Annie Brereton of Authentic Spaces and Aaron Wailes of GreenCoast Building Design have taken home ForestOne’s Specified Responsibly EuroCucina Trade Competition for September. For their use of EGGER’s wood-based decor products, Annie and Aaron have gone in the draw for a chance to win the 2024 Grand Prize of a trip for two to EuroCucina in Milan, Italy.
By showcasing EGGER’s wood-based decorating products, Annie and Aaron have imbued their projects with authentic material choices. Guided by their ForestOne representatives, as well as the desire to use more sustainable materials, the winners exemplify diligent and responsible specification. For a project located on two hectares of bush just outside of Ballarat, Victoria, Annie employed the EGGER Apricot Nude and Rose White laminates and Natural Halifax Oak throughout the kitchen renovation. Aaron, meanwhile, used EGGER’s Alpine White laminate and Natural Hamilton Oak in a home project in Coorparoo, Brisbane, to create a clean, modern aesthetic.
Focused on designing spaces that are representative of how their clients live, Annie and her husband Shane – the duo behind Authentic Spaces – work alongside clients to produce designs tailored specifically to their needs. On their current project, Tree House, Annie and Shane acted as both client and designer. For the kitchen renovation, they began by taking the existing small space and maximising its floor area to transform it into a functional and striking kitchen. By designing their own home, there was a level of flexibility that “helped us laser focus the design to be relevant to how we live and how we want to use the space, and that is very much the crux of our business,” explains Annie. She adds that Authentic Spaces is dedicated to creating “multigenerational houses that will serve the lifetime of their families.”
With re-use as a driving force, Annie consciously works to create sustainable results for both her own projects and those of her clients. “Sustainability has always been at the forefront of our design choices,” she says, “and that stems right back before a project even starts.” Once a project has been taken on, Authentic Spaces first looks at what existing elements can be re-used before focusing on new sustainable materials. For Tree House, Annie and Shane approached ForestOne representative Kelly Turner to specify EGGER. “We are a very small husband and wife duo, a little player in the industry, but from the moment I reached out to ForestOne, they treated us like any other business,” says Annie. Visiting the ForestOne showroom, the couple were shown the “innovation and the practicality of the products and what can be achieved. ForestOne, and especially Kelly, have been so incredibly helpful teaching us about products but also specifying EGGER for not only our own home but for other projects, too.”
“Sustainability has always been at the forefront of our design choices,” Annie says, “and that stems right back before a project even starts.”
For Coorparoo Home, Aaron from GreenCoast Building Design has created a new home that was “based around an active family and designed with a traditional sense of style to fit into the Queensland topography,” he says. The home centres on a courtyard-style setting that gives the family connected spaces as well as areas to break away. “The design is very simple in form,” Aaron says. “It is focused around the idea of a client’s lifestyle and that is a big part of our company ethos.” Employing EGGER’s Alpine White and Natural Hamilton Oak throughout the entire project – including the mud room joinery, two kitchens and laundry – Aaron explains that the product offered a connection to the existing residence, which was completely reconfigured. “Aligning with a company like [ForestOne] EGGER through the specification of materials helps to add value to the end result,” he says.
When taking on a new project, Aaron always thinks of how the design can bring value to the lives of his clients, with longevity a vital consideration. “If you can design for a 100-year life span and create something that is suitable, both ergonomically and pragmatically, and can be passed from one generation to another, that to me is sustainable design,” he says. ForestOne was not only able to meet Aaron’s product requirements but provide larger sheet sizes and education on the materials and how he could employ them more responsibly. “ForestOne, and Kellie [Cross] in particular, is available when we need them. They have a willingness to educate not only us but our clients and those we work with.” Additionally, EGGER’s ability to create products that meet sustainable requirements as well as aesthetic ones have helped Aaron create a home that is modern and eco-friendly and offers a connection to its surrounds. “The two products we chose look and feel good, and they both offer a deep connection to the home’s history as well as the Queensland surrounds.”
“ForestOne, and Kellie in particular, is available when we need them. They have a willingness to educate not only us but our clients and those we work with,” says Aaron.
With each of their projects, Annie and Aaron have specified materials that not only add value to but also create a highly liveable environment for their clients. Alongside ForestOne representatives, both winners have contributed to the movement towards using more authentic and environmentally kind materials.
Author: Brett Winchester
Photography: Tim Allen | https://www.timallenphoto.net/
Photography: Cieran Murphy | https://cieranmurphy.com/
Authentic Spaces | https://authenticspaces.com.au/
GreenCoast Building Design | https://greencoastdesign.com.au/
