CASE STUDY > GEORGINI JEWELLERY, SYDNEY

A JEWEL OF A PROJECT

Georgini jewellery fuses modern elegance with fashion forward design, an emphasis on monochrome and a focus on femininity – a style which must be reflected in their retail outlets. This is the second Georgini store and Emagine Design were tasked with ensuring that it was a true evolution of the first store in Westfield Sydney, incorporating the key design elements and minimalist look but with more display space.

A custom-made herringbone timber floor (not from Havwoods) had been incorporated in the first store and the client was keen to continue the concept; however, its performance meant that he was equally keen to explore new product options! “The Havwoods floor stood out. Firstly because of it colour and the fact that it was pre-finished; secondly for its stability and durability as an engineered product. This gave both the client and myself new confidence in the flooring section: he absolutely loves the floor and its colour and finish.”

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CASE STUDY > MARIMEKKO STORES, MELBOURNE

A SHOWCASE FOR SUMMER

Marimekko is the Finnish textile and clothing design company renowned for its original prints and use of vibrant colour. An art deco retail space in the centre of Sydney’s shopping precinct and Chapel Street, Melbourne were identified as ideal centres from which to launch the stores in Australia and Saturday Studio were entrusted with the design.

Global guidelines stipulate that Marimekko stores provide a neutral but beautiful backdrop to showcase the unique products on sale, with oak flooring as part of the brief. Havwoods Oak Cottage from the Europlank range was chosen for its durability, stability, finish and competitive pricing and was paired with Europlank Midi Oak Chalet Natural for wall panelling in Sydney and as soffit lining on the awning in Melbourne.

Australia has certainly adopted the concept – trading in the two stores placed them in Marimekko’s top five retail stores within two weeks of opening!

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CASE STUDY > INFINITI CARS, SYDNEY

JAPANESE LUXURY CAR BRAND MAKES ITS MARK IN AUSTRALIA

Infiniti cars are designed to achieve performance levels in excess of expectation, and Infinity centres are created to offer an equally impressive experience. Sydney’s Infiniti centre is the car company’s first showroom in Australia to comply with their exacting standards: architecturally stunning using contemporary materials to compliment the stylish features of the vehicles, with crisp colours and open spaces to provide a striking backdrop. Space was limited making the selection of luxurious yet durable materials even more vital.

The lounge area was required to feel private and inviting and this was achieved by lowering the ceiling and specifying dark timber flooring. In addition to providing a high level of finish the floor also has to withstand both the weight of a vehicle and a high volume of traffic. Furthermore, Graphos Architects wanted the same timber to be used on vertical surfaces; Java Brown from Europlank provided the optimum solution.

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CASE STUDY > GOLF COURSE, SYDNEY

EXPERIENCING THE ROUGH AND THE SMOOTH

Even where spikes aren’t allowed, a busy golf club floor takes a real hammering, so the rough, cross-sawn texture of Venture Plank Tiempo was an inspired choice here, particularly since its rustic appearance actually improves with age and use: its oiled surface and 6mm wear layer also make spot repairs a simple matter when damage becomes too great. The bright white of Europlank Polar White was selected for the walls, its matt lacquered surface providing a contrast with other walls of white, high gloss panels, whilst the warm, smoked hue of Venture Plank Fendi provides the perfect foil on structural features like the service desk. The result? A light, bright, airy space in which to relax after a good game of golf.

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CASE STUDY > GOURMET PIZZA, BONDI BEACH

PROVING SMALL SPACES DON'T HAVE TO BE BORING

Gourmet Pizza isn't any old pizza restaurant. Indeed, the clue is in the name. This is extra-special pizza, sold by the slice alongside beer and wine. Unfortunately, the premises were in a great location but nowhere near as exciting as the concept itself.

Tasked with creating a signature shop in a small and boring, box-like space, with no original character or features, the designer turned  this blank canvas into a space which works well as a takeaway but is also inviting enough to eat in. The original, closed shop front was opened up and a metal craftsman commissioned to produce a bespoke, tarnished stainless steel garage door-style opening.

Inside, by keeping the open plan kitchen decoratively dark it remains in the background whilst still being part of the shop, allowing the food to take pride of place under unusual, bespoke lighting. Round mosaic tiles in Canary Yellow on the shop floor echo the bright colours of the pizza, whilst the walls and floor are wrapped in timber to make it as warm and inviting as possible: "The timber was chosen for its grey colour, which works well with the contrasting colour scheme, and weathered appearance which works perfectly with the beachside location. The readymade matt finish was an appealing bonus."

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CASE STUDY > WAGAMAMA RESTAURANT, SOUTHBANK, MELBOURNE

ON A ROLL WITH WAGAMAMA

The international noodle chain Wagamama demand that each of their restaurants provides a unique dining experience whilst still maintaining the brand style. With three new Wagamama sites and three refurbishments to their credit, Borrell Design turned to contrasting colours, stone, stainless steel and lots of warm timber for their most recent project in Southbank.

All Wagamama restaurants feature an open layout so that customers can view the theatre of the kitchen. They must also incorporate an open, informal dining area, equally suitable for seating large parties as single diners, bold branding and signage and natural finishes. Due to its location the entrance of this particular site needed to make a particularly strong statement in order to attract customers, so Borrells chose to line the wall and ceiling with a Europlank board in oak with a satin lacquer. Random painted planks were incorporated to emphasise the striking diagonal design of the panelling. The waiting area was furnished with low oak tables with LED pendants and ottomans in the same signature Wagamama colour scheme, whilst the main dining area included communal tables made from solid Tasmanian oak and a slatted feature ceiling with acoustic lining to dampen the noise of a busy fast-food restaurant.

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CASE STUDY > HILTON HOTEL, BRISBANE

HOTEL’S FACELIFT MAKES A RETURN TO ITS ROOTS

The Hilton Hotel in Brisbane is Australia’s only hotel to have been designed by the iconic Austrian architect, Harry Seidler. So when the group approved a refurbishment expenditure in excess of $13m to celebrate the hotel’s silver anniversary, the brief was to create public spaces which could become part of the Brisbane social, business and cultural landscape and would sit more comfortably with Seidler’s aesthetic than had the previous design.

Landini Associates were tasked with redesigning the grill, bar, reception, business centre and main entrance areas, with less than ten months allocated for completing the project within the confines of a working hotel – always a challenge in itself. “We were looking to create a world class experience for the guests of the hotel by focusing on simplicity and longevity in everything we did, steering away from fashion for a classic solution that lasts, which is also in tune with Modernism and Seidler’s work”, said Mark Landini. “Our concept was to create a space that morphed as the day progressed from a ‘functional business machine’ for business people, through to a space for ‘working lunches’ and ‘intimate dinners’ for locals.” Indeed, the restaurant was a key of the refurbishment, accounting for $2m of the budget and intended to showcase Queensland’s world-class produce and culinary expertise. Features include an aged meat cabinet, extensive wine room and multiple private dining options; the floor is Havwoods Essentials Dark Carbonised Oak. “We wanted a hard-wearing, recessive but stylish floor that provided a strong but neutral base for the real show – the customers, wine and food.”

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CASE STUDY > STONED CROW, SYDNEY

Stoned Crow is a great name for a bar, particularly one situated in Crows Nest, a suburb on the Lower North shore of Sydney; but when it was refurbished a few years ago its ambience failed to live up to the quirky charm of its name. A new owner meant a new look and local interior designers Giant Design were tasked with bringing warmth, appeal and clientele back to the Stoned Crow on a limited budget.

The design concept focused around the name of the venue, which smacks of tropical seashores and craggy old seamen, but not wanting to risk a cliche the designers choose concrete breeze blocks as a contemporary method of bringing the outdoors inside, using them to create interesting walls and intimate spaces. Mixing the different patterns created really different random effects, although in practice the three standard shapes didn’t tessellate well together and required considerable planning as well as some licence in the grout joints!

Timber was used extensively throughout the project, featuring on walls and ceilings as well as the floor, with Havwoods’ Oak Legacy Brown from the Europlank range being chosen primarily for its warmth of colour and amazing texture.

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CASE STUDY > CONCRETE BLONDE, SYDNEY

Amongst the young and young-at-heart Concrete Blonde is Sydney’s brightest, ‘happening’ bar-restaurant. It is the place to see and be seen in, known for its cutting-edge style, relaxed DJ lounge music and acclaimed food. Designed by the award-winning team Dreamtime, to an open brief which gave them a free hand with everything from the name to the head chef, an existing concrete grid of structural beams supporting the multi-storey building above, together with exposed vertical hydraulic pipes, provided the impetus for a striking, industrial-focused interior.

The dramatic, theatrical open kitchen with its vast rotisserie and two equally impressive char-grills provide continual entertainment for diners. Other design focal points are a 9 metre long bar with truck piston bar-top lamps and rear wall of driftwood planks embedded with steel nails, a custom built mild steel fireplace and a glassed-in ‘floating’ wine cellar with suspended steel box shelving; a cartoon style mosaic and graffiti on some walls and ceilings inject an element of humour.

Timber was chosen for the chairs, table tops and flooring to warm the essentially steel-coloured scheme. A Havwoods engineered rustic oak board from the Essentials range was chosen because it provided a good 6mm solid wood wear layer perfect for the wear and tear factor in such a busy commercial setting. Dreamtime opted for an unfinished board to enable them to finish it on site to their exact colour requirements.

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