See how Shimlen made its mark among more than 2,300 booths at ARCHIDEX 2026
Words by: Aqilah Najwa Jamaluddin
With more than 2,300 booths filling ARCHIDEX 2026, making an impression was no small feat. Shimlen did just that, taking home The Best Booth Award following the four day exhibition at MITEC in Kuala Lumpur.
The occasion also saw the Malaysian company introduce Eucalli Melamine Faced Plywood, an E0 grade material developed to address common challenges associated with on site lamination. Its debut unfolded through “The Eucalyptus Experience”, which invited visitors to encounter the panels through sight, touch and scent.
It was an apt way to introduce a product whose qualities are inherently physical. For architects and interior designers, the nuances of a surface often reveal themselves at close range, where texture, finish and tactility become as relevant as the technical considerations behind it. Giving visitors the opportunity to interact with Eucalli brought those qualities beyond the confines of a conventional sample.
The launch continued a material story Shimlen has been developing over more than four decades in Malaysia’s woodworking industry. Its portfolio today spans melamine faced boards, plywood, laminates, edgebands and acoustic panels, with low formaldehyde options among its offerings.
There was also a sense of familiarity to returning to ARCHIDEX. Two years earlier, Shimlen’s Sleek acoustic panel received an ARCHIDEX Star Award. Designed for wall and ceiling applications, Sleek brings together sound absorption and a woodgrain surface, demonstrating how an acoustic treatment can sit comfortably within the visual language of an interior.
If 2024 drew attention to what Shimlen produced, 2026 offered a wider view of how the company presented its material world. Eucalli may have been the new arrival, but the booth gave visitors a setting in which to engage with the brand and its evolving portfolio.
The Best Booth Award brought that appearance to a fitting close. For a company working with materials destined to become part of architecture and interiors, ARCHIDEX offered the chance to give them a setting of their own. This time, the setting left with an accolade too.
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