Digital prints 'strike' big with Bowlers: bowling alleys don't have to be boring anymore, thanks to customized digitally printed laminates. (FX Special Effects).

The overall design theme of Diversey River Bowl in Chicago, IL, may look retro, but specially made laminates give this bowling alley a decidedly futuristic feel. Gone are the drab bowling alley colors of the past, and in their place are rich, vivid colors so intense that they seem to pop out of the digitally printed laminate tabletops with excitement.

"When you look at traditional bowling center furniture it's really quite horrible," says Mark lverson, owner of Diversey River Bowl. He says he saw the old-fashioned plastic, molded furniture as a real problem for his patrons because it was not only boring to look at, but uncomfortable. The tables were at the wrong height, people walked in front of those who were bowling, and the traditional alley seating arrangement promoted anything but socialization amongst the bowlers.

As a way to liven up the atmosphere, Iverson says he chose to incorporate an impact design, one that would draw people to where he wanted them to be. He also asked the designers at Cathedral Inc. to design the furniture so it would encourage new friendships arid strengthen old ones.

A range of reds, blues and purples, shaded from almost transparent to solid, were used on the retro-shaped tabletop laminates that were digitally printed by Wilsonart.

"Putting one color next to another is no big deal, but shading a color like purple from light to dark in a range of two inches is really something. Some colors shade slowly and others more quickly. It was hard to do and really shows off what can be done with digital technology," says Iverson.

A Neo-Retro Look

Designer Geraldo DeOliveira of Cathedral Inc. says that he and his wife Roberta came up with the gradient design using the color scheme that Iverson wanted. The idea for the retro table shapes was conceived and achieved by emulating the curved shape that was prominent in 1950s furniture styles such as sofas and center tables.

"We wanted to give the top of the table a three-dimensional feel, so it would not be flat to the eye," says DeOliveira. "We wanted it totally personalized, something that no one else has. With the combination of gradient and geometrical shapes, we were able to give a little bit of depth to the tables. When you look at it, you have the impression that the letters (Rock-N-Bowl) are floating above the pattern itself."

However, the designers did not want the pieces to be solely design oriented. They also wanted people to feel comfortable, which is why they chose to make use of the socially flattering triangular and curvaceous shapes found on the alley and ball rack tables.

The design, created in Adobe Photoshop software, was sent to Gregory Bednar of Alpine Plywood Corp., Milwaukee, WI. As a Wilsonart distributor, he helped to coordinate all the fabrication aspects of the Diversey River Bowl Project.

As no white ink exists, says Bednar, Wilsonart's D354 Designer white phenolic backed paper was used so the lettering on the tabletops would remain white. The finish chosen for the laminate was Wilsonart's #90 Crystal finish, which has slightly more texture than a standard matte finish. The finish provides enhanced depth, beauty and durability to the digital laminate.

Fabricating Challenges

Because of the many challenges posed by such a design, Bednar optimized the submitted artwork for layout purposes. "Often times the artwork is not conducive to the layout of the casework, and it might have to be shrunk, stretched or made larger. Ultimately, I want to optimize the design on the laminate sheets," says Bednar who sent the final specs to Wilsonart in Temple, TX, where the digital laminate sheets were printed.

Riebau's Cabinets of Germantown, WI, machined 40 ball rack tables and more than 20 triangular tables for the Diversey River Bowl bowling center. The shop then laid up and edgebanded the special laminate, which in and of itself was not an easy feat because of the intricacy of the design.

"To get it to lay down perfectly was a challenge," says Bill Riebau, Commercial Project Manager. He says the tables' irregular shapes made it hard to pick a point in the laminate pattern that would not only look good, but would look centered. "If the prism was off center, it looked distorted. Likewise if the image was off center on just one table it would look like a misprint in the laminate," Riebau says.

Since the design was mirrored as lefts and rights for the ball rack tables, either an 'A' or a 'B' was imprinted on each side of the sheet as one way to help the fabricator differentiate the design during the lay up process.

Likewise, the prism design proved to be a challenge for Wilsonart to print because of the magnitude of inks required. Over-absorption of the base paper was a constant concern, because it could potentially make the paper hard to manipulate and handle.

One final step of the shop's fabrication process was the addition of a T-Mold bumper from Outwater Plastics. Riebau says it was used around the laminate to prevent chipping.

The end result of this collaboration is a premier state-of-the-art bowling center where people are encouraged to come in regularly and enjoy the ambiance of the alley's rock-n-bowl sound and light show while they bowl, eat, drink, socialize and be merry. The overall concepts and the design were a success, Bednar says adding that "the atmosphere at Diversey River Bowl is fun, vibrant and filled with excitement."

Editor's Note 

SPECIAL EFFECTS is a bimonthly feature celebrating the creative uses of decorative overlays, finishes, solid surfacing materials, hardware and other design-oriented materials. We invite readers to submit ideas for future Special Effects columns. Most importantly, we are interested in receiving leads that include high-quality photographs and notes about the projects depicted. Submissions can be sent to:

Lisa Whitcomb / Special Effects

Wood & Wood Product/CWB

400 Knightsbridge Parkway

P.O. Box 1400

Lincolnshire, IL 60069

E-mail: [e-mail]

RELATED ARTICLE: Project Notes

Designers:

Cathedral Inc.,

Chicago, IL

Fabricator:

Riebau's Cabinets

Germantown, WI

* www.riebau.com

Distributors:

Alpine Plywood

Milwaukee, WI

Key Source:

Wilsonart International

www.wilsonart.com

* Circle #350