining table, a desk, or a work table, so people can use their space as they want and not feel like they’re stuck in the kitchen. It also opens up the kitchen so they can have an actual dining table if they want.
Materials: Practical Performance with Natural Looks
To achieve the warm natural looks that renters want in cabinetry and millwork without sacrificing long-term durability, Elkins turns to a familiar pair of materials: TFL (thermally fused laminates) and 3DL (three-dimensional laminates). You can learn more about these materials below, but in brief:
3DL is a decorative thermoplastic overlay, usually PVC or PET, that is laminated to an MDF substrate carved or shaped to look like a solid wood raised panel or slim shaker door to create a seamless “3D” surface.
TFL is a decorative surface much like HPL, except that it is thermally fused directly to the faces of a particleboard or MDF substrate without glue, creating a decorative panel that often imitates wood veneer.
3DL and TFL both carry high-fidelity visual designs and textures and are often used in combination – 3DL on the face, TFL on the back – to give the effect of wood panels.
Real wood is a real problem in multifamily because it’s so easy to damage and so expensive to repair, complicating the maintenance required between move out and move in.
“The woodgrains we use in the TFL casework and 3DL doors, drawer fronts, and millwork are incredibly realistic,” says Elkins. “Part of this is because these materials have such great wood textures. People don’t realize that it’s not actually wood…that’s how good it is.”
These same materials in solid colors are durable upgrades from what used to be painted surfaces, with matte surfaces trending right now.
“The matte and anti-fingerprint finishes are amazing,” says Elkins. “They give you the feel of a soft lacquer, very luxurious, very high end.”
Primary bath, 23 West Apartments. Image courtesy of JDL
Key Partnerships
Every JDL project goes out to bid, of course. Quest Engineering in southern Wisconsin has built cabinetry and millwork for several JDL developments, including One Chicago.
“They’re amazing. Quest is one of those that we really work with hand-in-hand to get exactly the aesthetic that we want at the price we need. I consider what we do to be a higher design aesthetic, and with Quest, it’s very painless explaining what we’re looking for. We work together to get it exactly how we want it to look, and they deliver and produce products seamlessly. It’s been a great partnership.”
“Their designer, Brenda Radziwon (see story below), is really great at staying on top of what’s happening and trends. She helps us understand how these materials are used most effectively because that’s their world, solving problems for all of their clients, which makes them an excellent resource when we’re trying to balance design, durability, and of course, budgets.”
Going beyond cabinets and millwork, Elkins says natural-looking stone and quartz counter and island tops are attractive to tenants, along with laminate flooring in wood designs.
“The wood-based laminate flooring just looks more realistic than the LVT that you find in so many projects,” says Elkins. “Again, these help add to the natural, homey feeling that everyone wants right now, and we think, for some time to come.”
dining and kitchen area, 23 West Apartments. Image courtesy of jdl
Amenities and Upgrades Sell
In addition to warm, welcoming low-maintenance millwork and cabinetry, Elkins says the following extras and amenities give JDL projects like One Chicago an edge:
Millwork closet and storage systems reduce the furniture tenants need to buy.
Package rooms with the same attention to detail as apartment kitchens and closets – because some tenants will be grabbing their Amazon orders several times a week.
Pet spas and exercise areas, because even urban dwellers love their fur baby roommates.
Coworking areas and party rooms.
Grills on dedicated patios and decks.
Workout and fitness areas…even putting greens and golf simulators.
Coffee shops and restaurants with delivery to your apartment.
Grocery and other retail stores, right in the building.
“We definitely see every demographic responding to these amenities,” says Elkins. “With everything you have at One Chicago, you never really have to leave the building!”
lounge with golf simulator at one chicago. image courtesy jdl
Quest Engineering: One Chicago’s Cabinet Source
‘I know how to manipulate and work with materials they like, to get them to the price point and functionality they need.’
“There’s a lot of building going on right now, and we’re very, very busy with developers looking for ways to differentiate themselves in the market, to set themselves apart from a lot of tough competition for renters in every demographic.”
Brenda Radziwon knows the multifamily market better than most. She started her career as a residential kitchen and bath designer and now leads sales, marketing, and design for Quest Engineering, a producer of cabinetry and millwork for some of the largest and most successful multifamily developments in the Midwest – like JDL’s One Chicago project, profiled above – and as far east as New York.
“We see really well-thought-out amenity spaces attracting a lot of people, many of whom spent a lot of time at home over the last couple of years. Pet-friendly extras are really hot right now; dog-wash areas are something we haven’t been asked about until recently, but now they seem to be everywhere. Package rooms are getting bigger and more gorgeous because they’re part of the lobby now; coworking spaces are getting cooler; maker spaces are popping up, and it just goes on from there.
“We work with developers looking for great quality workmanship and materials, [who] want the edge they get from truly dynamic design.”
Kitchens are no longer the focus of the space
In addition to the growth of shared amenities, Brenda says apartment design is also evolving.
“Some of our developers are shifting the focus away from kitchens as the highlight of the space. They’re using smaller appliances where possible, and minimizing or hiding them behind panels and millwork so they look more built-in.
“In-unit desks and work areas were once sort of an afterthought in the kitchen and had disappeared, but they’re coming back as ‘work nooks,’ designed to accommodate everything you need to work from home.
“Closets and storage areas are getting more sophisticated. Overall, these spaces are becoming a lot more polished, very well thought out, and very well built.”
Quest’s Materials Edge: Slim Shaker in 3DL
Surface designs seem to be going in two directions at the moment, according to Radziwon.
“It’s one extreme to the other right now, which is kind of fascinating to me. We’re either seeing these really light natural, oaky woodgrains still, or we’re seeing very dark or black woodgrains.
Dark Casework in multifamily shared space event room. Image courtesy of Quest Engineering
“Either way, these woodgrains are being paired with matte-finish, solid-color TFL in warmer tones, often warmer greys. Designers are warming up these spaces, away from the cooler greys and whites, so they’re more inviting and a bit more neutral.
“Another area where we see a definite trend is in the use of 3D laminated cabinet doors and drawer fronts. ‘Slim shaker’ style doors work really well as a transitional look – not too traditional, not too contemporary – which is great for the older demographic moving to the big city. A lot of designers and developers are trending toward this look right now, and our 3DL lines are very busy producing these doors.”
Luxurious, Anti-Fingerprint Surfaces Keep Kitchens Fresh
In many residential and commercial markets, TFL and 3DL (see material details below) are used in combination to achieve an incredibly wide range of looks, from rustic to ultra-contemporary.
“Those two materials definitely make up our core palette, Brenda says. “We use a lot of TFL materials, much of it in a matte finish. The market has trended away from glossy finishes, which were usually in an acrylic laminate.
“And we’re getting a lot of interest in our PET laminates that have a lux matte texture. It’s a really nice luxurious look that doesn’t fingerprint. A lot of people like that, especially in multifamily, because it keeps the cabinets looking a little fresher, cleaner.”
Quest makes the most of the matching programs that allow Brenda to seamlessly blend 3DL and TFL surfaces for cabinet sides and fronts, meeting both performance and budget goals.
Slim shaker style vanity doors in anti-fingerprint matte finish. Image courtesy of Quest Engineering
Say it With Me: ‘Value Design’
The common way to refer to matching material performance to every surface in an application is “value engineering,” but Brenda has a better term.
“We like to call it value design. Everybody has a budget to keep. That’s where my background in residential design and knowing how kitchens lay out and function helps. I know how to manipulate and work with materials they like, to get them to the price point and functionality they need.
“Many developers are repeat clients of ours, and we often work hand-in-hand with architects on the layouts before they hit the ‘print’ button. This helps avoid switching around their MEPs [mechanical, equipment, plumbing systems] down the road. Hammering out kitchen layout and materials at the outset saves lots of headaches and costs later in the process.
Sourcing Materials from North America Saves Headaches, Cash
Another thing Brenda says avoids headaches and cost overruns: Quest only sources materials and components from North America. Over the last few years, this has been especially important, developers say, because when your cabinets are stuck on a boat waiting to get into port, projects can rack up $30,000 or more in costs…every single day of delay.
From Materials to Cabinets: Education Demystifies the Process
Quests’ palette of composite wood-based decorative products like TFL and 3DL are a significant advance in design, durability, and sustainability.
Particleboard and MDF are the only building materials that have been proven to be Climate Positive Now, because they store more naturally captured carbon than is released in their production and use.
Printed laminate decors provide the visuals and textures of fragile and rare wood species without requiring their harvest.
Painting, lacquering, and staining are more labor-intensive and produce more VOCs than laminates.
Durable engineered surfaces are much more durable than wood veneer or painted surfaces and much easier to keep clean with simple soap and water…a VERY important advantage for renters and building owners.
Up until just a few years ago, Brenda says few designers knew how much these materials could improve their projects.
“Speaking from experience, I know that designers had a hard time visualizing how to turn these materials into cabinets, so often – too often – they would revert back to painted or stained cabinetry, which is more expensive and less durable.
“Now, there’s a lot more education available. We’re certainly doing our fair share, working with designers, estimators, purchasing people, and owners.
The most important thing [designers] need to know is that companies like Quest are here to guide them, make sure they’re getting exactly what they expect, and to help them ‘wow’ renters with cabinetry that exceeds all expectations.”
Material Focus: TFL
Durable, Realistic Woodgrains
Also known as melamine decorative panels, TFM (thermally fused melamine)
TFL has grown in popularity in the last decade thanks to its incredibly realistic woodgrain designs and textures, but it’s also available in a wide range of solid colors. With durability comparable to HPL, it’s more efficient to manufacture and more cost effective.
In healthcare, TFL is often found on the reverse side of a 3DL surface on doors, drawers, millwork, nurse’s station worktops, and overbed tables.
You can dig much deeper into TFL in this Material Guide, but here’s what you need to know about using it in healthcare:
The durable surface is thermally fused to one or both faces of the particleboard or MDF core as the panel is manufactured.
Durable edgebanding is required to complete the panel for use in healthcare, except when the TFL panel is mated with a 3DL surface.
You can clean TFL just as rigorously as HPL.
TFL is one of the most Climate Positive decorative materials you can specify.
How to Specify TFL
TFL is commonly used in all kinds of OEM commercial furniture and millwork, so you’re probably already using it. But it’s important to be aware of its basic properties (see above) and to ensure your vendors are finishing the edges of flat panels (versus 3D laminated components) with high-quality edges for maximum durability.
TFL is also sold widely through distributors that can help you mate it with matching materials like 3DL.
Featured Suppliers of TFL
Uniboard Canada
Uniboard Canada produces raw composite wood panels, decorative TFL panels, and now HPL for the North American market. The company is working closely with the multifamily housing market to stay on top of long-term trends.
“To compete for higher rents and fill buildings faster, there has to be a ‘wow’ effect when people tour properties,” says Don Raymond, VP, Marketing and US Sales.
“Beautiful woods are one of those ‘wow’ materials in cabinets and millwork, but almost no one in multifamily has the budget to specify or maintain them. But we’ve learned that by focusing on the right details, we can ‘wow’ with cost-effective TFL.”
What details? Beautiful on-trend visuals, of course, combined with realistic wood textures perfectly synchronized to the woodgrain. Uniboard pioneered this technology over two decades ago, and new textures like Nobella and Brushed Elm represent its third generation: Uniboard’s Synchronized Collection, available in 21 colors, three textures, and a variety of thicknesses.
‘’The beauty of Nobella and Brushed Elm is that they can be used in various applications from kitchen cabinets, closets, and residential furniture, to store fixtures and office furniture,” Don explains. “They add an authentic and unique wood look, with all the natural advantages of TFL.”
Material Focus: Specifying 3D Laminates
Natural Woodgrains, Luxurious Solid Colors
Also known as: thermofoils, rigid thermofoils (RTF), decorative vinyls, vinyl foils
3D laminates are unique in that they can seamlessly surface five of six sides of a shaped MDF panel in a single processing step, creating a decorative face that resists damage, contamination, and moisture, and minimizes damage in multifamily cabinetry and millwork.
This unique combination of design flexibility and durability is why JDL Development and Quest Engineering are using 3DL in every project.
You can get a full rundown on 3DL in this Material Guide, but here is what matters for multifamily environments:
Designs include realistic woodgrains and textures, stones, solid colors, gloss and matte textures, and matches to complementary materials like TFL and HPL.
Seamless, void-free coverage facilitates ease of cleaning and minimizes voids that trap liquids and bacteria.
Easy to clean with simple soap-and-water solutions.
A less expensive alternative for painted doors.
PVC and PET options are available.
How to Specify 3DL
For designers, 3DL materials are usually specified on finished components with MDF cores. In other words, while you might select designs directly from the materials suppliers, you’ll actually buy the finished furniture components and millwork from 3DL laminators like Northern Contours (see below).
Often 3DL components are already engineered into cabinetry or millwork, so it’s essential to connect with those vendors to confirm all of their surfaces are compatible with your clients’ cleaning regiments.
Featured Suppliers of 3DL and 3DL Components
SSI
With 3DL materials from SSI, seeing is great, but feeling is believing.
“One thing we feel sets us apart is how impressed designers are when they actually get their hands on components samples made with our materials,” says SSI’s Greg O’Connell. “We’re proud of our on-trend woodgrains and solid colors, of course, but our textures are really something you have to experience ‘first-hand,’ so to speak.
“Our North American stock program has many different tactile surfaces on a large variety of designs and colorations. Designers tell us that seeing AND feeling a finished part really helps connect designers to the environment they are creating.”
SSI’s 3D Pentadecor laminate collection, from Klöckner Pentaplast, are a carefully curated for the North American market based on cutting-edge European trends.
“This collection’s super-matte surface leads the market with on-trend solid colors that rival painted surfaces,” Greg says, “and we’ve put a lot of R&D into perfecting natural looking woodgrain designs and textures by combining embossed ‘ticking’ with an ultra-smooth super matte.
Find out more about SSI’s collections here, and find design inspiration in their detailed Look Book.
RIKEN USA
Riken USA imports a range of 3DL materials from their manufacturing facilities in Japan, and specializes in high-quality materials and matching colors and designs for clients of all sizes.
You can find many examples of areas where 3DL can be used in multifamily projects — in kitchens, bathrooms, offices, and even closets. It’s important that the materials that go into high-traffic areas of the home can hold up against daily and prolonged use. Your desks and tabletops, cabinet doors, and closet drawers should be made with reliable and durable materials so that your home can continue to look like you just moved in.
“Anything you can draw or design can be made with 3DL,” says Mia McCaleb of Riken USA. “Designers need to know they have the flexibility to say, ‘This is what I want!’ and we will work with our laminating partners to figure out how to do it…at a lower cost, in terms of budget and sustainability, than most other options.”
See more examples of Riken’s 3DL in use here.
EGGER Wood Products
For cost-conscious architects, designers, and fabricators who refuse to compromise on quality and performance, EGGER’s Eurodekor TFL and laminates are the solution. A value engineering (VE) study conducted by EGGER Wood Products revealed that thermally fused laminate (TFL) offers material and labor cost savings of up to 36% compared to high pressure laminates and up to 79% versus wood veneers.
As a prefabricated, finished panel, TFL is ideal for low- to mid-traffic areas and vertical applications, while laminates are suited to high-traffic, horizontal, and curved or postformed applications. Both TFL and laminates are high quality, durable, versatile, fade- and scratch-resistant, and easy to clean.
EGGER also offers a comprehensive, one-stop solution for decorative surfaces. Its Decor Match System guarantees an ideal match in surface color and texture for TFL, laminates, and edge banding, allowing designers to carry the same finish from cabinets to countertops and more. Complementary 3D foils and mouldings are also available from select partner suppliers for the fabrication of doors.
EGGER’s wide range of decors includes woodgrain and material reproductions, including the company’s embossed-in-register (EIR) Feelwood decors, like Natural Halifax Oak (pictured), which are nearly indistinguishable from real wood. Incorporated into biophilic designs, Feelwood adds the warmth of wood, with greater durability and hygienic properties than nature’s version.
Northern Contours
Northern Contours was founded in 1992 to bring a European technology – “membrane pressing” of 3DL materials to make cost-effective cabinet doors – to America. Over the years, they’ve added mouldings, furniture parts, worktops, and other components for residential and commercial markets.
Now with four manufacturing facilities in the US and Canada, the company collaborates with manufacturers throughout North America and serves brands like Target, Walmart, and Buffalo Wild Wings, and outfits countless hotels, hospitals, and multifamily projects.
Despite its size, the company still loves to innovate, says National Sales Manager Tom Day.
“For clients that love contoured 3DL components and want an exact design match for casework and a TFL solution isn’t available, we can flat-laminate 3DL to MDF panels to help them hold their design spec. With about 400 designs in our inventory, this has proved to be a great service for some customers.
“And we’ve recently created a pressure-sensitive adhesive version of the same 3DL materials, that can be laminated on site, over existing surfacing materials.”
In addition to their catalog of 3DL surfaces and door and moulding profiles, the company also offers edgebanded flat-panel components and real wood veneers. Download their Design Guide to see more.