Entering the newly developed ForestOne Showroom elicits a sense of inspiration and ingenuity as guests are greeted with a space that is marked by sophistication and grandeur. Crossing the intersection of soft shapes and geometric design the ForestOne Showroom takes on a contemporary movement and symbolises the opening of a new chapter. Located in the heart of Abbotsford within Melbourne, the space exhibits ForestOne’s innovative, decorative surface offering, allowing architects and specifiers to observe materials, textures and palettes on a large scale.

Working in close collaboration with KHID, ForestOne’s objective was to create a completely immersive and interactive experience for visitors while ensuring the space and materials on display presented a range of solutions for various environment’s and showcased the adaptability of products in context. A series of dedicated pods and several design scenes were created to communicate the diverse applications of ForestOne’s core decorative surfaces of DesignerPly, EGGER™ and Meganite, illustrating the functionality and beauty of the collection.

Scenes were arranged in a loop path, providing orientation for both products displayed on their own and within commercial scenes. With a multitude of surfaces and products, curved elements were applied to give connection and continuity to the overall space, with the selection of neutral tones to allow materials to stand as the feature within each display.

Paving your way through the interactive space the Showroom presents a magnificent reception desk, a Group 1 fire-rated product display, healthcare and science zone, hotel zone, and within the centre is an education pod. The education pod reveals the capabilities of DesignerPly, displaying blonde tones of birch with printed panes in a clear coated Aquaseal and is reminiscent of a classroom setting featuring lockers in EGGER™Compact Laminate. The back of the Showroom features a café pod, dedicated Meganite display, while to the right is an impressive large panel display showcasing the various finishes and textures from EGGER™and DesignerPly.

Sculptural Excellence
As soon as guests step foot into the Showroom, they are presented with an alluring entrance of majestically sweeping curves of the main desk. Delivering dramatic impact, the reception desk intertwines an assortment of arcs that beautifully creates fluid movement and gives a welcoming and inviting effect to prompt guests to move through and explore ForestOne’s Showroom offering. With a footprint of bends and turns and a sleek curved countertop that separates administration from the open café, the reception desk confidently expresses the full capabilities of Meganite.

As a thermoformable material Meganite allows for the curation of various shapes, which gave free-creative reign to ICON Interiors to create a sculpted piece of art for ForestOne’s Showroom with inconspicuous joints. More than just a visual pleasantry, Meganite also brings with it technical qualities which were highly beneficial for this commercial open space. As an incredibly durable and low-maintenance material, it was important for ForestOne to apply Meganite in this setting to communicate to architects and specifiers that this surface attains high-performance qualities making it suitable for large volume projects.

Meganite Winter Boulder was the selected décor for the main part of the reception counter to bring a sophisticated look with its cool grey tones and light aggregate markings, and was beautifully paired with the muted palette of Meganite Antarctica for the front reception. As a distinction between administration and the coffee bar, Meganite Solar Eclipse was used for the countertop to bring warmth, with a deep brunette base and amber fragments.

Journey of Textures
Flowing through the left-hand side of the Showroom outer panels frame the healthcare, science and hotel displays, taking guests on a journey of textures. Anthracite Sherman Oak was selected as the decor from EGGER’s™Feelwood range, bringing a calming sense with a deep brown tone and rustic oak reproduction. The use of EGGER™ Feelwood on the outer panels provides both a visual and sensory experience as the surface showcases to guests the innovative application of synchronised pore technology that captures the aesthetic and tactile qualities of authentic wood.

Moving into the healthcare and science displays, the superior hygienic qualities of both EGGER™ and Meganite are highlighted throughout. With an antibacterial surface property in accordance with ISO 22196, the healthcare zone outlines how EGGER™ is an ideal material for areas that require immense hygiene, yet still wanting to achieve an elegant and sophisticated look. While for the science and laboratory display, Meganite is featured with its advanced antimicrobial surface of AcryMed. Applied to the benchtop and splashback in MediWhite, Meganite’s AcryMed technology provides a protective layer for bacteria and stains and signals to Showroom guests of being the perfect material for hospital environments and scientific laboratories.

Extending the versatility and beauty of ForestOne’s full decorative offering, the hotel display encapsulates a moody and elegant setting of a hotel ensuite and walk-in-robe. EGGER™ cabinetry graces both hotel zones, where the use of EGGER’s PerfectSense décor in Black and Cashmere Grey features along the vanity and desk to exhibit its superior anti-finger print properties, whereas the walk-in-robe features EGGER’’s lightweight panelling option of Eurolight. Showroom guests can easily remove the shelving which reveals Eurolight’s robust yet light, hexagonal cardboard structure. The hotel setting also presents a dedicated zone for Meganite Basins. As a non-porous material, Meganite Basins reveal to architects and specifiers that ForestOne offers a full solution for all design needs.

Designed to Inspire
Sparking added interest, the back of the ForestOne Showroom displays several awe-inspiring arches that unites with the front Meganite reception desk and its curved contours. Creating a distinct visual experience, the sculpted arches create dynamic movement and model the effectiveness of applying EGGER™ laminate to curved elements. EGGER™ Natural Anthor Oak Laminate was selected for the arches to bring a natural and authentic woodgrain feel with its rustic oak appearance.

Complementing the custom-arch design, EGGER™ was also applied within the café pod to the splashback and door panels in various decors, while Meganite was selected for the bar top and working bench. Showcasing the vast decors Meganite has to offer, the café pod features smooth concrete greys, cool, chic terrazzo textures and midnight black surfaces. Antegra sinks also make a statement, beautifully melding within Meganite benchtops as a seamless and fully integrated sink. For architects and designers looking to create minimal and fluid kitchen spaces, the combination of Meganite and Antegra Sinks highlights this capability.

To the right of the café pod presents a dedicated zone for Meganite sample panels with a collection of 42 decors stocked in the Australian range. With ForestOne’s intention to create an inspiring and interactive space, the Showroom includes a mobile board solution that allows Showroom guests to coordinate colours for horizontal and vertical surfaces. This creates a full discovery experience, assisting architects and designers in the concept and documentation phase to visualise their designs and confidently specify various decors that complement each other.

To further enhance architects and specifiers experience, the most unique and noticeable feature within the ForestOne Showroom is the large format display zone. Designed to inspire creativity, the large format display includes over 60 decors in the EGGER™ range and features a myriad of decors from solid shades, woodgrains, Feelwood and PerfectSense. As a high-demand product, DesignerPly panels are also included in the large format display, featuring various powder coated finishes and several perforated patterns. As opposed to small tile samples, the large format display provides Showroom guests with the advantage of being able to view decors as a full panel and for woodgrain decors presents true beauty with the ability to fully see linear grain markings and displayable knots.

Photography: Mike Baker