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REPORT REPORT

WONDERWALL

California artist Mario Romano taps into the creative power of
Corian Solid Surface to reimagine the home with forms inspired by nature.
®

os Angeles is best known as the epicenter of the motion of his M.R. Walls is the ease with which the panels can be
picture industry. Yet the visual arts aren’t limited to installed on site, with pieces simply bonded together and affixed
Lthe silver screen in the land of Hollywood. This sunny to the drywall with a silicone adhesive.
stretch of America’s West Coast has seen artists the likes of John
Baldessari, Ed Ruscha and James Turrell use paint, photography Residential clients were drawn to the possibilities, commissioning
and light to make meaningful artwork. The latest to stake their his wall panels to jazz up their wet rooms and walk-in showers.
creative claim is Mario Romano, an artist and designer who Then there were those who opted to use the product more like a
specializes in the built environment, crafting multidimensional piece of art, asking for a standout wall in carved Corian® Solid
walls and exteriors in order to produce one-of-a-kind buildings Surface in a pattern that would dominant an entrance hall or
that leave observers in awe. living room and become a conversation piece.

Based in Santa Monica, Romano has carved out a niche with Using a proprietary software program, Romano can translate
his efforts to merge sculpture with architecture. Using CNC a design into a real-life pattern on the surface using CNC
machining technology and digital tools, he has pioneered ways to machinery, carving grooves as shallow as 2 millimeters. From
enhance the look and feel of homes. He’s developed a talent for off-the-shelf designs that mimic water bubbles to more abstract
cladding residences in facades with organic shapes and designs shapes that can be customized, the panels act like an expressive,
that turn heads. For a home in Venice, California, he envisioned multidimensional wallpaper. Given the wide range of colors in
a reflective aluminum roof that curves down into a series of the portfolio of Corian® Solid Surface, the only limit is the artist’s
overlapping ripples that mimic the strokes of a paintbrush. creativity when it comes to selecting a motif to match the home
interiors of his clients.
Indoors, he has pushed the design envelope even further with an
impressive collection of carved and textured walls that become “It’s pure aesthetics,” explains Romano. “Even corporate clients
key highlights of the interior decor. Known as M.R. Walls, these see the possibilities – we’ve had a biotech firm ask for M.R. Walls
decorative elements are fashioned out of Corian® Solid Surface to decorate their reception area and act as a centerpiece. Hotels
based on unique patterns that Romano has dreamed up. are now contacting us to liven up their bathrooms and lobbies.
We can customize designs for each guestroom without much of a
“I wanted to expand the design language and create a new difference in price using our technology.”
tiling that erases rectangular lines and grouting. With Corian®
Solid Surface you can erase the seams altogether and have this Recognizing the potential of this solution, Corian® Design has
wonderful continuity,” says Romano. Another impressive feature formed a partnership with Romano to introduce his line of M.R.

OPPOSITE: Artist Mario Romano poses with one of his wall art designs made with Corian® Solid Surface.

Corian® Design / ISSUE TWO 77