As one of the most renowned luxury engineered flooring brands in Australia, Tongue & Groove has inspired the design community to expand the bounds of high-end interiors for over 16 years now – and their latest product launch is yet another invitation to push the envelope of residential sophistication.
Showcasing unwavering commitment to sustainability, innovation and quality, Tongue & Groove has released a revolutionary addition to their refined repertoire: the 2.9 metre board. Five years in the making, the ingenious product transcends the limitations of industry-standard sizes, offering designers an unprecedented opportunity to create expansive, seamless interiors with unparalleled freedom.
The board exceeds the conventional length by a whole metre, and this sizable leap translates into a significant design advantage – particularly in Australia, where average ceiling heights hover around 2.7 metres. With the 2.9 metre board, designers can create flawless walls and ceilings, without distracting joint lines disrupting the flow of an otherwise meticulously crafted space. This dramatically elevates their ability to create a sense of cohesive grandeur, moving the goalposts for luxury residential design.
The genesis of this pioneering board lies in the minds of Richard Karsay, CEO of Tongue & Groove, and Kevin Nel, the brand’s General Manager of Operations, who recognised a critical gap in the market back in 2019. “The existing industry sizes were hindering the ability of architects and designers to achieve seamless timber cladding,” explains Nel. “The only option was to resort to extremely long, and often cost-prohibitive, boards.”
Tongue & Groove’s visionaries resolved to bridge this gap – but their journey wasn’t without its challenges. First of all, sourcing European oak forests with mature trees capable of yielding an expansive 2.9 metre length was paramount. In addition, with sustainability an essential cornerstone of Tongue & Groove’s design ethos – their construction process utilises up to 70% repurposed materials – it was absolutely crucial that these forests were FSC-certified, too. “Developing a reliable and consistent supply chain for these materials was crucial,” Nel adds.
This commitment to sustainability is also reflected in the company’s ongoing efforts to minimise waste, and the new length can help significantly reduce offcut waste – not only when designing walls and ceilings. For instance, standard 1.9 metre boards often result in excess material when used for custom stairs, which typically range from 1.1 to 1.35 metres in width. The innovative 2.9 metre format addresses this challenge by allowing two treads to be cut from each board, significantly reducing material waste.
The result of this dedication is a product that seamlessly integrates with Tongue & Groove’s existing design language. The new format is available in their signature styles – the contemporary, subtly oversized width of Grande and the slender format of Piccolo – and retains the brand’s signature three-layered solid oak structure. Delivering an outstanding fusion of form and function, the new length is offered in all three grades and the brand’s full spectrum of 16 colours, making Grande and Piccolo more versatile than ever before. The boards are custom-made with a 12-16-week lead time to prioritise consideration and consistency, and cater to ambitious design projects.
“We’re incredibly excited to unveil this product,” enthuses Nel. “The 2.9 metre board has been a long time coming, and it fills a significant void in the market. The A&D community is poised to truly benefit from this innovative solution.” Born from a deep understanding of design needs, a commitment to sustainability, and a relentless pursuit of innovation, this new product launch has not only filled a gap in the market – it’s seamlessly and irrevocably redefined the very notion of luxury, and what’s possible in residential design.
Tongue & Groove
Lead Image Credits: Project – Immersion House, Architect – Mitsuori Architects.
