The Commons Health Club Case Study

Work-life integration by design

The project:

After eight years and 19 spaces dotted across Melbourne and Sydney, The Commons have built their reputation on understanding how Australians want to work. Now they’re applying that same insight to how we want to live.

For The Commons’ foray into the hybrid workspace and health club market, DesignOffice is handling the fit-out, with CEO Cliff Ho specifically pushing against the muted, spa-like aesthetic that’s become ubiquitous in Melbourne’s wellness spaces. Instead, they’re working with natural materials like cork, timber, and stone, anchored by warm and playful colours.

The brief:

The brief asked DesignOffice to create physical infrastructure (over 5,000 square metres, no less) for a new social contract. One where wellness and productivity aren’t competing priorities but integrated experiences. Aesthetically, this meant considering everything from lighting design to material placement to support people who want to live and work more fluidly.

The wellness and workplace strategy

The solution:

This material brief acknowledges that hybrid spaces fail when they prioritise quantity of functions over quality of experience. Once again, cork has raised the bar as a unifying element. Warm underfoot for barefoot yoga sessions, sound-absorbing properties for acoustic zoning, and resilient enough for high-traffic areas. It’s a material that naturally bridges wellbeing and office spaces without feeling forced.

At the same time, the natural honey tones of Cork Essence Natural create a happy transition to the timber palette. Both materials share an inherent, familiar warmth while serving completely different tactile functions. Whatever way you slice it, Melbourne’s about to get very familiar with work-wellness integration.

What our customers are saying

    
 
 
         
   michele rossiter 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My experience with this wonderful company after 18 months of dealing with tradesman, from an insurance claim ,who ruined my floor with poor workmanship I went to see Gary and his team of professionals for help Raz was our saviour from our first meeting in my home to the finished product he was amazing I recommend this company to everyone for their knowledge and expertise The lovely James and his team who layed the floor with incredible skill  workmanship we thankyou so happy and my home looks amazing
  
 
        
   Jenny J 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. At every step these guys were responsive, informative and efficient - just great to deal with!
  
 
        
   Chester Brewer 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. TMB timber has the best quality and design door for great price, after struggling with special order prices at bannings, door galore and door plus I was able to buy same door that’s 2k or more for an affordable price at TMB. Thanks Amarjit for great communication and advice,
  
 
        
   Andrew Wilson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Rez Rezak and his team were totally professional. They supplied and laid our cork flooring without any hassles at all and were simply superb to deal with. Highly recommended.
  
 
        
   Blake Boughton 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Spoke with Rez - Right off the bat it was fantastic customer service, even considering what I was after was quickly realized as far outside of my current budget for the project at hand. With the service I received over the phone however, I'm certainly thinking of spending some extra money through Market Timbers for a much higher quality panel. I mean, that IS what they do! Rez helped outline a panel that would work for me and quoted me a price, we had a discussion around the timber and some of the services they would be able to provide when it came to my new home office desk project. What I appreciate even more than what many would call the 'Standard customer service experience' was that he took the time to answer some of my more newbie questions and explain things for me. I'm far from familiar with any kind of woodwork; projects in Highschool are probably the most recent I've worked with any kind of wood. (Highschool certainly lifetime ago) Rez did a brilliant job of assisting me; with both his patience for my questions and the quality of his woodwork knowledge it provided me with some much-needed direction on my new desk project. From a slightly hungover Saturday morning call that could have gone any way - it was a fantastic experience. 10/10 would recommend giving the blokes down at Market Timbers a buzz if you've any timber related projects coming up!
  
 
        
   Emma O 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Excellent service from Rez, Andrew and co, from the first enquiry to the finished cork floor. Really appreciated the attention given to a small job like ours. Would definitely use Market Timbers again.
  
 
        
   Ferenc Jakab 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The cork flooring is a fantastic product. We are situated 5 hours from Melbourne but Asad made our purchase easy, with technical advice, sending samples, helping us to estimate the quantity of flooring needed and arranging freight, which isn't easy at our location. Happy to recommend Market Timbers and their products.
  
 
        
   Sophie Allan 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Asad and the team at Market Timbers have gone above and beyond to help us with lovely cork tiles for our renovation. Even though ours was a pretty small job they gave us great service and even located extra stock of a sold out product for us when we unexpectedly fell short with our original order. Highly recommend Market Timbers.
  
 
        
   Jeffrey Moon 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great advice and communication. Asad and the team were excellent. Delivery was on time, the driver was friendly and helpful. Really happy with the timber quality. A great experience all round.

Cork Solutions

Timber Solutions

Other Solutions

Vinyl Flooring

The Commons Health Club