MUST-HAVE: New Products From Wilsonart's 2016 Collection!

It's always fun seeing Danny Seo do a presentation at KBIS.

He's super engaging and fun to watch, especially when talking about a product that I love and use: Wilsonart.

Coming from a commercial design background, I'm very familiar with laminate. We used it on all kinds of surfaces for durability in public spaces, on cabinetry, counters, special wall surfaces, benches, toilet room stalls, etc. There are so many creative ways to use laminate.

I even have my own plastic laminate carpenter now, who builds all kinds of amazing things with plastic laminate. He did all the table tops and countertops in my Honey Bee Ham project with my Wilsonart selection: Graphite Nebula.

Read more: Before & After: A Honey Bee Ham Restaurant Goes From Tired & Dated To Fresh & Delicious!

I have used Wilsonart laminate all over my design studio: on my desks, cabinet countertops, all of which is super durable and handles all the chunks of marble, wood pieces, tile samples, etc. that we lay on it during our work day. I used the color, Mission Sage, for it's warm, dark, neutral qualities. I wanted a dramatic backdrop for all the palettes we work with.

Carla Aston's design studio | Photographer: Milo Dvorscak

After seeing all the displays at KBIS2016, I am inspired to use more Wilsonart products for my projects. Their SOLICOR product is a specialty laminate created with solid color core that eliminates the "brown line" of traditional laminates.

They have some beautiful quartz products that are perfect for kitchens and bathrooms. They introduced four new colorways -- Grey Lake was my fave. The displays were really inspiring to see.

Everyone knows laminate was popular in the 50s, with vintage modern design. Wilsonart has partnered with bloggers Pam Kueber and Kate Battle of RetroRenovation.com to so perfectly create the Boomerang pattern for this style. We met these bloggers and saw how thrilled they were to be partnered with Wilsonart for the intro of this new product.

Their wood-look laminates are so realistic, and they have such a broad selection of looks: everything from a rustic, reclaimed look, to an exotic wood. That dogwash station was made entirely of Wilsonart products, with their metal laminate on the shelving, wood-look laminate on the back wall, and solid surface product as the countertop and sink.

As we all know, these days customization is king. Wilsonart has a custom design program that has me itching to try.

Take a look at some of the customized looks they've helped create -- there's a school, a public library, and even the USC locker room.

Wilsonart custom designed laminate for a library - Photo via Wilsonart

Wilsonart custom designed laminate for the USC locker room | Photo via Wilsonart

Wilsonart custom designed laminate for a school | Photo via Wilsonart

*Wilsonart is a sponsor of Modenus BlogTour's Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS). All opinions contained within this article are those of Carla Aston of DESIGNED w/ Carla Aston and have not been influened by any of the aforementioned parties.