The wood slat panel has become the design signature of contemporary interiors — and the fastest-moving variable in that product is not the acoustics, which are proven, but the surface. Responding to distributor demand from hospitality and workplace projects, MST Acoustics has expanded its wood slat collection with additional veneer species, new smoked and dyed finishes, and a refreshed palette of PET felt backing colors.
What is new in the range
The expanded collection now covers the full tonal journey designers ask for:
- Light end: natural oak and pale ash remain the volume leaders — and are now joined by a whiter, Scandinavian-leaning ash variant for the region’s favorite look.
- Mid tones: teak and smoked oak bring warm amber-brown depth that photographs beautifully in restaurants and lounges, where mid-tone wood is the quiet-luxury default.
- Dark end: the walnut line is extended, and a true-black dyed veneer joins the blackened option that has become the signature of contemporary feature walls.
- Signature dyed colors: sage, terracotta and slate-grey dyed veneers answer the brand-color requests that arrive with every corporate and retail program.
Behind the slats, the acoustic PET backing palette is refreshed in step — because slat walls are specified as a system. New backing colors include deeper greys that disappear behind open slat layouts, and muted greens and blues that coordinate with current workplace palettes. Backing color matters more than buyers expect: in wide-gap layouts, the felt is a visible field between the slats, and matching it to the interior scheme is a real design decision.
Consistency: the part nobody photographs
Every veneer addition passes through the same discipline that governs the existing range. Veneer batches are tone-matched and sequenced; retained samples from every production lot are kept in the factory’s reference library; and reorder programs are produced against the customer’s original approved sample. For distributors running phased projects — lobby first, floors two and three six months later — batch consistency is the difference between a satisfied client and an argument over color. The expanded range changes what is available, not how carefully it is made.
Availability and sampling
The expanded range is in production now across the standard slat formats and thicknesses, with fire documentation (EN 13501-1 B-s1,d0 and ASTM E84) and ISO 354 absorption data unchanged across the finishes — the certificates describe the finished construction, veneer included. Distributors can order a refreshed sample fan covering the full veneer range, plus single-sample sets for showroom displays and customer mail-outs.
For private-label partners, the new finishes are available under OEM programs with the same MOQ structure as existing lines — including branded sample fans, so your brand launches the new colors at the same moment the factory does. Contact the MST sales team with your market’s priorities, and the sampling box will be on its way before the season’s design meetings begin.
Technical Details Behind the New Finishes
Every new veneer passes the same qualification routine before it enters the range. Bond strength testing confirms the veneer stays adhered to its PET substrate through temperature cycling; scratch and rub testing verifies the lacquer system survives cleaning and contact in commercial use; and fire testing of the finished slat assembly – veneer, adhesive, and felt together – establishes the classification that consultants will ask for. Colour measurement under standardized light sources creates the archived reference for each finish, so a re-order in three years matches the panel on your wall today. This is unglamorous work, and it is the reason the range grew slowly: finishes join the catalogue when they are documented, not when they photograph well.
The slat geometry options expanded alongside the finishes. The standard profile remains the workhorse for offices and retail, but deeper slats are now available in the darker veneers, giving feature walls in hospitality stronger shadow lines under angled lighting. Slating density can be varied within a panel run, allowing designers to transition from open to dense patterns across a single wall – an effect several European hospitality projects used this year to lead guests from social zones toward quieter spaces. All geometries share the same backing and fixing system, so a mixed-pattern installation remains a single trade’s work.
Sampling and Ordering the New Range
Physical sample sets for the expanded range ship from stock: the full veneer fan in one box, or single-finish A5 samples for projects already narrowed down. Distributors are encouraged to hold the fan set in their showroom – the tactile difference between matte and satin lacquer, and the grain depth of the darker veneers, decide more specifications than any photograph. Production lead times for the new finishes mirror the existing range, and mixed-finish orders carry no surcharge within standard batch sizes. For projects requiring custom stain matching to an architectural palette, the colour-matching service extends to veneer stains, with the same archive-sample discipline applied: matched once, reproducible indefinitely.
Key Takeaways
- Every finish is qualified on bond, wear, fire, and archived colour before entering the range.
- Deeper slats in dark veneers suit hospitality feature walls under angled lighting.
- Variable slat density within a run lets one wall guide guests from social to quiet zones.
- Sample fans ship from stock; custom stain matching carries the same archive discipline.
Distributors planning showroom updates should also note the merchandising angle the new range was designed for. The expanded finishes were selected so that a single fan set shows a coherent story – light to dark, matte to textured – rather than a scattered collection, which makes the self-serve selection conversation dramatically shorter. End clients who can move physically from a pale ash to a smoked walnut in one motion commit faster and with more confidence than those choosing from photographs. Several early adopters have arranged the fan set beside the slat sample panel in their showroom so the finish can be seen in its real geometry rather than flat; that pairing alone has reportedly closed colour decisions in a single visit. Sample sets for the full range ship free with any trade enquiry.
