Hard-wearing and versatile James Hardie building products evoke the feeling of home in gastro pubs throughout the country.

What makes a place a home? The team from Burning Red Design say it is about creating spaces that are welcoming and make those in them feel as if they can be themselves. This concept of “a home away from home” underpins the look and feel of The Good Home chain of gastropubs popping up in neighbourhoods across the country.

At The Good Home in Onehunga, the Burning Red Design team has transformed the category-one heritage listed Carnegie Free Library building into a stylish gastropub. Taking an inside-out approach, they have created a space that’s not just stunning, but also apt, combining old and modern materials that look good and work hard in this high impact environment.

James Hardie HardieGroove Lining is used throughout the pub on the walls, doors, ceilings, and soffits, providing a charming design feature with its tongue and groove look, as well as superior durability. Made of tough James Hardie fibre cement, it is resistant to damage from moisture, rot, and fire, and will retain its good looks for years to come. HardiePanel Compressed Sheets were also specified as structural flooring in wet and dry areas throughout, resulting in a very dense sheet that provides a very tough surface.

HardieGroove Lining is traditionally used in residential homes and applied in this context, it achieves a familiar comfort that makes customers want to come in, put their feet up, and stay awhile. It also provides a perfect backdrop for the props and furniture used in the pub — more commonly seen in a home than in a pub or restaurant.

In restaurant design, the meal is just part of the experience. It also about building brand affinity for the restaurant by using materials creatively and cohesively to execute the brand design. Burning Red Design has specified HardieGroove Lining in several of the chain’s other pubs. “It suits traditional and contemporary designs, which aligns with The Good Home design concept, and can be used in a range of settings both internally and externally, so provides the design versatility we need,” she says.

The Good Home Onehunga owner, Tony Woodcock, says feedback has been positive, with customers having a particular affinity for the bathroom. “It's been a labour of love, with the whole process taking about 18 months, so we are pleased the locals approve.” Woodcock was also very happy with the James Hardie service, saying it was a seamless process and the products were very easy to install.

HardieGroove Lining comes with a half-groove lengthways along the edge of the sheet to provide concealed joints, providing an additional design benefit. There is no need for butt joints when covering large areas up to 3m such as ceilings, soffits, and walls so it provides seamless and clean vertical lines. HardieGroove is now available in 3000 x 1200mm sheets, making it even easier to install.