[null, {"document_url": "http://sheilakim.com/3form-hint", "unformatted_src": "https://static1.squarespace.com/static/515f4ec4e4b0715db61a6eb8/t/5169a769e4b0f45e71c3c010/1365878633623/2012.10.3form.jpg", "src": "https://static1.squarespace.com/static/515f4ec4e4b0715db61a6eb8/t/5169a769e4b0f45e71c3c010/1365878633623/2012.10.3form.jpg", "alt_text": " Source: Contract magazine, October 2012 "}, null]

As we become more aware of how design can impact psyche and the healing process, manufacturers are staying ahead of the curve, introducing products that not only veer away from institutional, but also cross over into markets other than healthcare with ease. Case in point, 3form’s Varia Ecoresin line boasts design-savvy patterns, textures, and colors that one might encounter in a hospitality setting or high-end office, while possessing the high-performance attributes that are necessary in healthcare facilities. New to the series is Hint, a collection of six textures that offer a level of semi-privacy.

Just like all Varia Ecoresin products, Hint contains a minimum of 40 percent pre-consumer recycled material, is antimicrobial, and can be installed as sliding doors, partitions, lightbox panels, suspended walls, column wraps, transaction counters, and decorative ceiling elements. Hint includes Flow, a composition of curves, ripples, and waves; Rule (shown), a background of striations that vary in thickness and angle; Meadow, a field of abstracted grass; Spray, a motif depicting droplets on a surface; Spotted, a skin evoking the irregular markings of a cat in the wild; and Straight Up, another linear pattern but with variations in line segment lengths. For further customization, the patterns in Hint can be layered on a dual-sided relief panel.

“Not only does each texture stand alone as a great product, but the ability to combine the patterns in a single
panel opens up myriad possibilities,” says Jill Canales, senior vice president of marketing and design. “We know our clients love to put their own spin on our products, and Hint enables that freedom of creativity.”