Future Focus – Royal Oak Floors Continues to Innovate with Engineered Timber

More than 20 years ago, entrepreneur Kim Harper blazed a new trail in Australian flooring by introducing a first-of-its-kind engineered oak collection informed by European design. In the years since, his company, Royal Oak Floors, has fine-tuned its repertoire to suit the Australian architecture and design landscape, whilst maintaining the highest degree of environmental sensitivity. The company’s products are noted for being equally rooted in form and function.

Royal Oak Floors has striven to remain at the vanguard of design innovation, as evidenced by its commitment to product development in the way of new colours and finishes. As a pioneer of grey engineered oak flooring, the company has been diligent about evolving its offerings in keeping with changing themes and trends. Its current portfolio retains many of the company’s early variants including the best-selling White Smoked finish, a preferred choice among architects and designers since its launch 15 years ago .

In terms of application, Royal Oak Floors goes beyond its name. Its products are surface-agnostic, meaning that they can be applied across walls, ceilings, furniture, joinery and lighting with equal ease.

In terms of application, Royal Oak Floors goes beyond its name. Its products are surface-agnostic, meaning that they can be applied across walls, ceilings, furniture, joinery and lighting with equal ease. “With a rich 40-year history of engaging with Australia’s leading architects and designers, we know that they’re looking for more than just aesthetics. They want a product they can trust and they know that our products can stand the test of time. We’ve invested in innovative technologies to ensure that our robust finishes are a fit for the Australian market,” says Byron Smith, managing director at Royal Oak Floors.

The possibilities of engineered oak panelling were recently unveiled at the company’s new est showroom in Sydney’s Surry Hills, designed by multidisciplinary design firm We Are Triibe. The outpost – the company’s second – echoes its flagship in South Yarra, Melbourne, in its appreciation of sustainability, craftsmanship and natural materials. Yet its identity is distinctly its own. “My first impression of our new Sydney showroom was that it welcomes the visitor and doesn’t distract from the product they’ve come to see,” says Kim. Byron adds, “We deliberately set out to make the Sydney showroom different from the Melbourne one while maintaining the fundamentals of the Royal Oak Floors brand. Our flagship showroom in Melbourne is also our head office, so it’s a hive of activity and the beating heart of the organisation, whereas the Sydney showroom is a more tranquil space.”

The company’s design ethos is underpinned by a spirit of sustainability. Its environmentally sensitive initiatives include limiting the thickness of the top oak layer (to optimise the output of every harvested tree), procuring raw materials from PEFC- or FSC-certified sources and monitoring the supply chain to minimise waste and emissions at every step. “We know our products are going into people’s homes, so we use only the best adhesives and finishes with extremely low VOC and formaldehyde emissions to ensure the safety of our customers,” Byron shares.

The company’s goal is to make each panel a generational legacy. “A Royal Oak floor will last generations. It will need some love along the way, but it will age and it will patina and endure the life of the building,” concludes Kim.