Formica Tabletops From the '50s

Lamination Innovation

• The Formica Corporation was launched in 1913 with a single goal: making insulation material for electrical equipment. Engineers had invented a unique laminate process: coating fabric threads with resin before weaving it into textiles, then slitting the cloth lengthwise and curing it to produce an innovative and strong laminate. The Formica engineer who came up with the idea and oversaw the patent approval process was paid one dollar for his work. Since the mineral “mica” had been used to insulate electrical products until that point, the company named their version “Formica.”

Formica Diversity

• Companies found myriad uses for Formica laminates throughout the 1920s. Carmakers used it for gears, homes were insulated with Formica sheets, and printers used it for rotogravure printing. Scottish designers were the first to come up with a decorative use for Formica when they lined the walls of the Queen Mary cruise liner with it in 1937. A year later, the American Cyanamid Company (ACC) produced a more sophisticated laminate that could be molded and colored, but with World War II looming, Formica didn’t pay too much attention to the competitor. They were too busy making airplane propellers and bomb-burster tubes.

Prioritizing Decorative Formica

• Once the war ended, the Formica Corporation began focusing on decorative surfaces at last. Sheets of uniquely patterned tabletop material began spinning off production lines at the company’s Ohio plant. Rather than compete with ACC and their proprietary color and molding innovations, Formica simply acquired the company, at which point designers created and debuted a palette of six patterns and 10 colors in 1949. Full-scale production started in the early 1950s with two types of tabletops: standard and cigarette-proof.

Iconic Patterns

• Patterns designed by early Formica product developers include linen and wood, plus splashy free-form graphics resembling yellow, white, pink, red and turquoise amoeba floating across black and white backgrounds. Homemakers snapped up “Glitter,” “Cracked Ice” and “Pompeii” tables in yellow, red and silver. Formica didn’t ignore conservative homemakers in the company’s rush to grab market share: A full line of matte-finish tabletops in marigold, sea foam, flame and other muted colors sold well throughout the decade.

More Designer Touches

• Formica hired a big-name firm to push the design envelope further. Raymond Loewy Associates upped the color and pattern ante by recoloring popular Skylark, Pearl and Linen patterns and adding exotic new themes like Sunrise, Calypso and Milano, a faux marble in pink, gray, black and yellow that was wildly popular by 1958. Eager to capitalize on the brand’s name recognition, Formica cut a deal with the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroads, installing Skylark and Linen Formica panels in all Hiawatha Line sleeping cars, lounges and tabletops as 1960 loomed.