The Architect’s PIN Board – Homasote

As architects, we look at our pin board as one of the most important resources in our office to display ideas to our clients. Though, we use electronic “pin” boards such as Houzz “Ideabooks” to collaborate with clients when our meeting cannot be face to face, we do still find our Homasote pinboard visually beneficial for our in-house meetings. We love those clients that come in for their first meeting with us with a folder full of pages ripped out from various magazines. The fun begins as we start “pinning” up these images and getting a true sense of the design vision for their project.

In fact, we like this product so much, we are considering using Homasote on the walls in areas of our new headquarters in Westport. We have used PINnacle (Homesote’s finely sanded, soft-textured, formaldehyde-free tackboard) for some walls in previous projects. It is environmentally friendly as it is made of 100% recycled wood fiber. Its velvet finish works well with all types of design and display in commercial or residential projects. Can you see it as a backdrop to a home desk space or your child’s homework station?

The basic homasote board is made of cellulose and has been manufactured since 1916. It is a sound absorbing, self-healing pressed paper product that is available in 4’x8’ panels and ½” thickness. It is about as cost effective a tack surface as you’re likely to find at approximately $25 per sheet. It requires little or no additional finishing or edge treatment and locally you can source it from Torno Lumber in Westport, Rings End in Wilton or Home Depot in Fairfield.

Homasote possesses many of the desired elements that quantify “good” design: it is timeless, functional, useful and the PINnacle board looks really good. Whether we use it in the office to engage clients and draw design ideas, or whether we suggest it as a useful feature in their new home design, we hope our clients appreciate this product as much as we do.