Guided by a mutual appreciation for material integrity and purposeful design, Laminex and State of Kin transform the notion of a boardroom into a study of texture, tone and spatial layering, where the everyday is elevated through detail and intent.
In Partnership with Laminex.
For more than nine decades, Melbourne-based surface brand Laminex has shaped Australian interiors through a commitment to enduring design. Building on a legacy of collaborations with some of the country’s most distinctive design voices—including Adam Goodrum, Kennedy Nolan, YSG Studio, Studio Doherty and, most recently, Tom Mark Henry—Laminex continues to demonstrate how its materials can be reimagined in personal and lasting ways.
Guided by a brief to design a boardroom for a medium-sized design studio, Perth-based multidisciplinary practice State of Kin—known for their holistic approach to architecture, interior design and construction—responded by combining conceptual rigour with Laminex’s tactile, emotive materiality. The result brings True to Nature: Next Generation Woodgrains to life in a layered and expressive setting.
State of Kin saw the project as an opportunity to capture the spirit of how design studios think, feel and work. “Boardrooms are the beating heart of any design studio—where the real conversations happen, where ideas are tested, projects are shaped and creativity is sparked,” State of Kin Director Alessandra French says. “Ultimately, it needed to be a space that people want to gather in—one that fosters open dialogue, celebrates creativity and sets the tone for meaningful collaboration.”
Responding to Laminex’s brief to design a boardroom space for a medium-sized design studio, State of Kin crafted a considered space celebrating the expressive potential of Laminex’s Next Generation Woodgrains.
"Collaborating with State of Kin reveals how evocative our Next Generation Woodgrains can be in a commercial setting. Their expressive approach highlights the material’s ability to bring warmth, authenticity and durability to high-use spaces."
– Laminex Head of Marketing, Rachel Oakley
Laminex’s material mastery comes to the fore in the boardroom, where Spotted Gum TrueScale and Tasmanian Oak TrueScale Woodgrains form wall panels and bespoke sliding doors, complemented by tactile accents in Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel to create a space that feels at once refined, raw and immersive.
Within the space, Laminex’s Next Generation Woodgrains in Spotted Gum TrueScale and Tasmanian Oak TrueScale, both finished in AbsoluteGrain, are paired side by side to form sculptural wall panels. Their contrasting grains create a rhythmic architectural presence, while curved, bull-nosed joinery, bespoke inlays and unexpected accents in Laminex Macedon Mist, Terril and Kashmir Granite introduce depth and understated tactility. A bespoke boardroom table crafted from the same Laminex finishes—alongside Laminex Brushed Stainless Steel—anchors the design, exemplifying State of Kin’s ability to harness and adapt the Woodgrains’ expressive potential.
“The Next Generation Woodgrains allow us to reference the beauty of native timbers without depleting them,” French says. “With the authenticity of the AbsoluteGrain finish, we can evoke the warmth and richness of Australian landscapes while leaving those natural resources in place. For us, the concept represents the perfect alignment of design innovation and values—materials that are forward-thinking, responsibly made, and able to stand the test of time in both performance and aesthetics.”
Beyond its function, the boardroom became a study in materiality, form and atmosphere—underscoring Laminex’s commitment to Australian-made materials and to championing emerging local practices. Through this collaboration, State of Kin demonstrates how utility, durability and artistry can coexist, realising the full potential of Laminex in a commercial setting.
"This collaboration encouraged us to think of surface materials not just as finishes, but as architectural elements in their own right. Laminex’s Next Generation Woodgrains gave us the ability to work with tones and textures at a new level of realism and scale—we could sculpt, layer and form the material in ways that blurred the boundary between furniture, joinery and space."
– DIRECTOR OF STATE OF KIN, ALESSANDRA FRENCH
A bespoke table in Laminex Spotted Gum TrueScale and Tasmanian Oak TrueScale in AbsoluteGrain finish anchors the space.
