State of Kin’s approach to the modern meeting room was like any other project for the young Western Australian architecture, interior design, and construction firm.
With close dialogue and collaboration, research and detail, State of Kin can control most, if not all, aspects of a project. With the ability to test “big ideas early [and] open new possibilities’, State of Kin and Laminex have created a meeting room that encapsulates their philosophy while showcasing Laminex Next Generation Woodgrains in fresh, yet completely approachable ways.
Caught between mid-century, Madison Avenue boardroom and modern materiality, the results are thoroughly contemporary, reflecting the subliminal and subversive impact the twentieth century has on such spaces, even romanticising them. There’s a casual cool to the sliding doors - in Laminex Tasmanian Oak TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® with Laminex Spotted Gum TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® inlays - that reveal oversized, bullnosed drawers – a detail echoed in the double thickness shelves of Laminex Kashmir Granite and Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel. It's in this palette that one can imagine standing in a grey wool suit and a slim, striped tie clipped with purpose to a crisp, white oxford shirt. The parquet doors are slid open and crystal tumblers, coupes and carafes present themselves for old fashions and martinis.
Featuring Laminex Spotted Gum TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® (sliding doors & table), Laminex Tasmanian Oak TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® (sliding doors), Laminex Bluestone (custom door handles), Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel (display shelving), Laminex Kalamata (drawer internals), Laminex Macedon Mist (curved drawers), Laminex Kashmir Granite (display shelving), Laminex Terril (display shelving).
The use of negative space, something of a signature for the studio is evident in the boardroom table, where semi-circular cutouts create welcoming apertures designed to slide into, transforming a communal space into a personal one. These decisions feel more like dedication to craft and construction, and detail-led results that speak volumes for a client and their business. Clad in Laminex Spotted Gum TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain®, the boardroom table – end to end – is without any pattern repeat, the perfect model for TrueScale® and AbsoluteGrain®’s lifelike realism.
“The product itself is so realistic. So, to be able to seamlessly integrate that into wall cladding and not have to detail joins and things like that was great. And, I think tonally, they give a really warm feeling to the room,” says Alessandra French, State of Kin Director and Interior Designer.
The surrounding Laminex Classic Flat Architectural Wall Panels in Tasmanian Oak TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® are split via a decorative dado rail in contrasting Laminex Spotted Gum TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain®. Presented in two bullnose radii, over Laminex Macedon Mist, the triple-stripped datum is perhaps a further State of Kin signature – considered detail that rewards a second look. At first glance, much like the framing border of the same wall panels, the datum is a simple and pleasant detail, making an open space feel intimate and warm, but via layering, contrasting and complementing, the push-pull relationship of State of Kin’s palette is firmly established, even in a woodgrain-led space such as this. It connects to the cabinetry and the colours within, making the whole space feel considered, deliberate, purposeful and embracing.
Layering of materials.
The main wall, complete with cabinetry and sliding parquet doors, more than anywhere else, highlights State of Kin’s ability to layer, using concept, materials and palette to fulfill the brief. Gentle touches, like the Laminex Spotted Gum bullnose border at the base of the wall reveals itself - with the cabinet doors open - as a seamless shelf; inclusions that feel craft-led and thoroughly thought through. Dark grey Laminex Terril wraps large diameter columns and the interiors of the shelving units with concave radii. The shelves – in Laminex Kashmir Granite - appear to float within, providing apt recesses for boardroom memorabilia, accolades or well-placed sculpture.
“Laminex is always a go-to product for us. With the flexibility it provides, the way we can push the boundaries with it; the way it bends, the panel sizes, the seamless joins for the wall cladding and things like that, they're the things that we, as designers, are drawn to. So, with this project, we wanted to showcase these capabilities with details like the exaggerated bullnosed draws, or by playing with negative details and the different inlays.”
Developing the connection.
Drawing influence from Australian figurative landscape artists, State of Kin used the dynamic brush strokes and idiosyncratic colour combinations found in the expressive movement to establish their palette and mood.
There’s a subversive tone to State of Kin’s meeting room, all the familiar motifs are present, but it’s those very things that lure and entice. From there, double take detail, layering of tone, texture and colour, along with an effective tension make this a desirable and successful space. A meeting room is something of a multi-purpose room for many businesses; a subliminal demonstration of capabilities to clients, a place to find peace and quiet and a gathering space to inspire. State of Kin have used Laminex Next Generation Woodgrains, beyond pragmatic notions of durability, stain resistance or sustainability, to create a design-first space with tactility and warmth that couldn’t be achieved till now.
These design lessons are ready to be implemented on any project, whether kitchen, bathroom, office or boardroom. State of Kin’s meeting room is just the beginning, a hint to the possibilities of Laminex Next Generation Woodgrains and how working with texture and grain, colour and shape – however grand or subtle – can create timeless rooms with presence and style.
The Meeting Room Palette
You might also like
Contributors:
Campaign: Laminex
Design: State of Kin
Photographer: Lillie Thomson
Video: SIRAP
Stylist: Natalie James
Art Direction & Production: Ortolan
Joinery: Evolve Interiors
Skirting Tiles: Artedomus
Chairs: Mobilia
Featured Products:
Joinery
Laminex Spotted Gum TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® Finish (Sliding Doors)
Laminex Tasmanian Oak TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® Finish (Sliding Doors)
Laminex Bluestone (Custom Door Handles)
Laminex Terril (Display Shelving)
Laminex Macedon Mist (Curved Drawers)
Laminex Kalamata (Drawer Internals)
Laminex Kashmir Granite (Display Shelving)
Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel (Display Shelving)
Artedomus Artesserae Elba Venice Tile (Skirting)
Table
Laminex Spotted Gum TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® Finish
Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel (Table Leg)
Wall Panelling
Laminex Architectural Wall Panels Tasmanian Oak TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® Finish
Laminex Spotted Gum TrueScale™ AbsoluteGrain® Finish (Dado Rail)
Other:
Cult Design (coat rack, waterglasses & jug)
Pepite (ceramics)
Artedomus (sculpture on table)
Caroline Walls (artwork)
Henry Wilson (thoronet dish)
New Volumes Artedomus (planter)
The Front Room Gallery (sculpture on shelving)