LOW RES MBR ISSUE 36

Malta Business Review
INTERIOR DECO
Beyond
the
surface….
Interview with
Kenneth Mallia –
Director at Seamless
By JP Abela
Kenneth Mallia - Director at Seamless
"basically if I can imagine and
draw something, chances are
solid surface can be used
to create it.”
As more and more of us engage with design
and try to push the boundaries of what
our homes can be, we are turning to some
exciting products and technologies to deliver
the perfect spaces we envisage. Anyone who
has looked into the huge range of options
for kitchen benchtops, for example, is likely
familiar with ‘solid surfaces’. If you don’t
know the term, you may know their brand
names, such as Hanex and HanStone – two
major brands in the local market supplied
by Seamless. At 29 years Kenneth Mallia is
the Director of Seamless who is steering the
Company from strength to strength.
Back in April 2008, when the business was
established little could one imagine that by
2017, Seamless was to become the leading
supplier of bespoke solid surfaces solutions
in Malta.
As a manufactured acrylic, Hanex come in
flat sheets of varying thickness and an array
of different colours. While originally used
largely in commercial projects – think hospital
counters, McDonald’s, banks – they now
present huge scope for innovative design
throughout homes and small-scale projects
alike.
In a traditional kitchen environment, there’s
plenty of room to use these products in
innovative ways. “If I feel the project calls for
solid surface, it doesn’t take much convincing.
Once a client appreciates they can have any
size and shape desired, without visible joints,
they’re instantly impressed and willing to
explore it. If a design would benefit from having
integrated sink bowls, coved splashbacks,
unusual shaped drop-downs or features, solid
surface is our only serious choice,” explains
Kenneth. Unlike other options, such as stone
or porcelain our surfaces get a uniformity of
appearance, providing bold, solid colours with
only imperceptible variations in texture and
shades.
Of course, the applications don’t stop in the
kitchen and bathroom, with the products
now finding their way into countless other
environments and in some pretty amazing
forms. “When we started manufacturing
we used [solid surface] for table and kitchen
tops and began using it for wall cladding
as well,” explains Kenneth who has made
everything from basins and bathtubs to bar
and restaurant counters using the man-made
material.
Solid surface applications seem to be limited
only by the creativity of the designer or
architect – and the budget, of course. They
also offer the ability to develop, not just
remarkable concepts, but truly long-lasting
design solutions. As Kenneth explains:
“Oversized designs, curves, engraving,
seamless finishes, total integration of bench
and splashback… basically if I can imagine and
draw something, chances are solid surface
can be used to create it.” MBR
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