In 2001 Paul Kariouk moved from New York City to Ottawa and formed Kariouk Architects. A core value of the practice is that no work of real architecture comes from a formula but instead must be grounded in fluid, rigorous, incremental explorations informed by in-depth personal dialogue with their clients. Their philosophy is that any challenges that arise during the process are catalysts for design that is as sensible as it is unique.

When asked why he uses high pressure laminate on his projects, Paul Kariouk told us, “Whereas there are many synthetic “monolithic” surfaces out there, and new ones introduced all the time, HPL generally allows a greater range of color and texture combinations and more opportunities for customers as well as it permits detailing that does not break the budget. For example, in this project, an exposed baltic-ply edge that plays off the saturated color of the HPL. Unlike so many products that come on to the market (and then go…), HPL has over a half-century proven track record for performance. While HPL can be used in endless applications, obviously kitchens and bathrooms are among the areas where wear and tear is non-stop, and that’s where products like ABET LAMINATI are invaluable; my office makes “forever” homes for families and I’m not going to use products without that proven record.”

And as for why he chose ABET for the m.o.r.e. Cabin in particular, Paul explained, “ABET has an amazingly vibrant color range and this project took enormous design and structural risks — I was not going to have anything less daring for the interior.”