what material?

Could it be panels made of wood? Sometimes wooden panel looks like that.

 

Actually Mark's answer was pretty good given the question. Anyway, can you be a little more descriptive re: what it is you are looking for?

 

The middle one is real wood, strips of it glued together and finished on the outside. Same with the last one. Not sure how they construct something like that though. I'm sure they use whatever kind of exotic wood the home owner wants.

 

Are we talking about the pic with the wood covered surface to the right of all the switches on the wall?

Either way, an application like that is most likely a wood veneer or cabinet grade veneered plywood type application.

I don't do much with modern style homes/buildings, but IMO, while veneers are actually "real" wood, I don't consider veneer to be actual "real" wood if you know what I mean.

A sheet of veneer is a layer of wood ( a couple of mils thick) shaved off a log (similar to how paper towel comes off a roll)... it can then be applied to bacially a plywood sub-straight to produce cabinet grade plywood, or used in it's original sheet form and glued to curved, irregular, or overly large surfaces.

Lets say you were going to build a conference table... something like 6'x20'. You'd used a veneer. You'd make the table sub-straight out of a cheap and stable material like MDO, MDF, multi layer cross oriented plywoods, etc. Then use the veneer over the top since sheets of veneer are easier to produce and work with than dimesional lumber of the same dimesion. In essence it's real wood....

Veneers have been used for many if not hundreds of years in the furniture industry, boat building and the like and on very high end items...however, IMO (on a philosophical level) a veneer is not "wood"...it's a "wood veneer". I own several nice peices of furniture that are veneered in everything from birdseye maple, oak, cherry and mahogany.

For modern design applications of exotic woods...(ei expensive), it's a practical use of a limited resource.

 

I'm no engineer or woodworker but I don't think plywood will look good. I think you would need maple, oak, redwood, teak, or some other real wood. Plywood isn't going to look good stained, no matter which way you slice it.

 

I've always liked this style. If I had a garage on a lower level connected to a bonus room or something, I would replace the load-bearing 2x4s and drywall with a couple steel beams and then put glass walls around it. Try to incorporate a sleek looking car into a modern design. Maybe polish the concrete floor as well.

 

Faux finishing
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/lv_faux_finishing/0,2040,DIY_14109,00.html

"wood grain"
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/la_walls_floors/article/0,2041,DIY_13992_2269131,00.html

"paneling"
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/lv_faux_finishing/article/0,2041,DIY_14109_2278235,00.html

Minimalism
http://www.ehow.com/how_14674_decorate-living-room.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_14683_decorate-master-bedroom.html

Bauhaus-style furniture - Prices are fair
http://www.spacify.com/bedroom_in_stock-460-175.html

On the cheap? Copy the ^copycats^ - Like sex, glue - not just screwing - is the tie that binds.
For the price of retail furniture, you can build something with materials you select, and keep the tools.
If you decide to do something like this on the side, and write off items as business or a home/office expense, there's that angle, as well.

If a restaurant is getting rid of stuff kinda like the island sans the fancy finish - see if it's not banged up and if side can be recovered.

The French term in painting for "trick the eye" is "Trompe-l'œil" - that's what you're after if not paying exorbitant amounts for the originals.

and/or, go to Ikea - hell, even Big Lots has things which might fill the bill.

Go to your bookstore and pick up a copy of Metropolitan Home magazine. Always something interesting and relatively cheap in Modern Design.

 

Polycarb
Stainless steal
Brushed aluminum
Concrete

most raw materials

Antony

 

Obviously not local,

http://www.woodcraft.com/search/search.aspx?SH=A%3dveneer%7eB%3dveneer%7eD%3d24%7eK%3d4%7eL%3d1%7eM%3d4%7e&SI=73ee6179-1c3b-476a-afb1-27c06b323621&LAP=0&Action=3&Page=1

www.rockler.com has small sheets of veneers, nothing as big as 4'x8'

Look in your area for cabinet shops and places that sell high pressure laminattes, they will almost always have or have access to large sheets of veneers or even a good selection of cabinet grade plywood in different thicknesses.

I used to buy 24"X8' sheets of laminate right off the rack at Menards and home deopt. Haven't had a need for those in a long time, so I don't know if they still stock stff like that. They were also limited to Oak, Cherry and Mahogany IIRC.

 

the materials suggested by AnthonyR would give you a great look in your project. I also use carbon fiber for some customers, and together with brushed aluminum gives an outstanding and modern look.

 

if 'veneer' is OK, also consider 3M Di Noc, wrapped and glued. Same stuff used on station wagons in the '50's and later. A bit more 'hi-tech', and more choices now, but enables very light weight and good 'flatness' on the right substrate (mdf or...). Cheaper than 'real veneer' (which is v. thin wood).

 

Parklex or Prodema are an option for wood veneer panel systems...

Both manufacture interior and exterior grade spec products. I've used them on a couple projects (130 unit condo and 45 unti condo) and it's a nice product.

Typically comes in 4x8 sheets (measured in mm), and is a resin impregnated wood veneer panel.

www.parklex.com
www.prodema.com