In past posts, I have admitted that I’m a Libra, and, as such, prone to have difficulty making decisions. The balance part of the sign-at least for me-indicates nothing except obsessive weighing over. This includes getting the facts, performing excessive research (for anything, mind you, including products that might not have a large impact on my life, such as salt shakers), and thinking (a la Hamlet, as in, the thinking often leads to paralysis).

Savannah, resin art. Manufactured by Veritas.

What I haven’t admitted to is my demophobia-fear of crowds. Just the mere photo of the excited and varied architects and designers on the IIDEX, NeoCon Canada website is enough to make me shudder: what would happen if I spilled red wine of said lady’s scarf? Or if scarfed lady prevented me from crossing the room to get to the exit? So, for the moment, I’m pleased to write about it all-and by all, I mean the many wonderful exhibitors showing at the 2008 IIDEX, NeoCon Canada Exhibition and Conference in Toronto-from the comfort of my own home, at my own desk, in my own pajamas.

Back to the Libra thing. When a product comes along that offers seemingly countless options, I realize two things: 1) that the combinations give designers and architects a freedom they need and enjoy, a freedom that will open up their veins for the creative juices to flow unrestrained; and 2) that the aforementioned near limitlessness would make me crawl under or inside my Pinch bed. Hence, I will concentrate on point one. Veritas, who will be in attendance on September 25 and 26 at IIDEX, NeoCon Canada, makes a line of ResinArt panels (yes, Veritas too takes advantage of the capital letter in combination with the compound term). Veritas refers to their panels more Artfully as a Solution: “Veritas is committed to providing solutions that help architects and designers to translate their visions into reality.” And they’re telling it like it as (albeit in a language that deserves “wordy” in the margin).

Light fixtures, hotel lounge. Stipple, Artic.

Veritas’ ResinArt

panels are a build-your-own enthusiast’s dream. Composed of three parts, the panels are like a decision-making sandwich: texture, interlayer material, and color. To begin, you must pick a texture. Glossy, Matte, and Satin are easy enough, but the Light and Deep Texture options are great-everything from Stipple, Lava, and Metal to Tile, Rivet, and Seismic.

But there’s more. Step two involves the interlayer material, for which there exist 8 categories: None, Botanicals, Digital Print, Industrial, Paper and Films, Prints, Textiles, and Wood. None is easy with only one variant, said variant being zero. Perhaps you can imagine the Botanicals and the Wood-though I will say that the Botanicals collection will give you a landscape to match any, from African savannah to seaside reeds (it’s not your typical fare of leaves). Industrial includes Clear Net and Fishnet (yes, of the stocking variety-perfect for S&M houses, should you be hired to design one). Paper and Films has some good choices for the recording and communications industries with Magnetic (strips of cassette tape) and Zine (shredded magazine pages). Radio Magenta (boomerang shapes, very 50s) and Code Silver (computer code, very futuristic) adequately represent the many listings under Prints. Plaid and Ogee (as in the arch) can’t begin to describe Veritas’ Textures.

Ballroom (left). Columns (right). Custom Print, Gloss, PureColor Film installation at Hyatt Regency Chicago.

But wait, there’s more. If you call now, we’ll throw in Color: blues from Cyan to Lake, Reds from Rouge to Velvet, yellows from Squash to Cabana. The list goes on. And yet your options are not over-the final touch, part four actually of what I had prior described as a three-part process, is to choose the Back Finish (a redux of part one, really).

All of these choices may mean weeks of troubled dreams for me-dreams where I have textures floating in front of my eyes, the names of colors being whispered in my ear, each sounding more enticing than the next, ping pong games where the balls are glossy orbs that morph into satin ones-you get the picture. But for the more normal design population (read: most everyone else), Veritas ResinArt panels inspire a wide range of projects. From separating walls in a diner to lighted, geometric ceilings in a hotel ballroom, Veritas’ product offers solutions. I am already envisioning the Fish on Textile interlayer for my brother’s underwater photography studio and the Rubine Lancet for a bordello (a dying business but perhaps on a film set). What will you do with your ResinArt sandwich? Maybe sandwich is too pedestrian. How about Veritas Mille Feuille?