Architect / Designer

Anna Gowen, architect at TONIC Design

Client

Crown Casino

Location

Melbourne

Date Completed

Forty thousand reasons to choose Tasmanian Oak

Anna Gowen, architect at TONIC Design, has designed the most opulent ceiling you could imagine for the ten-pin bowling alley at Crown Casino in Melbourne. AMF Bowling, who own and manage Kingpin Bowling alleys across Australia, wanted to create a spectacular entertainment experience, not just a row of lanes in a standard-setting across from the shoe rental counter.

Anna’s design is certainly spectacular. She created a three-dimensional ceiling-scape as a focal point for the venue using Porta 32mm Tasmanian Oak dowels in vast quantity. The forty thousand Tasmanian Oak dowels give a stunning golden glow to AMF’s flagship bowling alley setting a new benchmark in Australia for their portfolio.

The results of the redesign are not only striking but functional. Meshing architectural, interior design and furniture design expertise, the team at TONIC Design used the highly functional Tasmanian Oak timber dowels to create a look that reflects the aesthetics of the Crown brand, creates a unique feel of VIP glamour and hides the services in the ceiling.

“The individually cut and hung dowels give a beautiful soft movement and also hide all the services for a seamless finish,” explains Anna.

Every dowel was also dipped in a rose-coloured fire-retardant paint by Porter Paints, which created a stunning contrast to the beautiful grain in the Tasmanian oak timber.

“The dowels were a beautiful quality product which added a rich warmth to the space,” shares Anna.

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