# Resin-Encased Ascenders The Last Century Ladder Preserves a Time-Worn Item for Nostalgic Display By Amelia Roblin | Published 2014-03-11 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/last-century-ladder References: [nucleo.to](http://nucleo.to/site/souvenir-of-the-last-century-ladder/) [Antique items](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/no1-common) would last a great deal longer if they were to be treated like the Souvenir of the Last Century ladder. Studio Nucleo designer Piergiorgio Robino hoped to encapsulate such an item to prevent it from aging and deteriorating further, turning it into a museum-like relic with a tightly tailored display case. This [old wooden stepladder](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wooden-annex) bears the scuffs, scratches, marks and knicks of a well-used piece of equipment. The timber's finish has soften over time and the object is completely covered in flaws that tell stories and give it character. The roughened texture of the rungs is no longer tangible, but the eyes can discern the blemishes through the transparency of the [epoxy resin](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crafting-plastic). I wonder if this coating is sufficiently strong to make the Souvenir of the Last Century ladder useable. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.9/10 - Popularity: 38% | Activity: 10% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Resin-encased Antiques:** Preserving antique items with epoxy resin for display and protection invents new markets for preserving these objects. - **Museum-like Relics:** Leveraging the preservation technology for antiques beyond nostalgic displays for different industries interested in preserving historical artifacts like art, military artifacts, and more. - **Preserving Character Through Encapsulation:** Encapsulating historical objects with epoxy resin gives the ability to preserve the character of the object, giving new ways to preserve memories and nostalgia. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Art Preservation:** Epoxy resin can be used to protect and preserve historical artifacts like paintings, sculptures, and other vintage items. - **Military Artifact Preservation:** Preserving artifacts related to war like weapons, combat gears, and uniforms with epoxy resin gives a long-lasting solution to age and wear and also protecting its value. - **Vintage Clothing Preservation:** Preserving vintage clothing and textiles with epoxy resin can help to maintain their history and integrity. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Reimagined Traditional Library Ladders](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/step-by-step-ladder.md) - [Sculptural Experimental Artforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ladder-series.md) - [Time-Layered Wood Displays](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/age-of-wood.md) - [Climbing Rope-Crafted Furniture Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/entwined-objects.md) - [Resin Gravity Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-great-tree.md) - [Tree Sap-Binding Timber Furniture](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/salvage-and-sap.md) - [Reused Skyscraper Furniture Capsules](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aged-form-line.md) - [Resin Hardware Revivals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/meta-hardware.md) - [Plastic-Inspired Wooden Stools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plastic-translation-stool.md)