Concept, color and creativity: INCubator companies transform design

3-D printed furniture created by Branch Technology
3-D printed furniture created by Branch Technology
photo Variable's Color Muse, a new digital mobile tool and app, allows users to scan and identify colors and then find matching palettes and products via the app. With technology far superior to the human eye, the device also scans a variety of textures.

What if you could design your dream home without the constraints of traditional construction? Or, imagine that you could find a match for any color you see in your daily life - to then use in decorating, artwork or even fashion choices. Think smaller: what if you could redesign a room in your home without multiple trips to the hardware store? Two INCubator companies make all of this possible. With their innovative technologies, both Variable Inc. and Branch Technology transform the world of design.

Variable Inc. takes the stress out of interior design with its latest product, Color Muse, a new digital mobile tool and app. Color Muse streamlines the design process, allowing users to scan and identify colors and then find matching palettes and products via the app. With technology far superior to the human eye, the device also scans a variety of textures.

John Kowalski, Variable Vice President of Marketing, says that until recently, the field of design saw little advancement in digitizing the process of choosing colors and textures for design. Now, thanks to Color Muse, interior designers no longer need fat binders full of swatches and samples.

HGTV aficionados and DIYers can rejoice too -Color Muse isn't exclusively for pros. During informal research, Variable found that those using its product were able to cut their trips to the store for paint and other supplies in half-from an average of five to six trips to an average of two to three trips. No more buying paint or other products in the wrong color-saving time, money and, most importantly, your sanity.

Also an INCubator company, Branch Technology, revolutionizes design by reimagining the way we build. Using the world's largest freeform 3-D printer, Branch creates matrixes with its patented Cellular Fabrication process. These structures can then be used to create interior decorative walls, elements, ceilings and non-loadbearing interior partitions.

Branch will build the world's first 3-D printed house in Chattanooga. The company sourced design ideas for its Freeform Home Design Challenge from around the globe, inviting participants to design a single-family home that "rethinks traditional aesthetics, ergonomics, construction, building systems and structure from the bottom up." Chicago-based WATG Urban Architecture designed the winning concept, "Curve Appeal," with open, light-filled interiors. Imagine an exterior skin resembling a natural rock formation. Construction begins in 2017.

Besides building new structures, Branch also creates what goes into them. This summer, Branch celebrated one year in Chattanooga by launching a line of 3-D printed furniture. From tables to lounge chairs, Branch's 3-D printing technology changes the way we think about and experience design.

With their unique technologies, Variable and Branch can help you build, furnish and design your next project.

For those finishing touches, check out other INCubator companies and graduates, such as Rustic House for candles that smell amazing and match your design, and Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, which designs, installs and services outdoor lighting components.

* Visit chattanoogachamber.com/incubator to learn more.

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