Tom Mark Henry uses Laminex Next Generation Woodgrains on almost every surface of The Family Kitchen. With the studio’s signature layered approach to design, along with a balanced and considered palette, texture and measured materiality, the space is a demonstration of the possibilities of Laminex, and a masterclass on how to design for your personality and taste.
So how did the team at Tom Mark Henry do it?
“We layered the Laminex Next Generation Woodgrains with tile and stone and the Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel, but it doesn’t feel just like a cacophony of finishes. It is well played. It’s still quite refined,” says Cushla McFadden, director and founder of Tom Mark Henry.
Tom Mark Henry use contrasting Australian Native décors from the Laminex Next Generation Woodgrains range to great effect. The soft, golden warmth of Laminex Victorian Ash TrueScale is contrasted by the bold, red hues of Laminex Blackbutt TrueScale, both used in AbsoluteGrain® finish, to create points of interest, function and delineation.
The layering begins with quiet detail, applying Laminex Victorian Ash TrueScale AbsoluteGrain® to the large pantry and cabinetry doors along the galley sides of the kitchen. With such expanses, using the lighter of the two décors here opens and lightens, and is the perfect time to display the no repeat nature of Laminex TrueScale®, along with the life-like textural qualities of AbsoluteGrain® finish.
Taking it one step further, the team alternates the grain, cutting the doors into three panels at key proportional moments, each accentuated by a shadow-line. To open, oversized handles announce themselves in Laminex Blackbutt TrueScale AbsoluteGrain®, making it known that this kitchen is about the combination of woodgrains. With a clever mitring detail at its edge, the handles stand gently proud of the door, making them accessible at any angle, and with stylish comfort.
Benchtops and shelves in the space all feature Laminex Blackbutt TrueScale AbsoluteGrain®, as does the base of the intricately designed island. Tom Mark Henry makes sure to pay special attention to each façade, without overdoing it. Here on the island, and under the flowing curves of the benchtop and table extension is the perfect case in point. A cascading series of arcs suggest art-deco detail, without becoming pastiche, figuratively holding up the top with reassuring elan. A banded rim of the main island benchtop—in Laminex Outback Clay—adds another layer to the space, harmonising with its surrounds, creating the perfect link to the kidney-esque dining table that waits below.
Elsewhere, the team have added textural contrast and variation with Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel and small, square marble tiles for the splashbacks and walls. These textural elements complement the woodgrains, bringing slow burn detail that is intended to last. The rangehood mimics the organic, curved forms of the benchtops and table legs, reminding us that consistency, whether colour, texture, shape or pattern, is essential to any successfully designed kitchen.
Tom Mark Henry’s Family Kitchen avoids the formulaic, while staying true to its main goal; that of a functional, working family space. Equal parts celebration of material as it is acknowledgment of the practical, its success is that neither was sacrificed for the other.
Learn more about the possibilities of Next Generation Woodgrains and find out how you can create your dream kitchen here.
The Family Kitchen Palette
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Contributors:
Campaign: Laminex
Design: Tom Mark Henry
Photographer: Lillie Thomson
Video: SIRAP
Stylist: Natalie James
Art Direction & Production: Ortolan
Joinery: Evolve Interiors
Floor Tiles: Eco Outdoor
Splashback & Wall Tiles: Artedomus
Appliances: Fisher & Paykel
Tapware & Sink: Oliveri
Wall Sconces: We Ponder
Barstools: Daniel Boddam
Dining Chairs: Tom Fereday
Featured Products:
Cabinetry:
Laminex Victorian Ash TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® Finish (Doors & Drawers)
Laminex Blackbutt TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® Finish (Benchtop & Custom Pantry Handles)
Laminex Bluestone (Internal Cabinetry)
Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel (Upper Cabinetry, Rangehood & Base Cabinetry)
Island Bench:
Laminex Blackbutt TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® Finish
Laminex Outback Clay
Table:
Laminex Outback Clay
Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel
Other:
Artedomus Elba Marble Mosaic Tile (Splashback & Walls)
Fisher & Paykel (Appliances)
Oliveri (Tap & Sink)
Eco Outdoor Sarelle Tile in Grey, Lightly Distressed (Flooring)
Featuring Laminex Blackbutt TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® (island base, benchtops and custom handles), Laminex Victorian Ash TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® (cabinetry), Laminex Outback Clay (island top and table), and Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel (range hood and table base). Designed by Tom Mark Henry, photographed by Lillie Thompson, styling by Natalie James, art direction by Ortolan and joinery by Evolve Interiors.