KBIS 2020

Renee Hytry Derrington
Group VP Design, International Design Lead
Formica Group


With more than 35 years in the international design industry, Renee Hytry Derrington has worked for Kohler Co. in product design and spent the last 30 years designing products for the world’s largest hard surfacing brands. She currently leads the international design team representing Asia, Europe, India and North America at Formica Group. Blending a practical approach with an acute understanding of market trends, Renee designs products that solve industry challenges to match a full range of design aesthetics. A brand zealot, she creates corporate trend forecasts and speaks internationally on residential and commercial trends. Renee has collaborated with other design experts in the field, including Abbott Miller, Jonathan Adler and Laurinda Spear to create unique laminate collections and worked with Zaha Hadid, Michael Graves and Massimo Vignelli (to name just a few) on a bespoke furniture exhibition. An integral part of the design community, she organized a premier collection with the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center (local to Formica Corporation’s headquarters). Renee has also collaborated with Pentagram on “Formica Forever,” a published commemorative book that capture the company’s 100-year evolution through cultural shifts, economic uncertainties, trend exploration and global growth. She created a global branding package for all Formica Group divisions to execute in 2013.

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