Material and hardware solutions manufacturer 3form introduces the new Graphic Patterns Collection. The line includes a range of woodland graphics, from rows of trees to magnified leaves and age-old trunks. As designers continue to incorporate biophilic elements into commercial interiors, these patterns offer a modern, abstract take on nature while maintaining the intricacy that specifiers want.
As the 3form team reviewed the existing offerings, they welcomed the opportunity to create a collection with organic forms as the focus. “We recognized that this idea of biophilic touchpoints in our spaces is something that we are all looking for,” said Christian Darby, vice president of design at 3form.
The Heartwood pattern illustrates an abstract tree trunk. Designers can play with scale to change the look.
Based in Salt Lake City, UT, the 3form office is surrounded by a variety of landscapes, and as Darby explained, he didn’t have to look too far for inspiration — Pando the Tree — less than 200 miles from the company’s headquarters — is the largest organism on Earth. Above ground, Pando looks to be a grove of individual Aspen trees. Yet underground, everything is connected by a single and vast root system. It is a forest with a single tree.
For Darby, the story of Pando was one that immediately resonated with him, and he hopes it will strike a chord with others. “It’s such a compelling story, and the Pando is here, right in our backyard. There are thousands of trees but they are all connected. And as humans, that is what we are all clamoring for, that connection with nature. We want to be near it in some way.”
The Aspen is a distinctive tree, known for the coloring of its bark, but Darby said he examined other details, from the leaves to the cut of logs, to figure out how they could be incorporated in the three designs, Heartwood, Aspen, and Serotina.
Heartwood illustrates an abstract tree trunk, marked with thin, sharp lines inside an asymmetrical circle. When applied as a repeat pattern, it resembles irregular polka dots, while large-scale installations show the dynamic rings. “Heartwood is a view of the end of the logs, but it’s playful. We didn’t want it to be a literal interpretation, so we didn’t use the typical wood tones. The color palette is a little bit higher contrast,” Darby noted.
Darby described Aspen as the “middle ground” pattern, which depicts rows of trees with texturized cutouts. From afar, it resembles an irregular pinstripe, but up close its eyelet bark shapes and varying trunk thicknesses reveal unexpected depth and complexity. “With Aspen, we wanted a closer tonality in color to help make the pattern more subtle, and just softened down,” Darby added.
Serotina is the most delicate of the trio, showcasing Black Cherry leaves in their simplest form. Rather than illustrating a standard leaf, Serotina selectively depicts veins and stems, allowing more natural light to pass through its negative space. “With the fine lines, and the skeletal shape of the leaves, Serotina has an elegance to it,” Darby said.
He also noted that while each pattern is different, the ability to play with the scale is the common thread, which is key to their versatility. Whether large or small, the patterns can transform rooms, and are suitable in corporate, healthcare, or hospitality environments. “In a small repeat, the patterns are understated and more sophisticated, perfect in a corporate setting. But then if they are scaled up, they can be fun in a high-energy startup environment. Because these patterns are more graphic, there’s a lot of flexibility for designers to go from bold statement looks to more refined styles.”
Even though there are only three options in the collection, Darby explained that less is definitely more with this core grouping, because of the strong tie to earth and the creative process itself, which 3form clients know well. “Pando the Tree started from a single seed, and design always starts with a little seed, too, and then it grows into something multifaceted and amazing. There are many parallels, and I think that’s what’s special about this collection.