Tongue & Groove, Australia’s leading producer of solid-engineered European oak flooring, has teamed up with Established & Sons, an iconic British design brand, and Raw-Edges Design Studio, a London-based design studio led by Shay Alkalay and Yael Mer, to create GridWork – the next chapter in flooring design.

Launched at the 2026 Milan Salone del Mobile, GridWork is a minimal, tile-like flooring system designed by Raw-Edges. The result of a collaboration between three leaders in design, manufacturing and global distribution, it marks the start of a bold new direction for timber flooring and redefines what’s possible.

Reimagining the role that flooring plays in interior design, the collaboration aims to give architects and designers a heightened level of creative freedom with GridWork’s versatility and diverse range.

Building on one of the most timeless floor patterns – the square grid – GridWork reimagines tiled floors in solid-engineered European oak. With its simple grid and wide range of applications, the design draws on modernist architecture and the Bauhaus movement.

“With ceramic tiles, you see endless imitations of wood. We thought it was about time wood returned the favour. It’s one of the simplest designs we’ve ever done, but there’s something bold in that simplicity,” says Shay Alkalay, co-founder of Raw Edges with Yael Mer.

“Flooring has never given designers the opportunity to express their creativity,” says Richard Karsay, CEO and founder of Tongue & Groove. “This new direction is about really getting designers involved and letting them express the way they want to see a floor. When designers have the freedom to express themselves, that’s when the magic happens.”

The new collection is crafted using Tongue & Groove’s three-layer solid European oak construction that delivers unmatched stability and durability, with a precisely engineered chamfer between each timber block that echoes the grout lines of a ceramic tile.

The blocks are individually stained by hand in a curated palette of warm, neutral tones. The carefully formulated dye stain penetrates the timber surface to achieve a durable finish that preserves the natural beauty of the oak grain. Tongue & Groove also developed an innovative connection system that allows the blocks to be laid in multiple orientations, enabling designers to create patterns that play with the grain, colour, or both.

“Timber has a lot of movement in it, especially European oak,” says Karsay. “We had to work out how to eliminate that movement, and make the tongue-and-groove system function in any direction. The end result is something truly special.”

From collaborators to partners

The collaborative partnership grew out of a project called Co.Lab, Tongue & Groove’s pioneering initiative pairing precision engineering with the creativity of internationally renowned designers. Together, Tongue & Groove, Raw Edges and Established & Sons worked on a colourful reimagining of herringbone parquet flooring. Off the back of this collaboration, the three companies solidified a long-term partnership.

“When I spoke to Richard for the first time, I could feel that energy – the hunger to do something outside of standard flooring,” says Casper Vissers, managing director of Established & Sons. “There is a synergy between the culture at Tongue & Groove and our culture.”

A complementary skillset

Each of the three partners brings their unique yet complementary set of strengths to the fore. Tongue & Groove provides the manufacturing expertise, advanced R&D capabilities and a three-layer solid European oak construction that delivers unmatched stability and durability. Established & Sons contributes over 20 years of design expertise and a global network of resellers and design world relationships. Raw-Edges, a design studio known for its playful, unconventional approach to materials and form, provides the creative vision.

“Working with Established & Sons and Tongue & Groove has been incredibly refreshing,” says Alkalay. “The direct collaboration brings a real energy to the process, allowing ideas to evolve quickly into something beautifully simple and refined.”

Be the first to experience GridWork in Australia; register your interest here.

Images: Supplied.