Designing a large home with many distinct spaces presents an important creative challenge. Each room needs its own identity, but the home must still feel connected as a complete and considered interior.

For Project Malvern, GIA Renovations responded to this challenge with a carefully layered palette of natural materials, sculptural forms and refined finishes. At the centre of the material story was ForestOne’s EGGER Natural Kendal Oak, specified throughout the home’s joinery to create warmth and consistency from one room to the next.

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“Project Malvern was designed to create a home that feels warm, timeless and layered with natural materials,” says Olivia Cirocco, Design Manager at GIA Renovations. “From the beginning, the goal was to balance beautiful design with functionality, ensuring every space felt considered while maintaining a strong sense of cohesion throughout the home.”

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A unifying material throughout the home

ForestOne’s EGGER Natural Kendal Oak was used across the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces. Its repeated application creates a clear visual relationship between the rooms, while the design of each joinery element responds to the function and personality of its individual setting.

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This whole-home approach demonstrates the versatility of the decor. In private spaces such as bedrooms and bathrooms, its light timber tone contributes softness and calm. In living areas, it provides a warm foundation for decorative lighting, architectural curves and bespoke details. In the kitchen, it becomes part of the home’s most expressive joinery feature.

The consistency of Natural Kendal Oak does not make the spaces feel repetitive. Instead, it gives the broader material palette room to evolve while maintaining an underlying sense of continuity.

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Creating balance within a layered palette

Project Malvern brings together statement stone, brushed bronze detailing, Venetian plaster, micro cement and decorative lighting. With so many strong materials and features, the joinery needed to complement the scheme rather than compete with it.

“With sculptural curves, statement stone, brushed bronze detailing, Venetian plaster, decorative lighting and bespoke joinery all featuring throughout Project Malvern, it was important to create a palette that felt layered and refined rather than overwhelming,” Cirocco explains.

“ForestOne’s EGGER Natural Kendal Oak became the balancing element within the palette. Its light tone and authentic timber grain introduced warmth and softness to the joinery, complementing and balancing the surrounding materials while allowing each feature to have its own moment.”

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This ability to work alongside a wide range of finishes made Natural Kendal Oak an effective choice for the project. Its subtle grain supports the richness of the interior without adding unnecessary visual weight, helping the more sculptural materials feel intentional and resolved.

A sculptural approach to kitchen joinery

The kitchen island provides the clearest expression of the product’s design potential. ForestOne’s EGGER Natural Kendal Oak was applied to the curved joinery beneath a substantial micro cement benchtop, creating a feature that feels both grounded and architectural.

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“One of my favourite details is the sculptural island in the kitchen,” says Cirocco. “We used ForestOne’s EGGER Natural Kendal Oak on the curved joinery to introduce warmth and softness beneath the curved micro cement benchtop.”

Executed by Antic Cabinet Makers, the island required careful fabrication and a high level of precision. The softness of the timber grain balances the solid appearance of the micro cement, while the curved form demonstrates how the decor can support joinery that moves beyond conventional straight lines.

“The contrast between the soft timber grain and the chunky micro cement benchtop creates a beautiful sense of balance while showcasing how versatile the material can be,” Cirocco says. “It challenged the idea that joinery needs to be linear, proving that with the right material and careful detailing, it can become a sculptural feature independently.”

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Throughout Project Malvern, ForestOne’s EGGER Natural Kendal Oak is more than a recurring finish. It is the material that connects the home, balances its expressive features and gives each space a shared sense of warmth. From functional cabinetry to sculptural joinery, the project shows how one thoughtfully selected decor can create an entire home of possibilities.

Project details

Project: Project Malvern

Location: Malvern, VIC

Interior Designer: Olivia Cirocco (GIA Renovations Design Manager)

Builder: GIA Renovations

Joiner: Antic Cabinet Makers

Stylist: Create Expectations

Photography: Stephanie Rooney

Architecture & Design Team

ForestOne

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