Journal

Notes on floors

Specification guides and material thinking from the studio — written to help architects, designers and homeowners choose floors that hold their beauty for decades.

Wide-plank engineered oak flooring in a light coastal tone

Specification · 9 min read

Choosing the Right Floor for Every Room

A room-by-room specification guide for the Australian home

No single floor is right for every room. Moisture, traffic, slip risk and comfort all change from the entry to the ensuite. Here is how we specify floor by floor across a Sydney home.

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Natural oak engineered timber flooring, wire-brushed matte finish

Materials · 8 min read

Engineered vs Solid Timber Flooring

What Sydney homes actually need

Solid or engineered? For most Sydney homes the answer is engineered — and not because it is a compromise. Here is how the two constructions differ, and why stability matters in our climate.

Honed and sandblasted Belgian bluestone suitable for wet areas

Standards · 7 min read

Understanding Slip Ratings

A guide to AS 4586 & P-ratings for Australian homes

A slip rating is the one flooring spec that is genuinely a safety decision. Here is what AS 4586 P-ratings mean, how they differ from R-ratings, and which rating belongs in which room.

Wide-plank engineered oak flooring running to glass doors in a luxury Sydney living room

Materials · 10 min read

The Timber Guide

Choosing engineered oak for a Sydney home

Board width, wear layer, finish, sheen and how the floor is fixed down — the five decisions that separate a timber floor you love in ten years from one you tolerate. A studio guide for Sydney projects.

Plush wool loop-pile carpet in an oatmeal tone in a luxury Sydney bedroom

Materials · 9 min read

The Carpet Guide

Wool, hybrids and what actually makes carpet last

Fibre, pile weight, twist and underlay decide whether carpet still looks handsome in year twelve or flattens in year two. A studio guide to specifying wool and high-performance carpet in Sydney homes.

Large-format matte porcelain tile in a minimalist luxury Sydney bathroom

Specification · 9 min read

The Tile Guide

Large-format porcelain, slip ratings and grout that disappears

Tile is the most technical element in the house. Rectification, format, slip rating, substrate flatness and grout colour decide whether a bathroom reads calm or busy — long before anyone looks at the pattern.

Honed large-format limestone floor in a luxury Sydney entry hall

Materials · 9 min read

The Stone Guide

Limestone, marble, travertine and bluestone, honestly

Stone is the only material in a house with geology behind it — and the only one that asks something of you in return. A studio guide to choosing, finishing, sealing and living with natural stone.

Studio guides · PDF

One guide per element

Designed, printable versions of our element guides — free, and yours to send to your builder, client or architect.

Timber