SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—3form, a design-driven materials solutions company known for its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and craftsmanship, announces the introduction of Pearlescent, a new decorative textile interlayer for Varia, the company’s formable translucent resin material. Defined by a soft, pearl-like shimmer and subtle shifts in color, Pearlescent brings depth, movement, and a luminous quality to architectural surfaces.
Available in six standard colorways, White, Lemon, Petal, Midnight, Surf, and Sea, Pearlescent pairs a white iridescent textile with 3form color film on either side. Designed to capture and reflect passing light, the material creates a visual effect that evolves as the viewer, lighting conditions, or viewing angle changes, while maintaining Varia’s translucency and ability to support visual privacy.
“Pearlescent is really about creating an experience with light and color that changes as you move through a space,” said Ryan Smith, Chief Creative Officer at 3form. “There’s a softness to the shimmer that gives the material presence without overwhelming its surroundings. It allows designers to introduce something expressive and dynamic while still feeling highly considered architecturally.”
Designed to Respond to Light & Movement
Pearlescent responds to both natural and artificial light, allowing its color and visual depth to shift throughout the day. The woven textile catches and reflects light subtly rather than creating a highly reflective finish, giving architectural surfaces a sense of dimension without visually overpowering the surrounding space.
The material can be specified for wall and select ceiling applications, partitions, doors, and reception areas and is especially relevant for workplace, hospitality, retail, healthcare, education, and other commercial interiors. Its combination of translucency, color, and visual movement gives designers a way to create an expressive focal point while supporting light transmission and varying levels of visual privacy.
A Curated Palette with Room for Customization
Pearlescent’s six standard colorways range from lighter, softer tones to deeper, more saturated hues, allowing the material to take on different characteristics depending on the surrounding palette and lighting conditions. Beyond the standard offering, the pearlescent textile can be paired with additional films from 3form’s broader color portfolio, giving designers further flexibility to coordinate the effect with project-specific palettes, branding, and design concepts.
Pairing the textile interlayer with 3form color film was central to the development of Pearlescent, allowing its shimmer and light-responsive qualities to be expressed through multiple colors while leaving room for more customized combinations.
Flexible Specification Through Varia
Encapsulating the woven textile within Varia brings depth and softness to a durable architectural surface while providing designers with the specification flexibility of the broader material platform. Pearlescent is available in Varia gauges ranging from 1/8 inch to 1 inch, with panel sizes up to 48 x 120 inches, supporting a variety of interior applications.
Varia also supports 3form’s broader sustainability and material transparency efforts, with product declarations and documentation that can help projects pursue standards including LEED v4.1, Living Building Challenge, and WELL Building Certification. Available resources include a Type III EPD, Declare Label, SCS Indoor Air Quality certification, and additional sustainability documentation.
With Pearlescent, 3form continues to expand the expressive possibilities of its material portfolio, giving designers another way to shape interiors through color, texture, translucency, and light. To learn more about Pearlescent and 3form, visit 3-form.com.
