Manufacturer of mechanical surfaces Art Wilson marks its 70th anniversary this year, a perfect time to revisit Wilson Housethe residence and storefront built by company founder Ralph Wilson, Sr.
The Wilson House, located in Temple, Texas, where Wilsonart Americas is headquartered today, was designed by the visionary’s daughter, Bonnie. It was completed in 1959, a few years after he moved from California to the Lone Star State, and founded what was known as the Ralph Wilson Plastics Company.
The patriarch not only wanted a house to live in, but also a place where he could experiment with products and make adjustments on the spot. “The house has a lot of features that were ahead of their time,” says Kate Grossman, vice president of marketing and design at Wilsonart. “It’s a living piece of history, but it also tells the story of laminate and Wilsonart.”
The 3,000-square-foot, three-bedroom home combines ranch and mid-century modern style. Inside, Wilson made sure his signature hardware was everywhere, starting with the center of family life in the 1950s – the kitchen. The benches here are early examples of meta-forming, a process where laminate is bent and rolled to form continuous curves from top to side edge.
Laminates are found in the laundry room, the bathroom and, most amazingly, the shower. As Wilson tested different iterations, he regularly changed various elements such as cabinet doors. His wife Sunny and their children were the ideal users. They were in the high touch zones at all hours and could test endurance.
The house also highlights Wilson’s appreciation for bold colors. Not content with typical neutrals, he played with a full range of hues that complement modern palettes. A vibrant turquoise enlivens the cabinet doors and wall art in the living room, while a sunny orange hue pops on the counters and backsplash. Wood grain also appears, to add an organic feel to the open interior spaces.
Wilson House was regularly featured in advertisements and Wilson brought customers there to show off his latest creations, always a source of pride for the entrepreneur. Wilsonart bought the house from Sunny in 1997 and has since restored it to its original appearance. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is open to visitors by appointment.
This fresh look at Wilson House is sure to provide inspiration for specifiers today and offers a new perspective on this material for the masses. “Ralph was pushing it to its limits so that people could use it in different ways,” notes Grossman. “He believed in deep living spaces and felt that laminate and the house provided an opportunity to show that.”
To learn more about what the brand has to offer, visit wilsonartengineeredsurfaces.com.
Photo courtesy of Wilsonart.
