Lucite Lust

26Mar12

Who doesn’t lust for some Lucite in their life? In some form, it can work in any space providing sparkle and a sense of greater space. Although it has become quite costly, there are some pieces floating around that can be gotten for a reasonable price. We currently only have one Lucite piece left, a grand glass topped base that would be a great dining or entry table. We recently sold a huge Lucite coffee table that is still missed by all. I wondered about Lucite and researched to find the following plus a great deal of scientific stuff I didn’t understand. I pass onto you what I did learn.

Lucite is really one of the many names given to Poly methyl methacrylate or PMMA (I’ll stick with Lucite) and is a transparent thermoplastic. It was first developed in 1928 but did not reach the market until 1933 under the name Plexiglas as an alternative to glass. It is and has been used in literally tons of applications, from awards to tombstones, yes, tombstones (if you are interested you can find them at lucitetombstones.com).

Lucite became a large component in designs for the home during the 1960′s and 1970′s. Designs were either totally in Lucite or mixed with metals, glass, or leathers. It is extremely resilient but can be prone to surface scratches and therefore should be gently cleaned. Below are just a few examples of creative uses. pb