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Control Contractor 60 Series

Control Contractor 50 Series

Control Contractor 40 Series

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for your next project. High Performance Meets High Refinement The professionals choice for over half a century No matter where you go in this world, you’ll find JBL Installed Sound Speaker Systems at many of the most notable venues. With that kind of global perspective, JBL has come to respect the one indisputable truth of business: every customer is unique. A speaker system that is perfectly right for one job might be perfectly wrong for another. That’s why JBL Installed Sound products offer a range of options without equal. From the ex-

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traordinary value of the Control Contractor Series to the ultimate precision of the JBL Precision Directivity Series, there’s a JBL Installed Sound product with a solid business solution based on equally solid business savvy. For more than 60 years, JBL has been the professional speaker of choice wherever sound matters. We’d like to believe it should be your choice, too.

The New Samsung Solution Displays Line –up with Smart Signage Platform

The new Samsung ME-C, MD-C,PE-C, UE-C and UD-C series LED*BLU offer great new features for digital signage applications, video wall set ups and information sharing. The Samsung Smart Signage Platform (SSSP) is designed to eliminate the need for external PC media players, helping to streamline display and content management. Combine with MagicInfo™ Premium S software, to create, schedule and deliver content to either a single display or multiple displays over a network. **^ New Features common to the ME-C, MD-C,PE-C, UE-C and UD-C series include: • DP1.2 Daisy Chain for sharing content to compatible displays.# • Content/ Image Rotation • HDCP support thru DP1.2 for up to 7 compatible displays# • MagicInfo™ Premium S**^ software • DDP1.2 UHD Loop Out for 2 x 2 video wall configuration^^ • Magicinfo™ Videowall S**^ software • Auto Source Switching and Recovery • Onboard Memory for Content

ME-C Series

MD-C Series

• Edge Lit LED*BLU • 32, 40, 46, 55 & 75” • Slimline design • Low glare surface • 450 cd/m2 brightness

• Direct Lit LED*BLU • 32, 40, 46, 55 & 65” • Low glare surface • 350 cd/m2 brightness

(ME75C - 550 cd/m2) • 5000:1 CR • ME75C includes WiFi Embedded and WiDi 2.0 • Optional adaptive touch module

• 5000:1 CR • MD65C includes WiFi

(MD65C - 450 cd/m2)

PE-C Series • Edge Lit LED*BLU • 40, 46 and 55” • Usage up to 24/7 • Low glare surface • 700 cd/m2 brightness • 4000:1 CR

UE-C Series

UD-C Series

• Edge Lit LED*BLU 240Hz • 46 and 55” • Slimline design • 5.15mm bezel for video • 500 cd/m2 brightness • 5000:1 CR • Advanced Colour

• Direct Lit LED*BLU • 46 and 55 inch” • Premium Video Wall • Combined bezel 5.5mm • Usage up to 24/7 • Low glare surface • 700 cd/m2 brightness • Advanced Colour

Management Support

wall applications

Embedded and WiDi 2.0 • Optional adaptive

touch module

National Solution Displays Team Victoria and Tasmania

New South Wales and A.C.T. Mark Malcaus 0439 416 157 Quad Samsung, 8 Parkview Drive, Homebush Bay NSW 2127 Australia m.malcaus@samsung.com

Western Australia and South Australia Wayne Standen 0447 414 627 Garden Office Park, Level 1, Building E 355 Scarborough Beach Road, Osborne Park WA 6017 w.standen@samsung.com

Paul Turner 0424 320 254 Unit 3/270 Ferntree Gully rd., Notting Hill, Vic. 3168 Paul.turner@samsung.com

Queensland and Northern Territory Gavin Lamb 0437 814 650 747 Lytton Rd, Murarrie, QLD, 4172 gavin.lamb@samsung.com

Images used for illustration purposes only * Samsung LED BLU Commercial Displays use LCD display panels with LED back or edge lighting. ** MagicInfo™ Premium S software is included with displays for stand-alone applications only. For network applications, server licenses are required at additional cost. MagicInfo VideoWall requires one licence at additional cost per display in video wall plus console software at additional cost. ^ Internet connection required. Data and subscription charges may apply. Usage may be subject to third party service provider agreements ^^DP1.2 cables sold separately. Content delivery device must be able to deliver UHD content via DP1.2. # DP cable required, sold separately.

www.samsung.com/au/business it.sales@samsung.com

The new range of Samsung Commercial Displays

The new Samsung ME-C, PE-C, UE-C and UD-C series LED*BLU displays have all received important upgrades from the previous models, offering great new features for digital signage applications, video wall set ups and information sharing.

The new Samsung Smart Signage Platform (SSSP) with MagicInfo™ Premium S**^ Enabling web based multi-display signage networks without the need for external media players! Included with the latest ME-C, PE-C, UE-C and UD-C series displays, SSSP is designed to eliminate the need for external PC media players, streamlining display and content management. Combine with MagicInfo™ Premium S software, to create, schedule and deliver content to either a single display or multiple displays over a network**^

DP1.2 Ultra High Definition Loop Out for 2 x 2 Video Wall Configurations^^ The new Samsung ME-C, UE-C, PE-C and UD-C series displays utilises DP1.2 technology to help enable delivery of UHD content across 4 separate displays (each display sold separately) when set up in a 2 x 2 landscape video wall configuration. Simply loop out of the first display with a DP1.2 cable, daisy chain the displays and they are ready to accept Ultra High Definition (3820 x 2160) content.

Easy Image Rotation – use the display settings to rotate your content The image rotation feature enables simple rotation of screen content using display menu functions. This feature is designed to allow content to be reoriented without losing its aspect ratio, and can also be delivered to multiple screens via DP1.2 loop out (daisy chain)#, eg. to expand landscape content across 3 displays in portrait mode (as shown).

HDCP Support using DP1.2 loop out# The new ME-C, PE-C, UE-C and UD-C Series, now offering the DP1.2 loop out, also offer HDCP support through DP1.2 loop out for up to 7 daisy chained compatible displays. This helps to overcome HDCP compliance issues for multi screen deployments or video wall applications where you need to deliver protected content from one device to multiple displays.

Share Content to multiple displays with DP1.2 Loop Out daisy chain*

The new SSSP, streamlining content and display management

*HDCP up to 7 displays.

Easy content rotation

Create, collaborate, communicate

www.samsung.com/au/business it.sales@samsung.com

Is your Venue

Vale Room Service

Does your Venue use any wireless microphones for bands or presentations? If so, then listen up. In case you’ve missed all the hype, Australia is currently transitioning from Analogue to Digital TV transmission. Once transition is complete, wireless audio devices must vacate the surplus spectrum, known as the Digital Dividend (694-820MHz), to free it for the new services.

Get your Venue Ready for Digital by visiting the only website that will give you all of the following: > Restack Overview > FAQ’s > Updates and Articles > Online Forum > Frequency Guide > Helpful Links

There’s a lot of speculation and misinformation out there about the changes that are happening, and even when you know what you are looking for it is hard to find the information you need. Enter www.readyfordigital.com.au – your one-stop-shop for all the information you need about the Digital Dividend Restack, and how you can navigate your way around it.

recall my first hotel memory like it was yesterday: My family was road-tripping across Victoria to Adelaide and we stopped overnight at a Flag Inn in Horsham. I don’t remember anything about the hotel but I do remember being awoken by someone opening a hatch next to the front door and sliding a cloched plate in on a tray. I’d never seen anything like it. The clandestine delivery method, the stainless steel dome, the precious cargo: a couple of slices of Tip Top with sachets of butter and Vegemite. We were a brown bread family, don’t you know, and the slices of toasted white were as exotic as pumpernickel. And nothing had ever smelt so good. I recall being utterly beside myself with excitement. I must have been 16… no, I mean, six. That might have been my first experience of room service and it has almost been my last. I’ve only every called on room service for an early-start brekky, but almost never in the evening. The prices are prohibitive and the wait is invariably interminable. You’d have to be on death’s door, surely, or Donald Trump… or both. Seems like you and I aren’t the only ones to notice room service’s lack of appeal. New York Hilton Midtown made the news recently for announcing it was canning its room service… well, service. Remember, this isn’t the Horsham Flag Inn, this is the biggest hotel in Manhatten, and doubtlessly more will follow. So why is room service on the nose? I think we all instinctively know why. Travellers’ tastes have changed and the eating options have greatly expanded over the last 20 years or so. A businessman in the ’70s (and it would invariably be a man) would either have a dinner engagement or would probably order room service, stay in and watch M*A*S*H on the Trinitron. There wouldn’t many options in between. Sitting in a steakhouse on one’s own would have been almost unthinkable. And there simply wasn’t the array of casual eateries there are now. Fast forward to whatever we’re calling the 2010s, and as a solo traveller there are any number of ways I could eat cheaply, quickly and deliciously, all far more attractive than a $25 club sandwich washed down with an $8 bottle of water in the room. “We surveyed 22,000 guests, owners and operators and we learned that the way people eat at home is translating into the way they eat on the road,” said Beth Scott, Hilton Worldwide’s vice president of food and beverage concepts, in a statement. “As a result, we decided to reinvent the hotel dining model to better serve the needs, wants and lifestyle of our customers.” Fair enough. Some industry boffins are wondering if yanking room service off the menu will endanger the hotel’s star rating. After all, it can hardly call itself a ‘full-service’ hotel if you can’t ring the kitchen for eggs over easy. I say, whatever. Christopher Holder Editorial Director Send Chris a cheerio on chris@venuemag.com

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JULY

Nº53

Contents “we always say: bring us the crazy shit too. Don’t hold back. We’re open to it. [Looking around the renovation] This was the ‘crazy shit’” Matt Mullins, The Prahran Hotel — pg60

Beach Classic Ivanhoe Hotel: Petersons’ Pride & Joy

pg66

CONTACTS:

CONTENTS

Advertising Office: (02) 9986 1188 PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 Editorial Office: (03) 5331 4949 PO Box 295, Ballarat, VIC 3353

Hotels Special

Sebel on Pier One Sails in the Desert Conservatorium Hotel Hotel Lighting Design Park Royal Darling Harbour Fraser Suites Perth Flinders Hotel The Como Rendezvous Grand Hotel QT Gold Coast You Wish, Bathrooms

pg16 pg18 pg20 pg22 pg24 pg28 pg30 pg32 pg34 pg36 pg82

Regulars

Kit Sit Lit Preferred Suppliers Smooth Operator Music Connection

pg72 pg74 pg76 pg78 pg11 pg12

The Prahran Hotel Ivanhoe Hotel 20 Questions: Suzanne TrocmĂŠ

pg60 pg66 pg38

Clubs Special

Twin Towns Services Club Club Central Menai Yaralla Sports Club Alfresco Design Bondi Icebergs

pg42 pg48 pg52 pg54 pg54

Editorial Director: Christopher Holder (chris@venuemag.com)) Publication Director: Stewart Woodhill (stewart@venuemag.com) Publisher: Philip Spencer (philip@venuemag.com) Art Direction & Design: Dominic Carey (dominic@alchemedia.com.au) Additional Design: Leigh Ericksen (leigh@alchemedia.com.au) Circulation Manager: Jen Temm (subscriptions@alchemedia.com.au) Accounts: Jaedd Asthana (accounts@alchemedia.com.au)

alchemedia publishing pty ltd (ABN: 34 074 431 628) PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 info@alchemedia.com.au All material in this magazine is copyright ÂŠ 2013 Alchemedia Publishing Pty Ltd. The title Venue is a registered Trademark. Apart from any fair dealing permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. The publishers believe all information supplied in this magazine to be correct at the time of publication. They are not in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. After investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, prices, addresses and phone numbers were up to date at the time of publication. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements appearing in this publication comply with the Trade Practices Act, 1974. The responsibility is on the person, company or advertising agency submitting or directing the advertisement for publication. The publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, although every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy.

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SMOOTH OPERATOR Ode to the parma. Matt Mullins is a partner in Sand Hill Road hospitality group

ourteen years ago the boys and I sat around a small Richmond townhouse writing names on a piece of paper and sampling beers. We were planning our first pub, and obviously there were only two things you really had to nail when you were planning your first pub: what you’re gonna call it, and what beer you’re gonna serve. It was only in the last days before taking possession that it occurred to us to plan the food. And in the end, it showed. But hey, at least we planned some food. In a lot of Melbourne pubs back then, the only food available sat on a shelf behind the bar, came in a packet and got shaken unceremoniously into one of those small wicker baskets by a barman with fat fingers. Those pubs that served real food, from a kitchen, all offered pretty much the same real food: parma, burger, fish and chips, steak sandwich and steak. But that was way too old-fashioned for us. We wanted something new, something original. We wanted a point of difference. So we scoured the world for novel food ideas… and came up with none. Then one day my brother was watching late-night Seinfeld reruns — for years now the source of many of the world’s great ideas. As everyone knows, at some point in every Seinfeld episode, someone eats takeaway noodles – it was a Eureka moment for my bro. And that’s how we came to be the first, last and only pub to serve all its food in noodle boxes. And I mean all food – entrée, main and dessert, salads and sides, the lot. We didn’t own plates. Possessed no bowls. We were a ceramicfree zone. The noodle box was our big idea. Now, as the more astute of you will have already realised, the noodle box is not in itself a cuisine. It’s a method of delivery, yes. It’s a vessel from which to eat, on your lap, in front of the TV, yes. But it’s not a cuisine. So when people asked us what style of food we offered, and we answered ‘noodle box’, it was like asking a chef what sort of food he makes, and him answering ‘plate’. To compound this problem, we went into the whole thing with one simple ambition: if it could fit in a noodle box, we could sell it in a noodle box. So our menu offered the most diverse range of sloppable foodstuff ever assembled on a blackboard. Stir-fry noodles in a box (of course). Curry and rice in a box (not a massive leap). Bangers and mash in a box

(now we’re getting weird). Rabbit stew in a box (rabbit stew was just odd, forget about it being served in a box). And the piece de resistance: chicken parmigiana in a box (I shit you not). Talk about coming the full circle (and still facing the wrong way). Unbelievably, it worked. For a while anyway. Eventually the novelty wore off, the punters got sick of it, we purchased some crockery, and we rescued our chicken parmigiana out of the box and onto the plate (not an especially good result for the chickens themselves, but an altogether classier way to go, if that’s your fate). The point I’m making is this: food wasn’t a big part of the pub offering back then. Punters didn’t have high expectations. Publicans didn’t have high ambition. Kitchens didn’t have chefs. (Hell, some pubs didn’t even have kitchens.) But we’ve all come a long way in a relatively short period of time. Like most inner city pubs these days, our venues rely heavily on their food trade, to bolster and support the liquor trade. Most people who walk into one of our pubs will eat food – it could be as small as a share plate between friends, or as large as a three-course meal. Most of the time, however, it’s a chicken parmigiana. The Richmond Club alone last year sold enough chicken parmas to tip the scales on an F-111 fighter jet fully loaded with fuel and missiles. [I love that someone did the maths on that… presumably — Ed.] It’s a peculiarly Melbourne phenomenon, the chicken parma. Not that other cities don’t have them. I’ve occasionally seen them on menus in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. (Though I’ve been too scared to order one interstate after a wellknown Bondi establishment served my parma topped with melted cheese too square to be anything other than a Kraft Processed Cheddar cheese slice. This was a poignant lesson, painfully learnt.) No other city is even remotely as fanatical about the parma as Melbourne. There’s a website devoted to rating parmas. There are pubs that sell only parmas – done 20 different ways. In Melbourne we ask for a parma without the toppings if we want a schnitzel, rather than a schnitzel with the toppings if we want a parma. In most Melbourne pubs I know of, half of all meals served will be a parma. I’ve always admired publicans who strike out in a new direction with their menus. Innovation

“Sure, you might have a point of difference, but the point of difference probably isn’t ‘no parmas’, its more likely ‘no punters’” moves us all forward, even if we leave it to a select brave few to do the hard work out the front. And, as we learnt the hard way during noodlebox-gate, the brave decision to not offer a dish your competitors are selling by the fighter-jetload is not so much brave, as crazy. Sure, you might have a point of difference, but the point of difference probably isn’t ‘no parmas’, its more likely ‘no punters’. Regardless of what your menu looks like or where your price-point sits, so much of what makes your food work isn’t food at all. None of us has the perfect menu, or perfect food for that matter. I’ve had an overdone steak at the best steakhouse in town. But when the best steakhouse in town overcooks my steak, they apologise. Then they take it away and cook a new one. Its not perfection that makes them the best, its humility. Now, I’m in no position to offer gastronomical advice to anyone (the litany of culinary debacles listed above is testament to my ample inadequacy) but let me offer two simple suggestions from a kitchen layman: 1. If you own a pub in Melbourne, serve chicken parmigiana. 2. But not in a box.

MUSIC CONNECTION Live tracking and metrics will change everything. Stuart Watters is a Director of Morph TV and consults for Nightlife Music

ome gather round people… cos the times they are a changin’. In recent years, there have been a range of technological developments occurring worldwide that are changing the way venues manage their music, in consultation with their music providers. I’ve been fortunate enough to be working with the team of developers at Nightlife who are at the forefront of innovation in an evolving market. Nightlife is positioned to release some game-changing tools that will have a substantial impact on both the user and owner of copyrights in the coming years. Last year, the senior development and management team journeyed over to the Nightclub & Bar Show in Las Vegas to get an idea of the international benchmark. They returned satisfied that Nightlife is well ahead of the pack in terms of providing real and world’s best practice technology in venues right here in Australia. There are literally hundreds of new app-based tools being developed aimed at helping venue operators manage their entertainment. A recurring theme in this space is the linking of the consumer as an influencer in the way venues deliver entertainment and services. The team saw everything on offer including: jukeboxes in your pocket; social integration and tracking beyond the venue; economic transactions using smart phones; smart DJ booths and venue acoustics beyond anything currently available in the local market. What was interesting about most of the companies behind these developments is that: a) most of them were not traditionally based in the entertainment and public performance space, and b) none of them were able to deliver all of the part, just components of a venue’s needs. This is where it actually gets interesting for a company like Nightlife. As a complete solution, Nightlife is continually working on joining all of the dots of its clients’ entertainment requirements. Gone are the days that a music provider delivers a bunch of music compiled on discs and then returns a few months later with more. Venues require much more these days to keep pace with the growing demands of their clientele. In order for a venue to stand out from this crowded and competitive space — not to mention competing with the growing number of people who prefer to stay at home — they need to consider many factors including: physical design, covering both visual and aural aesthetic; appropriate music programming for every day of the week, dif-

ferent times and different rooms; when to have the sport on; when to have the sport off; and managing the plethora of screens now ubiquitous in venues. This is for venues to ensure they are not polluted with inappropriate content and to ensure they’re only paying public performance fees for the right screens while simultaneously: managing computerised menuboards; digital advertising in the venues; news and weather content; maintaining a good social networking presence; staying connected with its consumer base; having karaoke and trivia options; random number generators for raffles and on and on and on. It’s a lot to take on board and manage while also ensuring the food is good and the drinks are cold. And this is what Nightlife’s team have been diligently chipping away at for the past few years and should be what all providers are working towards. After all, you can’t afford to rest on your laurels either as a provider or a venue. The most recent development is the advent of the Nightlife App, which is essentially a music management tool for venue operators. From their phone or other device, venue managers are able to monitor all of the aforementioned features either on site or remotely. As a music company, however, the original drive for this was to give venue operators more direct access to managing and having input into the music. Originally this was so operators could change the music use quickly and effectively from anywhere in their venue. It was then developed so they’d be able to integrate social network messaging and notifications, and address a range of internal monitoring and tracking tools from within single venues to across the largest groups. This information can be fed directly back to the venue’s management team and Nightlife staff. This, in turn, feeds into the notion that there is a growing demand for venues to have a better handle on the use of music in their venues. As stated in a previous article, music can make or break a venue, so a client’s music needs are particularly hands on. Tools like these empower the venue to take the lead without having to seek, source and manage their libraries of content. Essentially, the world of music consumption is moving away from the ‘purchase and play’ model to subscriber access — a la Spotify. This model is new for consumers, but is something that background music providers have been delivering into markets for a number of years. When a venue works with a provider, they are essentially leasing

or renting the music to be used in their venue. As a by-product of this new software, Nightlife is able to track: when a song is played; how a song is selected; where it was used in a venue; what time of the day or night it was used and under what circumstances it was used (ie. in a café or a nightclub or through a jukebox). Some of the current advances have given Nightlife the capacity to track live plays in venues across its network. Up until recently, reporting back to copyright owners occurred retrospectively. This new software platform enables live tracking so that, in effect, the long-term goal will be to give labels, publishers and artist managers a login to the backend dashboard that provides live information. This live information will allow stakeholders to accurately track how their songs are being used, how often they are being played and how much revenue they are generating. There is even capacity to receive notifications each time a copyright is being performed publicly. Tools like this simply don’t exist, and hence represent a world first. Never before, in the public performance space, have copyright owners and music companies had the capacity to: monitor the data that relates to their artists; value the micro-payments in a live sense; or be able to see whether their song is being played in a low paying public performance setting (background bar) or a high one (nightclub). So what does this mean for your venue? Compliance with the copyright collection agencies can at times be a difficult field to navigate, and can sometimes create undue stress for venues. All copyright owners should be paid for the use of their work. Knowing that your public performance licence fees are going to the right people humanises compliancy through transparent transactions. The long-term objective here is to achieve a world’s best practice, economical and accurate way of delivering royalties back to the copyright owners. Efficiency at this level will mean that when a venue is paying for the use of music to Nightlife — and the collection societies for the public performance rights — they will know their money is going exactly where it should be. It is safe to say that this environment, until now, hasn’t existed in the Australian market and isn’t in operation in other parts of the world either. There is definitely change in the air in this space or as Bob Dylan so aptly put it in his song Tangled up in Blue: “There was music in the cafés at night and revolution in the air...”

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PIER WITHOUT PEER Sebel Pier One 11 Hickson Rd, Dawes Point NSW (02) 8298 9999 or www.sebelpierone.com.au

The Rocks’ ‘U Bend’ changes everything. I think you know what I mean: as you travel along Circular Quay to the Harbour, it’s all maximum exposure, high-gloss, tourist-heavy, Ken Done, ‘still call Australia home’ Sydney Town. Go under the bridge (the U Bend I referred to) and everything is different. Walsh Bay may not have a different post code but it’s a different suburb, and has all the benefits of the harbour without the $20 an hour parking, and open top sightseeing buses. There’s a sense of community, even.

CONTACTS

The Sebel Pier One is the first structure you encounter if you make it all the way under the bridge to Walsh Bay. It’s perfectly located. It’s a splinter of waterfront heaven.

Bates Smart Architects: (03) 8664 6200 or www.batessmart.com.au SJB Interiors: (02) 9380 9911 or www.sjb.com.au

As editor of this magazine I’m lucky enough to experience some luxurious rooms in my peregrinations, but I daresay Sebel Pier One’s Harbour View Balcony Suites offer one of the world’s finest aspects. Truly astonishing. Bates Smart Architects hasn’t bothered to compete with the view in its room design — that would be futile — nevertheless there’s a neutral sophistication that is luxurious without ostentation. Designed for open-plan living, there’s a seamless transi-

tion from the bedroom to the bathroom in all of the new suites, and all have an abundance of natural light thanks to the floor-to-ceiling wraparound windows and glass sliding doors. Each of the bathrooms have standalone bath tubs, twin rain showers with side jets, double brass bowl vanities and deluxe amenity kits from Appelles Apothecary. The largest balcony measures a whopping 40sqm which juts out over the Pier and makes for an ideal setting for private alfresco dining, sunset drinks or simply taking in the beauty of Sydney Harbour and watching the mega yachts sail past. All the balcony suites have designer daybeds and arm chairs which are positioned to maximise the views. There’s no harm in phoning to check if there are any Balcony Suite cancellation for New Year’s Eve but last I heard they were blocked out by one happy camper from 2012 not hesitating to pay $4000 a shot for the privilege. As well as the seven new suites, The Sebel Pier One Sydney has also finished renovating 22 new Waterside King and Heritage King rooms which now takes the hotel’s total room count to 189.

General Manager for The Sebel Pier One Sydney, Michael Sheridan, said: “There is no other suite in the city that resonates ‘Sydney’ as much as the new balcony suites do, and we believe that they will be very popular with visitors who want to really experience Sydney while also enjoying a premier location for business and leisure.” FUNCTION SPACE There’s more to Sebel Pier One than the beautiful guest rooms. Walsh Bay businesses and locals (and of course, those further afield) have taken to the hotel function spaces. Launched in September 2012, and designed by SJB Interiors, Water @ Pier One has quickly become Sydney’s most sought after venues. Situated on the ground floor and at the front of the Pier with expansive wrap-around glass windows, Water @ Pier One comprises eight conference and event rooms, enjoys unrivalled views of Sydney Harbour and can hold up to 450 people.

FULL SAILS Sails in the Desert: Ayers Rock Resort www.ayersrockresort.com.au/sails Story: Christopher Holder

CONTACTS CHADA: (02) 9318 2627 or www.chada.com.au

Uluru is without doubt on the bucketlist of just about any committed traveller the world over. There’s nothing quite like it. And whether you’re travelling from Beijing or Ballarat you have an expectation: you’re going to have a close encounter with the Outback. I mean, let’s be clear, there are few more remote places on earth than Uluru, and there’s a natural, instinctive connection with Australia’s indigenous people here. What am I getting at? Okay, I’ll be more blunt: if you go to Ayers Rock and you stay at the resort, you expect to see aborigines. Bizarrely, since the Sheraton resort was built in the ’80s you didn’t… see aboriginal people, that is. In fact, it’s been no secret that indigenous people have traditionally resented the tourists: flying in, stomping all over their sacred sites, then sodding off. Times have changed. Markedly. And the wholesale changes started in May 2011 when Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia bought the Ayers Rock Resort for $300m.

SETTING SAILS Voyages is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Indigenous Land Council. And when it took over the resort it needed some love. The primo hotel on site, Sails in the Desert, (Ayers Rock Resort, is made up of Sails, the Desert Gardens hotel, the Outback Pioneer and Lodge, a camping ground and Longitude 131) wasn’t enjoying great customer feedback, so Voyages embarked on a full renovation, including all the rooms, and the common areas such as the dining and reception. CHADA was engaged to take care of the design, charged with the brief of producing a ‘modern indigenous’ look — not something anyone could recall had been done before. The theme incorporates two pieces of indigenous art in the guest rooms, a bespoke carpet design that reflects the landscape (a ‘dry creek bed’, as suggested by some) and the basket chandeliers, which are all redolent of the red centre and the people who call it home. venue spoke to Voyages’ Director of Public Relations, Karena Noble to learn a little more about what it means for the resort to be in aboriginal hands.

venue: What’s the background to Voyages owning and managing a big hospitality complex like Ayers Rock Resort? Karena Noble: Voyages is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC). The ILC owns lands on behalf of local aboriginal people. Mainly these are pastoral holdings that are leased to ranchers. One of those was Home Valley Station in the Kimberley, and around five years ago they decided to put in hotel rooms. The ILC was then approached by the people of Mossman Gorge to create a tourism facility, called the Gateway Centre. Then in 2011 then the decision was taken to buy Ayers Rock Resort for $300m. venue: Right. So there’s a logical progression there. But I’m guessing the role of Voyages is a little more than running a successful hospitality venture? KN: That’s right. There’s also a mandate to increase indigenous employment and training. At the time of takeover the resort had two indigenous employees and now we have 170. We have set up the national indigenous training academy. We have four intakes a year, taking young indigenous people from all over Australia, getting them in-house, training

them, and most achieve their Certificate 2 in hospitality management. After completion, every graducate is guaranteed a job either at the resort or in an Australian Accor property — with which we have a marketing partnership. MORE THAN A ROCK venue: What other changes have you made to Ayers Rock Resort? KN: We’ve focussed on what our guests do during the day, when they weren’t out looking at the Rock. We’ve introduced a whole suite of daily guest activity — most are free. These include a garden walk through Sails in the Desert and the Desert Gardens hotel. There are boomerang and and spear throwing classes. We have daily interactive performance by a cultural dance group called Wakagetti, and more. venue: Will you be relying almost entirely on leisure travel? KN: The conference and the incentives market is going to be a great source of revenue for Sails. We spent several million dollars renovating and rebuilding the conferencing facilities. And we’ve been fielding an amazing number of enquiries domestically and internationally — there is just such a fascination about the destination.

“At the time of takeover the resort had two indigenous employees and now we have 170”

DUTCH TREAT 24

Conservatorium Hotel: Van Baerlestraat 27, Amsterdam, Netherlands +31 20 570 0000 or www.conservatoriumhotel.com Story: Christopher Holder

There’s something about the Dutch. They do stylish informality so well. I love the fact the Dutch have a much-adored royal family, but the royals are just as likely to be spotted riding a bike down to the shops than they are sunning themselves on a yacht in Monaco. Amsterdam is a city that has lived through booms and busts. One wonders if the Dutch really had their heart in colonialism, they certainly weren’t as enthusiastic as other European powers, but Amsterdam does have plenty of architectural grandeur to enjoy from that era. Including the Conservatorium Hotel building, a 19th century neo-gothic treasure. The building has enjoyed life as a music school but also as a bank headquarters, which makes more sense of some of the original detail, such as the clerks’ filing drawers in the restaurant (see right). The building was more recently bought by Mr Georgi Akirov who has taken great delight in transforming it into one of the most gorgeous hotels in the world, in no small part to the meticulous work of Milan-based designer Piero Lissoni. The refurb honours the building’s classical past, making the most of the magnificent proportions, and monumental stone and timber work, but adds the right level of sophistication and amenity you’d expect from a modern five-star hotel. The hotel features 129 bedrooms and suites, a couple of restaurants and a bar, as well as a selection of cutting-edge events and banqueting spaces. Conservatorium Hotel is also home to the Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre — a 1000sqm urban retreat. Akasha is one of the finest spas in Amsterdam, offering a range of signature treatments and features a 18m x 5m indoor swimming pool, a whirlpool, Hammam, sauna, Watsu pool and relaxation areas.

MAN BEHIND THE SET Georgi Akirov is an Israeli property tycoon, heading The Alrov Luxury Group, which cut its hospitality teeth on the Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem. The Mamilla (which combines Jerusalem stone with sleek modern design) has clearly given Georgi a taste for high-end, design-led hotels. His Big Idea is The Set. The Set, which admittedly sounds a little Bond villain-ish, is a new group that includes The Conservatorium and Mamilla along with two other projects in the pipeline in London and Paris. The Set will focus on restoring heritage buildings in Europe’s major cities. Or as Akirov puts it: “My dream is to build a collection of hotels that share the same vision and DNA, while each hotel has its own identity connecting it to its city and building. Making the collection happen is highly rewarding.” I’m yet to collect nights at any other hotels in The Set, but I can safely say The Conservatorium Hotel is a total one-off. You’ll find nothing like it in its style, atmosphere and design. It’s magnificent, yet uniquely Dutch. Piero Lissoni: www.lissoniassociati.com

Delft Touch: Split level rooms (above) make the most of the double height windows. The hotel caters to every taste and the restaurant and bar areas are destinations in their own right for locals and international visitors. The Brasserie (far left) offers contemporary classic all-day dining. Tunes Restaurant & Bar by Schilo (left) with show kitchen offers local authentic dishes based on seasonally sourced products.

HOTEL LIGHTING DESIGN

With recent jobs including The Darling Hotel at The Star, The QT Sydney, the Four Seasons Hotel in New Delhi and the Hotel Hotel in Canberra, PointOfView lighting designer, Mark Elliot, has a wealth of experience in the hotels sector. Story: Mark Elliot 26

s lighting designers it’s our job to find ways to interpret the specific nature of a designer’s interiors, and subtly enhance it with light. Often our work is most successful when people don’t notice it — they just feel at ease and happy in a space. Not to say there isn’t a lot of frantic pedalling that goes on to make a lighting design look effortless. Behind the scenes we’re busy sculpting the light, integrating light sources into furniture and architectural elements, layering the light and creating restful pockets of shade, creating focus on architectural and fine art features, dreaming up and testing new bespoke feature lights such as pendants and chandeliers, and targeting small highlight objects to give maximum sparkle and shine.

HOTELS AT NIGHT There’s no denying that lighting design is an important aspect of design in the hospitality industry. Hotel guests spend a big chunk of their time in a hotel at night, and the experience of the lighting will be central to their sense of the space. In hotels, spas and restaurants, it’s extremely important to make guests feel comfortable — and that contributes to a sense of elegance and a certain energy. But every project is different and each presents a learning curve. For instance, in spa areas (see pictured right the spa at The Darling, Sydney), darkness is often as vitally important as light and adds a deep sense of privacy, relaxation and luxury. I love lighting spas, you can almost make them as dark and dramatic as you like! These are just a few of the aesthetic considerations of a lighting designer’s practice. The technical details of how they actually achieve their effects are sometimes best left to specialists. The main point is that a lighting designer has to be both a heavyweight design talent and a science boffin at the same time. Without either of these talents, the lighting will be disastrous.

CASE BY CASE At QT Sydney (pictured bottom right), it was a question of bringing out the textures, colour and unusual aspects of Nic Graham’s interiors, and adding value to the original architectural features. At the Man Tong Kitchen at Crown Melbourne, we had to be flexible, and sensitive to differing expectations of light levels — diners at Asian restaurants are typically happier in a brighter environment whereas people favour more shadow in the West. POV catered to both expectations by creating a more shaded general dining area and brighter private dining rooms around it. POV’s lighting of Neil Perry’s latest restaurant, Rosetta Ristorante (pictured above), also at Crown Melbourne, couldn’t be more different. The interior by Iain Halliday recreates the feel of traditional European elegance, but it’s translated into a modern idiom. We gave the impression that all the light emanates from traditional light sources such as the Venetian Chandeliers by Barovier & Toso but in reality, much of the lighting by day and by night comes from LEDs, fibre optics and other new technologies, hidden within the architectural elements. At The Darling Hotel in Sydney, the spectacular interior by DBI Designers presented a challenge in the form of the double height foyer space. We kept all light sources low, to retain a feeling of intimacy. HOTEL HOTEL… HOTEL Soon to open in Canberra, Hotel Hotel (above right) is conceived as a luxurious eco-shack in the bush, and the demands of energy efficiency are supremely heavy. The challenge is to remain faithful to the client’s ecological aims, while delivering a truly luxurious experience. I think and hope we’ve pulled it off. It’s certainly very different. I’ll be interested to see the reaction to Don Cameron and March Studio’s interior design — and our lighting — when Hotel Hotel opens.

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RIGHT ROYAL REFURB Parkroyal Darling Harbour 150 Day St, Sydney NSW (02) 9261 1188 or www.parkroyalhotels.com/darlingharbour Story: Lucie Robson

Contacts Hassell Studio: (03) 8102 3000 or www.hassellstudio.com HotSOS: www.m-tech.com/products/hotsos/

From its lemongrass-scented foyer to the plush Club Lounge, everything at Parkroyal Darling Harbour is new again. In January the 340-room hotel unveiled its $20 million makeover, completed while business as usual continued the whole time - with design from Hassell Studio. The huge atrium, creamy white curves and teal shades throughout (a Parkroyal colour) reflect the city and harbour surrounds. The decision to upgrade it all was made easier, says Craig Bond, by the fact that the property is owned by the Pan Pacific Hotels Group. Bond is the Area General Manager, Oceania for Pan Pacific. “We have confidence in the Sydney market,” he says. “Part of introducing the Parkroyal brand back into Australia was making sure that our Parkroyal product is on brand.” In a precinct full of hotels, introducing extras to the guest experience is key to becoming the pick of the bunch. While Parkroyal is an international brand, each property has its own character, says Bond; no cookie-cutter approaches allowed. Hassell designed the reception “pods”, small stations where staff interact with guests, which reference the sails of the Opera House. “That’s one component,” Bond explains. “Lots of elements of the outside and a lot of the architectural elements of the city and the destination have been put into the project.” Susan Standring, Principal at Hassell Studio, saw a need for the hotel’s spaces to be more connected and flexible. “The replanning of the menu of spaces really engaged with the aspiration for visual connectivity and physical flexibility which is evident in the restaurant, club lounge and guest rooms.” Inside the rooms, neutral greys and textures of the bush are joined by the blue and green of the sea – “a ‘sanctuary’ within the urban context,” Standring explains. The idea of

sanctuary is enhanced by a residential feel throughout. As flat-screen televisions and iPod docking stations become everyday household items, the next advancements in hotel technology involve developing a seamless guest experience, with the help of HotSOS (Hotel Service Optimisation System). For example, housekeeping staff now carry PDAs that automatically update room lists when guests request late check-outs and don’t wish to be disturbed. “Technology is one of those things that moves very, very quickly, and in our environment, in the hotel world, we need to move quickly as well,” Bond explains. “The guest doesn’t see it, but it increases the level of customer service without them really knowing.” The next step will be guests using their smartphones to check in. Parkroyal boasts Barkers restaurant and the Blackwattle Ballroom, a 3-in-1 function space enhanced with new audiovisual capabilities. But the feather in the hotel’s cap is the 9thfloor Club Lounge, complemented by 60 extra-special Club Rooms. “For a four-and-a-half-star hotel to have a Club Floor, two floors of dedicated club accommodation, which is a different design to the rest of the hotel rooms, and to have this club lounge where you can have a wonderful breakfast and evening drinks and a wonderful array of food, is quite unique for a hotel in our competitor set,” says Bond. “We’re finding that it also is an opportunity to yield the business. It gives you another price point, and at the end of the day it’s profitable.” Calm neutral colours, lounges and tables with a view, and a bonus meeting room – the Club Lounge is a sanctuary within a sanctuary. Feedback has been glowing, says Bond. “I would put my hand on my heart and say that our club product is probably better than a lot of five-star hotel accommodation in Sydney.”

House AV The hotel has completely modernised the audiovisual offering throughout the hotel ensuring all of today’s personal in-room technology needs are meet along with the presentation requirements of conferences. ParkRoyal has highly trained onsite technicians available to ensure any event runs smoothly. The jewel in the events crown is the elegant and stylish Blackwattle Ballroom, which can be divided into three separate rooms and has integrated ceiling-mounted QSC audio systems and Shure digital radio microphones to ensure clear audio in all parts of the room or rooms. A hi-def 5300 ANSI lumen Sony data projectors and new 3320mm x 1865mm widescreen motorised screens allow video or PowerPoint presentations to be displayed with clear sight lines and crisp clear images visible from the entire room. Lighting rigging and infrastructure allows any possible configuration of event to be held with lighting effects and amenity suitable for all event types from gala dinners to conferences and meetings. Sony: pro.sony.com.au TAG (QSC): (02) 9519 0900 or www.tag.com.au Jands (Shure): (02) 9582 0909 or www.jands.com.au

“housekeeping staff at Parkroyal now carry PDAs that automatically update room lists when 29 guests request late check-outs and don’t wish to be disturbed”

SUITE AS Fraser Suites Perth: 10 Adelaide Terrace, East Perth WA (08) 9261 0000 or perth.frasershospitality.com RLD: www.ruthlevine.com.au or www.dcruz.net.au

Fraser Suites Perth is the first five-star all-suite apartment hotel to be built in the city in over a decade. Fraser Suites are known for their style, and the Perth iteration is no different: a classy RLD design features sophisticated spaces that are creative and eye-catching but also practical and functional with luxurious fabrics and custom designed contemporary furnishings. The impressive 19-storey property in East Perth is the third opening in Australia for Frasers Hospitality and features 236 five-star residences. The property offers various types of accommodation – Deluxe and Executive studios and Deluxe and Premier one-bedroom apartments which can be easily connected to create two-bedroom apartments. Each residence at Fraser Suites Perth comes complete with integrated open living, dining and kitchen areas, all with elegant interiors and sumptuous finishes.

Designed for comfort and practicality, the studio apartments feature a bright, fresh interior décor with muted tones and harmonious colours, and are equipped with work desks, kitchens, state-of-the-art home entertainment systems. Some also have balconies. What’s more, the property boasts chic bathrooms with designer amenities and high-speed free wi-fi — a standard across the group. The apartments’ facilities are complemented a pool, sauna and 24-hour gym as well as a fashionable bar and The Dining Room restaurant offering alfresco dining.

INN LIKE FLINDERS Flinders Hotel: Cook St, Flinders VIC (03) 5989 0201 or www.flindershotel.com.au

Story: Christopher Holder Photos: UA Creative RotheLowman: (03) 9268 6800 or www.rothelowman.com.au

The township of Flinders is on the Mornington Peninsula. But before you dream up visions of ‘Chapel Street by the Sea’, Flinders is a long, long way from Lindsay Fox’s helipad or Solomon Lew’s illegal Portsea landscaping. Flinders is in, what the ABC latté sippers might quaintly call, ‘The Regions’. It’s a largely untouched bayside idyll. That’s not to say the locals (most don’t get chauffeured into the area on a Friday night) don’t have a hankering for a level of sophistication. Drinking a stubby in your Stubbies has its place, but at the end of the week it’s nice to enjoy a beer or a glass of local Pinot Gris in comfort and style. Flinders Hotel has been the town’s ‘local’ since 1889. And in those 120-odd years its been burnt down, rebuilt and occasionally tarted up. But its seen nothing like the $10m overhaul of the last three year. After purchasing the property in 2008, the Inge family (headed by builder Zig Inge) teamed up with architects Rothelowman to embark on a three-stage rebuild. First came The Deck, a bistro and bar space comprising 80 indoor and 80 outdoor settings. Following The Deck, a more formal restaurant, Terminus (pictured left), was completed in 2011, along with Peninsula, a function and conference space catering for up to 120. The final piece in the puzzle is Quarters: a brand new 40room boutique hotel, which maximises the use of timber beams and glass windows, placing the focus on the beautiful surrounding environment. Less than a year after opening, Terminus was awarded one chef hat in the 2013 Good Food Guide, its review dubbing the new venture “a runaway success”. With Pierre Khodja as Executive Chef (Albert Street, Canvas) and Clinton Trevisi taking care of the Food & Beverage Manager role (Royal Mail), Flinders Hotel has a F&B dream team, and will doubtlessly develop into a dining destination… I’m guessing Lindsay and Solomon have already dropped by!

BACK IN FASHION The Como Melbourne 630 Chapel Street, South Yarra VIC www.the-como-hotel-melbourne.com Story: Christopher Holder

The Como has always held a special place in the heart of Melbourne. Well before the Art Series Hotels launched, The Como recognised that not all the hotel action was in the CBD. Sitting atop Melbourne’s Chapel Street fashion mile, the Como has always been a one-off; an individual, one step removed from the cookie-cutter hotels over the Yarra. You were as likely to see Robbie Williams running half-naked through reception as you were a tennis world number one, or the achingly fashionable… The Como lives for providing an ‘experience’. But then, 20-plus years on, age caught up with The Como and there were hipper, more seductive alternatives. But there’s still a soft spot. Even if you’ve not stayed for years, there’s not a person in Melbourne who wants to see The Como flag and fade… except perhaps The Olsen hotel over the road! Fast forward to the present and under GM Cleo Seaman, The Como is ‘back in town’… or should that be back where it belongs, on the edge of town. As of last September, The Como is officially a member of Accor’s high-end MGallery Collection of hotels, and has a smart new refit to celebrate. The Como is in good company. The MGallery collection comprises a set of distinctive upscale hotels which, according to Accor, ‘possess an exceptional personality through

one or more of three principal atmospheres: Heritage, Serenity and Signature.’ The Como slots into the Signature bracket effortlessly. As part of the extensive refurb, all of the 107 guestrooms have been completely redesigned with chic wall murals, new bedding packages, bold lighting and modern furniture. All of the guestrooms feature new, high-gloss kitchens, while Peter Morrissey amenities provide a touch of edgy luxury in the bathroom. And here’s a cool touch: since opening, The Como has been keeping a signature book of all the celebrities and rockstars that have walked through its doors. Playing on this story, framed photocopies of celebrity signatures will adorn all of the guestrooms, bringing this part of the hotel’s legend to life. Upstairs, the hotel’s three signature penthouses are already the most in-demand accommodation offerings in Melbourne and have been renovated and styled to suit three opulent themes: ‘Pearl’, ‘Gems’ and ‘Gold’. The Pearl penthouse represents an elegant and timeless design, with soft, neutral tones complementing classic, rich furnishings. The Gems suite boasts a colourful palette with bold splashes of colour and funky decorative elements. It’s obvious to all that The Como is ready for the next chapter in its storied history.

Design: Pure Gold Melbourne-based interior design firm Elsie + Betty refurbished all 107 rooms, as well as the lobby and SObar. All of the guestrooms are stunning: featuring bold lighting, trademark touches of colour and new high-gloss kitchens. Australian furniture designer Jardan has custom-made the armchairs in all the rooms, ensuring each piece is unique and stylish. The three penthouse suites are something else again. This from Partner and Creative Director of Elsie + Betty, Val Kopilas: “The 151sqm ‘Gold’ suite (pictured) has a dark rock’n’roll atmosphere, enhanced by feature wallpaper, large square ottomans and a designer floor lamp.” A baby grand piano sits next to bold furnishings from Space Furniture and quirky golden lamps by Tom Dixon. Elsie + Betty: (03) 9650 0279 or www.elsieandbetty.com.au

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD Rendezvous Grand Hotel Melbourne: 328 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC (03) 9250 1888 or www.rendezvoushotels.com/melbourne Story: Christopher Holder

What is the Commercial Travellers Association and where do I sign up?! I only ask because Rendezvous Grand Hotel began life 100 years ago as the headquarters of the Commercial Travellers Association (CTA). Designed by one of Melbourne’s leading commercial architects of the time, Harry Tompkins, the building was the city’s tallest and one of the most significant examples of Edwardian Baroque in the colonies. Some years prior, the CTA’s beginnings were far more humble, established in 1880 to lobby for better accommodation conditions for those who travelled during the course of their professional labours.

The association grew in stature and influence, resulting in the magnificent Edwardian HQ you see today and regular visits from royalty and Hollywood movie stars. Member facilities included bars, kitchens, business enclaves, a hairdresser, and a café and palm court. The top five stories contained 150 bedrooms with three bathrooms (don’t panic that figure has subsequently been radically increased!), an exercise room and sitting room on each floor, while the flat roof provided a promenade for members to enjoy magnificent views of Melbourne. The CTA’s star reached its zenith in the early ’50s when membership was in the thousands. But from the ’70s the association began a slow decline, with the building being sold off and falling into disrepair. In the ’90s it was converted into a three-star hotel, but it wasn’t until the new century that the building found a white knight in the Rendezvous hotel group out of Singapore. It was determined that the CTA building would be returned to its former glory. Architektonic was engaged, then it took four years (from 2008-2012) of careful research, meticulous study and sensitive consideration to ensure the unique charm, heritage and features of this much-loved building were all preserved. Now known as the Rendezvous Grand Hotel Melbourne, according to General Manager Alexander Billing the refurbishment had restored the hotel to its original condition without loss of character to its boutique ambience. “The design aspects not only highlight the heritage of the building, but improve the overall level of guest comfort, satisfaction and experience in a superb established location,” he said. To mark the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the building and its new lease on life, Rendezvous has published a coffee table book. I’m not sure why I find this publication so impressive — the research is very competent, and the olde-worlde photos are intriguing — but I think it’s more the gesture. There’s clearly a respect and an affection for the property that goes beyond the mercantile. I feel certain that one of Melbourne’s more historically important buildings really is in safe hands.

NOSTALGIC SURFER QT Gold Coast 7 Staghorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise QLD (07) 5584 1200 or www.qtgoldcoast.com.au

CONTACTS Nicholas Graham + Associates: (02) 9698 6862 or www.nicgraham.com.au PointOfView (Lighting Design): www.pov.com.au Sika Australia: 1300 223 348 or aus.sika.com

Think of the Gold Coast and you’re not immediately conjuring up images of classic refinement; a lightness of touch or a layering of complexity that rewards repeat visits. No, you’re more likely to be thinking: fake tans, gold lamé, and pit girls… or is that just me? QT Hotels and Resorts has launched QT Gold Coast that turns many Goldie conventions on their head. QT Gold Coast offers a contemporary living space that architect Nic Graham describes as a ‘mixture of nostalgic surfer chic meets Miami swim catwalk’ — yeah, okay, I can see where he’s going with that. Custom furniture, graphics and pops of bold colour are some of the unmissable highlights of the design inspired by the 1950s and '60s with Eames-style chairs, artist-crafted feature walls and photographic ceiling mosaics of the Gold Coast through the ages — vintage Goldie? Cool! Hats off to Sika for its work on the flooring. The hotel received new timber floors throughout the reception, lift areas and entrance ways. The work had to be carried out while the hotel was in operation, with around 300sqm completed every 24 hours including the lift areas on every floor. The fast pace required for the project was met with the help of an efficient sealing and bonding solution from Sika, requir-

ing minimal surface preparation. Adhering to the existing concrete, tile and ply subfloors, American Oak floor boards were fixed utilising SikaBond. Stingray Lounge is where the party starts on the Gold Coast with resident DJs playing late into the night, an extensive cocktail menu replete with 50 tequilas and Southern Californian cuisine. After a night on the town, guests can relax by the large lagoon-style pool on one of the colourful sunbeds or step into SpaQ for a custom spa experience featuring a sleek wet zone, with unisex hammam (how very continental!) and ice fountain. Bazaar Marketplace is the signature restaurant and heart of the property, packing a seafood, crustacean and chacuterie bars, Asian and grill stations a wood-fired pizza oven and rotisserie. Bazaar chefs have been well drilled to turn on the theatrics. All 297 rooms at QT Gold Coast have quirks and nuances ensuring that they feel like a bespoke home away from home, although QT king beds, balconies, iPod dock, 42inch flat screen and designer furnishings are all standard. QT Hotels and Resorts is the concept of AHL and are managed by Rydges. Check out QT Sydney in Issue 51 of venue.

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My first furniture collection was released in 2006. I design for the American company Bernhardt Design, which is now available in Australia through Ke-Zu. I studied Russian at university. I came up through the ranks of journalism. I was the Architecture & Design Editor for Wallpaper magazine for many years. I went to all the furniture fairs and got to know many designers through my interviews with them. After some time, I came to the conclusion that ‘I think I could do this’. But I wanted to be a ‘democratic’ designer, getting good design into the hands of the people. My designs are very contemporary, very streamlined. And my chairs look good from all angles, in the 360. Being contemporary, my chairs will often go into a new glass and steel building, where there’s nowhere to hide. Furniture design for its own sake — and don’t get me wrong, I love some of these European designs — may well result in something beautiful, but usually impractical: you can’t put 400 in an office building and hope American men’s backsides will fit in them. They won’t. I think about the user when I’m designing. Often I’ll think about a type of person dining in a restaurant, or one of my stools at a counter in a beautiful jewellery store. The reality is often very different. For example, my stools are more likely to be found in a VIP box at the 49ers NFL stadium, occupied by big burly men. A good restaurant chair needs to be comfortable and look good in multiples. If it has arms, they should fit under the table. The challenge is to make the chair look contemporary, but not too distinctive. Rather, it should be perfectly proportioned and perfectly detailed. Naturally, there are all manner of health and safety regulations that need to be adhered to in a hospitality design but I try to hide all that in the body of the chair. I like my chairs to not appear built for hospitality but for someone’s home, yet able to handle the rigours of a commercial environment.

20 uestions with

Suzanne Trocm´e

After a career in journalism, Suzanne took to designing furniture. Her ‘democratic’ designs can now be found in hospitality, office fitouts, museums and more. Her designs have won many an award and she is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Hospitality interior designers tend to stick with the classics. They’re often not brave enough to try a new chair. They’ll go crazy with the chandeliers or the colour palette, but not the chair. Using furniture as a feature in hotel lobbies is wonderful. Some pieces work beautifully, while others are too forced and take over the room. But when they work, they work beautifully. But let’s not forget that furniture in a lobby is there to sit on. And you need to have sight lines over the furniture — it doesn’t work if you walk into a lobby and you’re confronted by a giant fluffy pink blancmange that takes over the room. But if it’s serene enough and sculptural then it will work. I embrace new materials and new manufacturing techniques. I’m always looking at what MIT is doing, for example, or the new skins being used on buildings. That said, I don’t design for new manufacturing techniques. It’s best to design the right piece and find the right process to make it rather than the other way around. I think my journalism friends have a rather distorted view of what I do. They think I must design chairs on the back of a napkin in a café. The truth is you have to produce full engineering drawings. Then I sit with engineers and ensure my design is ergonomically sound. In hospitality, a human’s needs are fairly basic: we need a chair to sit on, a table upon which we put our drink, and a light somewhere. It’s basic, but it’s still good to have professional input. You wouldn’t dream of cutting your own hair. Design is a skill that combines great instinct and an understanding of the underlying mathematics involved. Some people know how long a string should be. They see things in an abstract manner. Suzanne will be presenting at this year’s Furnitex in Melbourne (18–21 July). For more on the seminar schedule go: www.furnitex.com.au

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TWIN PEAKS One of the country’s powerhouse clubs spends big to stay ahead of the pack. Story: Lucie Robson Twin Towns Services Club: Wharf St, Tweed Heads NSW (07) 5536 2277 or www.twintowns.com.au

t the junction of Coolangatta and Tweed Heads — and thus Queensland and New South Wales — stands the huge, multi-functional and recently made-over Twin Towns Services Club. Over the last 12 months Stages 1 and 2 of Twin Towns’ redevelopment have given the club new recreational and dining spaces, and a new atmosphere that might actually make the complex much less like a club at all. Club patrons these days are very discerning, says Twin Towns General Manager Rob Smith. “Principally they’re looking for a standard which is akin to what you’d find in most high-class hotels. It’s become the norm for clubs to have lost their 1970s image of strong carpets and gaudy themes and be more refined in terms of the offer. So the furniture and the décor are much more what you’d find in a general hospitality venue rather than having a club’s stamp written all over them.”

SMART CASUAL Giving the club a fresher face involves making the club experience more casual, Smith continues. Folks are looking for more casual and fast options for dining. “People are looking for more casual dining, they’re looking for quicker dining options, so that was something that we certainly tried to factor in. People are looking not to be trapped in a certain room. If they choose to dine on the verandah or out in the lounge while they might be enjoying their entertainment, that’s what they want to be able to do. So they want to feel free to pick up their meal and go where they see fit. Basically they’re looking for flexibility.” ADD TO MY TAB One of the more significant improvements at Twin Towns has been the introduction of a hotel licence in the sports bar and TAB area (actually run by the local area’s TAB outlet and thus a full-service facility). Smith

says the implementation of a hotel licence in place of a club licence allows patrons to come and go more freely from those areas, which are now complemented by an updated food area. What was formerly Flame Bistro is now Flame Bistro, Carvery, Pizzeria and Café – a food court environment with four dining options and room for 450 guests. Twin Towns was constructed in 1950. Smith explains that the areas of the club that have been redeveloped dated back to the late 1960s. “So in essence the time was right for us to bring the facilities up to modern day standards,” he says. “We also had areas that were no longer viable for us, so we needed to restructure those and make sure they reflected what people are looking for today. Obviously that section of the club was built at a time when people were able to smoke in the premises so it was important to develop a large outdoor footprint for people to enjoy not only the outdoors but a cigarette if they so choose. Indoors, the club has grown progres-

sively over the last 50 years and a lot of the services we had had been duplicated as a result of those progressive steps. So we rationalised those, providing a much bigger footprint in terms of seating, dancing and entertainment, but not duplicating smaller footprints of the same thing.”

NOT LOOKING LIKE A CLUB Twin Towns worked with the architects at Bayden Goddard Design on the Gold Coast, continuing a decadelong professional relationship. Smith says that BGD’s brief for the club was essentially to ensure the venue “didn’t look like a club or feel like a club”. BGD’s redesign for Twin Towns centred on providing more variety for patrons in terms of spaces and options, and facilitating more connections between club areas. “Traditionally, clubs have been definitively zoned with little transparency between spaces,” says Kate Richards from BGD. “Clubs are now pushing for a greater trans-

parency, to essentially build upon the social atmosphere and provide intermediary spaces to create flow and flexibility. Commonly, clubs are introspectively designed. However, contrary to this, the new planning of Twin Towns opens up the club across the entire floor plan and out to the unique waterfront aspect.” The views, everyone agrees, are spectacular.

WORKING WITH CONSTRAINTS Over the decades Twin Towns has had numerous facelifts and extensions. Richards says this history made for a challenging and complex revamp, but was also a blessing in disguise. “The new sports bar was one area that was actually a better design because we had to respond to the existing constraints,” she says. “It is unique spaces like this that would doubtfully achieve the same impact if created from scratch.” Richards describes a “centralised” void that provided a focal point for the building’s redesign. “This atrium cuts through the lower levels of the club to capture the natural light and centralises the access points into the club, so was critical for the overall success of the project. Locating the void required careful planning and management through demolition. There are always surprises in a renovation and the biggest challenge is to work these to a design advantage.”

to make Twin Towns appealing to a wide demographic – male and female, young and elderly, Tweed locals and visitors alike. “Clubs are often the inexpensive alternative to a night out, however patrons still like to be in an atmosphere that reflects all the class and sophistication of a restaurant or lounge bar,” she says. “Clubs are no longer the domain of groups that congregate around a common purpose such as league, golf, bowls or returned servicemen but an entertainment venue for a much wider demographic and this demographic expects more.” Split Watermelon needed to design interiors that would suit everyone from cashed-up tourists to elderly local pensioners. “We have done that by the use of many high-end finishes, like stone, natural timbers and featured lighting to all parts of the club in a way that appeals to all without alienating some,” says Jago. “Clean lines, soft hues of blues and fuschia tie in with the natural landscape and provide a lovely ambience to both men and women alike.”

100+ BIG SCREENS JVG Sound Lighting and Visual installed a range of products including pro audio, a multitude of screens and automated video systems, as well as an upgraded Crestron Control system for the Club. The new Sports Bar boasts two whopping 103-inch Panasonic LED plasma screens for the Amphitheater, an additional 103-inch display in the bar area and 40 x 46-inch commercial screens throughout this level ensuring the display of great varying sporting events. JVG Sound Lighting and Visual also installed a range of Samsung plasma screens in the new TAB area found on ground level of the Services Club. With the completion of Stage One and Two, JVG Sound Lighting and Visual will have installed 109 Samsung screens for the project, as well as another two enormous 103-inch Panasonic LED plasma screens to the ‘Stage Area’ of the Stage Two development. A Media Matrix Nion N6 system was installed in order to sync the staggering 32 audio inputs with the visual displays. Crestron 12-inch in-wall touchpanels were also installed with full iPad control. The Stage One area uses an Ezi 22-inch touchscreen system to enable complete control of all audio, video and lighting systems. Settings can also be remotely controlled via iPad connectivity, allowing the Duty Manager to move throughout the 26 zones of the establishment with complete control over all systems while on the move. The upgraded Crestron system now allows all screens and lighting features to be timed and pre-programmed to change settings automatically throughout the day.

TIME IN LOO Like other forward-thinking clubs, Twin Towns spent sizable time and funds improving dining options, instead of just focussing on gaming rooms, but Jago believes the effort put into creating attractive restrooms pays off as well. “High quality finishes of bathrooms CONTACTS ON FOR YOUNG & OLD is becoming very popular as we acknowledge that JVG Lighting & Visual: 1300 584 584 or www.jvgsound.com.au Twin Towns and BGD worked with Sydney’s Split Wa- women particularly appreciate good facilities and in Samsung: www.samsunglfd.com termelon Design on the club’s interiors. Sue Jago from most cases women decide where a couple will go for Panasonic: www.panasonic.com.au Crestron: www.crestron.com.au Split Watermelon explains that the design objective was a night out.”

Hills SVL (Media Matrix): (02) 9647 1411 or www.hillssvl.com.au

In the bistro there are many plates affixed to the ceiling – it’s an idea that Jago got in Mexico a few years ago and translates well to the current setting. Split Watermelon also worked on Twin Towns’ lighting, which needed to make a big statement in a space so enormous. “We didn’t want the lighting to detract from the views over Tweed Harbour so it needed to be almost whimsical so it could become a part of the exterior landscape,” she explains. “Feature lighting has become increasingly important in clubs as it is used to create different moods in different areas and also creates a sense of flow when used in traffic areas. It’s important in clubs where there are many elderly patrons to provide adequate lighting and we like to do it in a more interesting manner than just a row of downlights.”

GEN Y SIGNS UP In 2013, clubs need to do more to attract younger patrons, says Smith. Key to this strategy is investing in superior audiovisual technologies [see box] but also creating a more casual feel to the club’s venues. “You need to embrace the new demographic, the younger people. We felt the best way to do that was to embrace the hotel concept in our sports bar, which allowed people to come in with a more casual standard of dress and without necessarily having to sign in. But at the same time those same people then become familiar with coming to the club, and we find that most of them ultimately become members of the club, and enjoy the rest of the facilities.” The traditional signing-in process can be “arduous”, says Smith, so a hotel-type environment where visitors are not made to feel like they are being “bailed up at the front door” is a good place to start when creating a more casual, Gen-Y friendly atmosphere. “We also try to have a vast array of entertainment, everything from modern contemporary entertainment right the way through to old-style traditional dancing. So mixing and matching everything that’s available to hopefully be a little bit of everything to everybody at some time of the week.” Next up for Twin Towns is the next stage of the planned renovations, which will continue through to the end of November this year. Level 3 of the club is being redeveloped into the Tweed Events Centre, which will include five new events spaces. It has been a huge undertaking, but Twin Towns is giving the people what they want, while reaffirming its position as a leader in clubs. “Certainly the standard is something that you would see in the majority of the major clubs across the state,” says Rob Smith. “We see ourselves firmly embedded in that top 20 and this is the standard that’s expected.” CONTACTS BGD Architects: (07) 5592 6188 or www.bgdarchitects.com Split Watermelon: (02) 9698 1883 or www.splitwatermelon.com.au Hospitality Imports (Furniture): (02) 9669 6775 or www.hospitalityimports.com.au Red Currant Lighting (Lighting): (02) 9669 1270 or www.redcurrantlighting.com.au Diemme (Lighting): (02) 9550 0811 or www.diemme.com.au Brintons (Carpet): www.brintons.com.au

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SHIRE NOT RETIRING The great indoors meets the outdoors in this $12m club refurb. Story: Lucie Robson Club Central Menai 44-60 Allison Crescent, Menai NSW (02) 9532 1800 or www.clubcentralmenai.com.au

P 50

art of Bergstrom’s vision for Club Central Menai was to open the indoors up to the outside world. “Aesthetically, we wanted the overall feeling of the club to represent a bushland-resort,” says Tim Keir, the architect from Bergstrom. “Alfresco spaces were very important to establish a seamless connection between the inside and the native bush outside. Functionally, we wanted to provide areas for open-air recreation to attract new patrons and offer existing customers a new type of area that the previous club was lacking.” Luxury and grandeur have arrived at Club Central Menai, in the Sutherland Shire south of Sydney. The makeover cost $12m and the vast spaces inside are now modern and faintly golden with dramatic flourishes. In fact, once Bergstrom was recruited to update Club Central, the entire layout of the club needed reappraisal. “We decided to explore the option of renovating the existing building within its original footprint while adding some new small pop-out architectural elements,” says Keir, who adds that this option was more feasible than expanding outwards or upwards. “The existing club structure, when stripped back was like a big barn in the way it had large spans between columns and a very high roof structure. This gave us the opportunity to knock out all the walls and replan the club from scratch.” Originally the gaming and function spaces at Club Menai faced the east, towards a residential area, and the bistro, sports lounge and TAB faced a shopping centre in the west. Keir explains that these areas needed “more logical locations”, and so the team switched them around entirely. Now, the more ambient areas border on a bushland view, visible through huge windows. The gaming area opens up to the fresh air with glass panels that reveal sculptured pillars outside. An outdoor lounge is adorned with miniature gardens behind the couches and lit with bold red lanterns.

NATURAL FLOW Along with the new alfresco options, Bergstrom wanted to create a more natural flow between the outside and inside, and within the internal zones themselves. “We designed architectural ar-

eas popped out from the existing facades that became terraces,” Keir explains. “This allowed us to add large spans of glass to the facades which contributed to the openness we wanted to achieve.” A new large central bar is now open on three sides, facing the TAB, sports lounge and bistro. “This allowed great visual connection and natural flow between the difference spaces,” Keir adds. Bergstrom approached the Club Central Menai project without a clear idea of what the club’s patrons were searching for, but experience taught them that flexibility and a relaxing atmosphere would probably come into it. “If I had to guess, I think they expected the club’s renovations would include a modern upgrade of existing areas that were visually stunning, comfortable and have an easy-going atmosphere,” Keir says. “Taking this into consideration we knew the club had to be transformed into something that would visually impress patrons, however it also had to remain somewhere club members could continue to relax and enjoy themselves.” Bergstrom used this approach throughout all the areas of the renovated club. The interiors at Club Central Menai were re-imagined to reference the bushland outside, and create a “resortlike atmosphere”, Keir explains. This involved neutral colour finishes and textures reminiscent of the outdoor surfaces. “Using these finishes we were able to create warm and inviting spaces with subtle underlining of the native bush. This along with the high ceilings and the overall grandeur of all designed elements we were able to achieve our original concept.” Smooth timber, creamy colours and straight lines feature heavily, and the front of the central bar is textured like the bark of ancient eucalypts. The bistro is lit with modern circular chandeliers, and rippling feature lights in the entrance hall set a pleasantly decadent scene.

AFFORDABLE LUXURY Mike Walker is the CEO of Illawarra Catholic Club, Ltd, which controls Club Central Menai as well as its sister establishment, Club Central Hurstville. He says the time was clearly right for a makeover – the club is more than 14 years old and needed to be “keeping abreast of the times”. Staying timely means providing more of everything, especially a touch of luxury in a neighbourhood club. “Patrons have come to expect better amenities and service,” he explains. “Otherwise they have no

“Patrons have come to expect better amenities and service, otherwise they have no real reason to leave the comfort of their own homes”

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Jardan (Brandy Stool): (03) 9548 8866 or www.jardan.com.au

ISM Objects (Shady Multi Pendant): www.ismobjects.com.au

Feel Good Designs (Relax Outdoor Chair): (03) 9745 2077 or www.feelgood-designs.com

Ke-Zu (Hive Geisha Outdoor Suspension Light): 1300 724 174 or www.kezu.com.au

real reason to leave the comfort of their own homes. Hence the provision of our new five-star facility, that provides many patrons with an affordable experience they may not otherwise encounter.” Walker is pleased with the new alfresco spaces, because they allow for all patrons to have their needs catered for. “We have catered for the diner and non smoker on the Bistro terrace, the smoker and non smoker in the Sports Lounge and TAB terrace and the smoker and non smoker on the alfresco gaming terrace.” The lounge area with gas fireplace that separates the bistro from the sports lounge is one of his favourite areas. “I am also, very pleased with the decor and versatility of the Gandangara Function Rooms with separate external breakout areas, a bar to service individual functions and all the modern AV and seminar equipment required to facilitate up to three different events at any one time,” he adds. Tim Keir says he is proud to have had a hand in creating something that exceeds patrons’ expectations but remains practical and functional. Club Central Menai is still an authentic club, but is now also something of a luxury destination in the suburbs.

CONTACTS Bergstrom Architects: (02) 8920 1499 or www.bergstromarchitects.com.au Club AV: 1300 221 022 or www.cav.com.au Yellow Goat (Feature Lighting): (07) 5532 8659 or www.yellowgoat.com.au Brintons Carpets: www.brintons.com.au

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PLAY & STAY Yaralla Sports Club + Mercure Gladstone 45 O’Connell Street, Gladstone QLD (07) 4979 8270 or www.yaralla.com.au

CONTACTS Brand+Slater: (07) 3252 8899 or www.brandandslater.com.au Cubus (Furniture): (03) 9729 7202 or www.cubusconcepts.com.au Luxxbox (Feature Lighting): (07) 3257 2822 or www.luxxbox.com.au Bromic Heating (Outdoor Heaters): (02) 9748 3900 or www.bromicheating.com.au

It is always exciting to see a business push the boundaries of their industry. Yaralla Sports Club in Gladstone is one of those innovators. Yaralla Sports Club identified a significant shortfall in accommodation in the rapidly growing Central Queensland region and made the decision to diversify their offerings to include a hotel.

Pale large-format tiles span the plaza-like space, complemented by timber panelling, textured wall cladding by Quantum Innovations and subdued coloured surfaces. The lighting consists mainly of soft coffered illumination, highlighted by series of gold beehive pendants suspended from the adjacent timber lounge bar enclosure.

The global hotel giant, Accor, was approached and out of the resulting franchise agreement, the Mercure Gladstone was born. This, the first community-owned Accor accommodation in Queensland, was to set itself apart from competitors by offering the benefit of a range of entertainment facilities onsite.

Adjacent to the foyer is the new public bar area. Open to the foyer but physically separated by a detailed timberframed enclosure, this space would be equally at home in the reception lounge of most five-star hotels and acts as a transition between the existing club and the new extensions. A shift towards a red and yellow palette, lower teardrop-shaped ceiling features and softer lighting work together to create a warmer, more intimate space. This material connection with the existing Club is further enhanced with custom designed carpet (based on existing design), plush furnishings by Cubus and Quantum Innovations cladding.

CLUB PLUS 60 ROOMS Brisbane-based design firm Brand+Slater Architects worked closely with the club to transform its vision into reality. The result: a 60-room hotel, new shared entry and foyer, public bar and amenities. The crux of the brief was to maintain the feel of a community club, sympathetic to the current demographic yet appealing to its future corporate clientele. The remodelled and relocated entrance serves both the club and hotel, and features a new porte cochere leading into an impressive double-volume foyer. Upon entering, club members and hotel guests move through to the rear of the foyer to the reception desk: their journey allowing them both to appreciate the space and gather their bearings. With a palette of neutral tones, the space is light and welcoming. The shared foyer aims to create a simple grandeur, devoid of ostentation and staying true to the conceptual idea of a community club – albeit on a larger scale.

SPORTS REPORT In contrast with the transitional concept for the foyer versus the existing club, the design for the accommodation rooms was to be a fresh and contemporary. The interior design team at Brand+Slater crafted a series of theme variations that resulted in comfortable hotel rooms with all the amenity expected of a comparable facility. Bold carpet and timber feature heavily, as does the custom printed bed headboard designs. Yaralla Sports Club has received instant success with its bold initiative: a testament to the endeavours of the club’s management, designers and contractors backing their bold vision.

ALFRESCO CLUB DESIGN

An uplifting alfresco transformation is great for business. Altis Architecture’s Design Director, Rolfe Latimer, explains. Story: Rolfe Latimer

ltis Architecture’s recent club projects include new contemporary and innovative alfresco design solutions for gaming and F&B areas which are delivering significant revenue increases for clubs. Altis has recently completed three major club refurbishments at Revesby Workers (pictured), Wenty Leagues and the Shellharbour Club that have delivered double digit percentage revenue increases in gaming and F&B facilities. These club renovations in the $5m–$10m building cost range have been underpinned by distinctive alfresco design solutions that offer a clever point of difference to their competition. This has been reflected directly in the ‘new member’ patrons enjoying the new gaming, dining and entertainment facilities. The aspirational design creates the perfect ambience and atmosphere with a seamless integration of the indoor area to the alfresco outdoor area.

OUTSIDE IN The key design concepts are: • Providing efficient operational design, including new bars and dispense facilities directly to the outdoor areas. The new island cashier pods at Revesby and clever use of weather controls in passive

or active modes provide year round climate control and comfort for the patrons. • Contemporary design in the gaming/alfresco areas provide the right balance of a sophisticated ‘casino’ atmosphere together with the use of the comfortable, warm palette of materials, furniture and feature lighting. The use of artistic artwork panels at Revesby alfresco together with clever use of planting, lighting and backlit stone garden walls provide a unique ‘outdoor room’ experience. • Rejuvenation and ‘reinventing’ of an existing space rather than building new structures. At Wenty’s and Shelly’s this meant reworking existing wind swept and unattractive balcony outdoor areas into climate-controlled outdoor rooms with contemporary and inspirational interior and landscape design. These venues each reflect a unique design relating to their own local club context with a clear philosophy to uplift existing members and attract new ‘non club’ patrons who are pleasantly surprised that a club can provide such warm, inviting and contemporary high quality facilities. There is clear evidence that these revitalised clubs have attracted patrons from their surrounding competitors who have not provided such new and aspirational venues.

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Breaking the Ice Bondi Icebergs 1 Notts Avenue, Bondi NSW icebergs.com.au Story: Lucie Robson Photo: Alex Donnini

CONTACTS 2RKS Architects: (02) 8904 0000 or www.2RKS.com Korda Design (Carpet): (02) 9406 8188 or www.kordadesign.com.au Holili (Chairs & Stools): www.holili.com South Pacific Fabrics (Wall Fabrics): (03) 9510 1681 or www.southpacificfabrics.com Belmondo Tiles: (02) 9557 2722 or www.belmodotiles.com.au

For the adventurous swimmers of Sydney, Bondi Icebergs is a Mecca of sorts. The only licensed winter swimming club in the world, members must sign on and pledge to swim in the ocean baths three Sundays out of four for five years. All year round… no excuses. Luckily for the less hardy visitor there is plenty to enjoy outside of the pool. Last year Icebergs had a design upgrade that was, according to management, “many years overdue”. Clinging to the side of a cliff, the club could not be closer to the Pacific and a view that people travel halfway around the world for. Richard Salman from 2RKS Architecture & Design grew up near the sea on Long Island in the US, and instinctively knew the importance of the coastal connection. The custom carpets have a non-repeating design, modelled on the sandy shore. They are graded from deep blue to sandy yellow to simulate the coastline. But no visitor to Bondi Icebergs could be vague on where they are, ceilingto-floor glazing allows diners and drinkers to soak up the sights, if not the sounds and smells, of Australia’s most famous beach. Bondi Icebergs Secretary Manager Kerrie Brien and Event Manager Polina Komendantova say the club’s previous ‘community hall’ feel is gone, replaced by a fresh look that is much more modern and serviceable. With relatively limited space at the venue, management and the design team had to use some creative approaches. The renovated club has more capacity and comfort, and is more user-friendly. New tables, finished with the pearly white of seashells, form part of the new capabilities. “The biggest challenge turned out to be my favourite part of the design,” says Richard Salman. “Since the function room

needs to host many types of events where tables will be endlessly moved about and repurposed, we created and patented an adjustable table where it caters for many event types.” The tables are height-adjustable and have an invisible fastening system that supports a lightweight tabletop that anyone can lift. “It turns a table for two to a table for six,” he continues. “And a table of five to a table for 10 — it’s really amazing!” A Bondi Icebergs club has operated in one form or another for nearly 100 years. The original, more humble establishment opened in 1929 – the current building is the third on the site. The Bondi Icebergs brand and character is however well-established in the area. Polina and Kerrie say that these days, more young people are visiting Icebergs to socialise, although the demographic tends to be the over30s. Part of the new appeal is the lure of a more complete hospitality experience: dining and drinking, not just gaming – or swimming! And 2KRS Architects has certainly helped us achieve this. “The patrons are looking for that seaside waterfront drink and dining experience,” says Kerrie. “At Icebergs every seat has ocean views and there are 70 balcony seats. The new décor has brought the water theme inside the club and kept it light and airy so as not to impact on the view. “The biggest challenge was providing a club room for swim members on Sundays that is a fully functioning bar and function room the rest of the week,” Kerrie continues. “It’s about trying to meet the desires of members and the board as well as the functionality and needs of a busy club.” Icebergs patrons are sure to stay entertained through another 100 winters.

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IN THE PIPELINE

Sand Hill Road might be pushing the design of its latest refurb to the limit but the pub fundamentals remain reassuringly the same. The Prahran Hotel: 82 High St,Â Prahran VIC (03) 9529 2168 or www.prahranhotel.com

CONTACT: Techne Architects: (03) 9600 0222 or www.techne.com.au

“we always say: bring us the crazy shit too. Don’t hold back. We’re open to it. [Looking around the renovation] This was the ‘crazy shit’”

bout 10 years ago Sand Hill Road’s Matt and Andy Mullins sat in their local and admired its architecture, its perfectly proportioned front bar space, the detail of the original base building and its enormous potential. They saw through its tired interior design, the diabolical beer garden and the general malaise of a local pub on the decline. They swore that if the pub appeared on the market that they would snap it up and turn it into something special. That pub was The Prahran Hotel and some seven years later the pub did become available, and a far more credentialed and experienced Sand Hill Road did indeed snap it up. “Every publican has a couple of favourite pubs they’d love to own, and The Prahran was one of ours,” noted Matt. The Prahran Hotel joins the other ‘locals’ in the Sand Hill Road group, that include The Richmond Club Hotel, The Bridge Hotel. All three share a similar DNA: honest-togoodness community pubs ‘skinned’ in amazing architecture and design (thanks to a longstanding relationship with Techne Architecture). It’s akin to a keg of Carlton Draft kicking back on a Kartell leather lounge suite, or a Chicken Parma atop some avant garde Danish tableware. Don’t let the ‘what the?’ interior design throw you: Sand Hill Road’s stock in trade is unpretentious community pubs — and they’re rather good at it. We’ll hear from Matt Mullins about the secret to the Sand Hill Road success in a minute, but first those pipes.

PIPING HOT Matt Mullins: “We approached The Prahran design the same as any other: talk to Techne, ask for some options, dig into those and work out the best approach. And we always say: bring us the crazy shit too. Don’t hold back. We’re open to it. [Looking around the renovation] This was the ‘crazy shit’. “We keep pushing as far as we can with design. We never thought wild, innovative design would detrimentally effect business; we never thought people would walk in and think ‘this is too out there’, so long as the actual offering is good — the food, the service, the pricing… so long as there’s a telly to watch the footy, so long as you can get a parma and a pot of Carlton, and so long as you can get to know the barman and he can get to know you — you can push the boundaries of design. And so it has proved to be.” Justin Northrop, Techne Architects: “The boys knew they needed a good connection between the two floor levels and they knew they needed something open and

light, and a sense of outdoor, and they knew the courtyard would be in the middle for maximum benefit to the whole space. So as a set of parameters that already lends itself to being a dramatic space. From there we submitted a handful of ideas: we can build this box out of pure glass, or we could have a mesh box, or a perforated steel box… or what about these pipes?” Matt Mullins: “Bear in mind, a really cool facade is a great thing but not much use to a publican — people come back because of what it feels like on the inside. The pipes work outside and inside. More than that, it’s a wall you get to sit in, spend an evening in, and book a table in!” Justin: “The next day, before anything else, we sat down with an engineer to see if it could be done. The answer was ‘yes’, but as we delved deeper it got progressively more difficult, although by that stage we were fully committed. Part of the complexity lies in the fact the pipes are not made to be used in this manner. There’s quite a bit of invisible engineering involved to ensure the pipes don’t crush each other.”

BOOTH SCIENCE As Matt alludes to, booking a pipe for the evening simply hasn’t been done before. And Justin admits that the fact the pipes are so comfortable (the proportions and the acoustics) is more down to luck than good judgement. But the pipes put the focus right on The Prahran’s booth seating — booths are king in this space. Matt Mullins: “Even before we opened we realised demand for the booths was going to be high. The novelty may die off but for the moment you need to book to secure a booth. venue: Every night or just the weekends? Matt Mullins: Every night. And not just that, you need to choose one of two sittings. The first sitting is happy to come in at 6pm and be at the bar by 8pm. The second sitting is happy to come in at 8pm and be there all night. It works well. Although, bear in mind, the booths only account for about a third of our seating. The remainder is ‘first in best dressed’. venue: What do you like about booths? Matt Mullins: Ten years ago it was all about creating beer barns: tear down as many walls as you can, put a bar up against a wall and leave heaps of room to cram people in to get pissed. That’s how things were done. That’s definitely not how we do things now. Bars are coming out from the walls to create smaller more intimate spaces. Screening areas to give more zones and options. Booths are a big part of that move to provide intimacy.

CONTACTS 1

Tait (Jak & Jil Furniture): (03) 9419 7484 or www.madebytait.com.au

Satelight (Stal Pendant): (03) 9399 5805 or www.satelight.com.au

Light Project (Prolight Invader Surface LED): (03) 8415 1970 or www.lightproject.com.au

Schots Emporium (Eiffel Stool): 1300 774 774 or www.schots.com.au

venue: I guess booths are great for an informal drinking but structured enough for dining. Matt Mullins: And the vast majority of people who walk into our pubs will do both — they’ll eat something. The number of versions we modelled up… sitting on a mockup from the builder, leaning back on a panel from the upholsterer. ‘Seats gotta go out 10mm and the angle needs to change by four degrees’. Very tweaky — ridiculous really, but a shit booth is a shit booth and a great booth is awesome. We’ve got it wrong in the past. If you’ve got a given space for a row of booths then your inclination is to get as many as you can into the space. But if you jam them in a little and the booths get a tad shorter — 10mm here and there — then suddenly you’ve got five booths and they’re all shit rather than four perfect ones.

EXCITEMENT SWEETSPOT venue: I’m guessing the ‘booths in pipes’ approach doesn’t necessarily maximum the use of your floor space? Matt Mullins: It’s better than you might suspect because we’re utilising space right up to the boundary. But that’s missing the point a little. It’s very easy to fix-

Matt Mullins: We’ve come to realise that local, community pubs is our thing — it’s what we do best. And they also seem to provide the best business model in hospitality. One of the wonderful things about a good pub is as it gets more lived in, and as it becomes more a part of the community, it only gets stronger. Meanwhile, nightclubs, bars, and often restaurants, struggle to maintain relevance. It’s hard not to be ‘flavour of the month’ because in those markets the punter is tending to look for something new, inspiring and innovative. While with a pub your looking for the same thing — you were there last week and you don’t want anything to change this week. venue: Can you engender a community vibe if you have people driving across town for a night out at your pub? Matt Mullins: The worst thing — it’s counter intuitive, I know — but the worst thing on a Friday night is driving up to one of our pubs and seeing a queue out the KEEPING IT LOCAL front. A full pub? Great! A queue? I hate it. And punters venue: With the work you did to the Richmond Club hates it. It doesn’t say ‘this is a pub’ and certainly doesn’t Hotel after the fire and the complete overhaul of The say ‘this is my local’. Bridge Hotel, it feels like Sand Hill Road really has its We’ve briefed our managers. We insist they get to know pub groove on. their locals and neighbours — as you’d hope any good ate on extracting the most from a space with your table and chair configurations. But we’ve found there’s a sweetspot — the right balance between excitement and numbers. For example, in every pub refit we talk about how the levels interact and we will create voids to link different floors. The Richmond Club Hotel was a great example. We ate up a big chunk of our upstairs floorspace to create a void to visually connect the levels. We did that at The Bridge Hotel and here as well. Sure, you lose floorspace when you create a void, but if you gain drama and excitement, and you have a more dynamic space from a business point of view, that’s a better result. The reality is, you’re only at maximum capacity maybe eight or 10 hours a week. That’s not a big chunk of what a pub does. So to design a pub that allows you to squeeze the maximum number of patrons in the peak hours… well, that’s not good business.

THE COURTYARD Justin Northrop, Techne Architects: The courtyard isn’t much bigger than the old beer garden it replaced but it’s now centrally located, benefitting every aspect. We’ve used very tall pre-caste concrete walls to ensure we meet our acoustic conditions — the high walls focus the noise up and away from neighbours. The design parameters were simple so our work was in the detail to give the courtyard as much visual interest as possible; enliven it with some texture, the landscaping and some sculptural lighting. The lighting does a lot for the space. With the glass on three sides there are multiple reflections and it becomes just a little bit romantic. The main window slides up and down via weights and pulleys. It’s nearly a 5m span. When the weather is right, it opens the courtyard right up to the rest of the room. The floor finishes are the same internally and externally and much of the materials are the same. We’re doing nothing to say ‘this is where the pub finishes and the courtyards begins’.

publican would do anyway. If you’re a local and come to the pub a couple of times a week, then you never have to queue — you walk straight in. It forces you to get to know those people. You’re not going to hand them a medallion or something equally cheesy. venue: Then it’s a case of getting the locals along during the week. Matt Mullins: We have Locals Nights, with half-price steaks or parmas. What was already good value at $20 is exceptional value at $10. And if your mission is to connect with locals, then why not break even on the meal but have them in anyway. It’s so easy to build a relationship. venue: The Karma Keg (where patrons pay what they deem fair for a pot of Carlton, with proceeds going to a local charity) has really struck a chord as well. Matt: Donating time and money has always been a part of what we do, and at times we’ve chatted with locals about some of what we’re up to. But the karma keg is a touchstone for that charity work. We’re still taking proceeds of the business and giving it to a worthy cause but this way it goes through a mechanism that involves people. And our market loves the idea they’re doing what they planned to do anyway — buy a pot of beer — but now they know what that money will do and where it’s going. venue: Further strengthening those bonds of community. Matt Mullins: That’s right. As the economy gets scarier, and people are more anxious about the world and security, it’s no surprise they connect with things that are more local. So our public bars are getting busier and the connection with locals and regulars get stronger.

PIPED MUSIC: THE AUDIO A Sand Hill Road pub likes a distributed audio system that can take care of background duties for the bulk of the time but have enough in reserve for DJ spots on peak nights. We’re not talking about discotheque levels, but enough to get feet shuffling without waking the neighbours. RTR Productions took care of the audio in the new section of The Prahran. The speaker of choice is the surfacemount QSC Audio AcousticDesign S52 five-inch, two-way. These are dotted about providing a good full-range response. Quest inceiling speakers cover the bathrooms. The ante is upped next to the DJ station, where two QSC ADS282H (double eight-inch two-ways) do the work in conjunction with a Martin Audio Blackline S18 single-18 sub. There are multiple zones, made possible by the work of an Allen & Heath IDR8 DSP controller. Allen & Heath wall panel controllers make light work of level control: a really quite sophisticated PL10 (with an array of user-definable knobs and buttons) is augmented by a number of smaller PL4 controllers. All up, there’s plenty of headroom. The RTR boys initially set the system to throttle-off at 75% of its capacity, but were called back in: “It’s too loud!”. The IDR8 now caps the system at 50%. Everyone’s happy.

CONTACTS RTR Productions (AV): (03) 9381 0530 or www.rtrproductions.com.au TAG (QSC Audio, Martin Audio): (02) 9519 0900 or www.tag.com.au Quest Audio: (03) 9354 9133 or www.questaudio.com.au

The Ivanhoe. At the Ivanhoe, Paul Kelly Design has put a contemporary spin on a classic pub, creating a benchmark new venue. Your new oasis awaits.

CORSO IN THE VEINS The Peterson family has invested heavily in Manly’s Ivanhoe Hotel. Story: James Dampney Ivanhoe Hotel: 27 The Corso, Manly NSW (02) 9976 3955 or www.ivanhoehotelmanly.com.au

t only takes a brief conversation with Emma Peterson to get an understanding of the affinity she and her family have with the Ivanhoe Hotel. The Peterson family has owned the iconic Manly venue for almost three decades, so when they decided it was time for a complete renovation, it was important they got it right.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS “We had a few key objectives,” Peterson explains. “The old Ivanhoe had the bottleshop on one side, the gaming room at the back and a public bar, and then you walked upstairs into the food facilities. It was that traditional terrace-style pub. We were really keen to move those elements to the side and make our front entry engaging and inviting to everyone. “It was that idea of a pub being a community space open to all. That people from the age of zero to a 100-plus could really feel comfortable walking in and experiencing it.” That was the overall philosophy for a venue that was first built in the late 19th century and has been a feature on the Manly landscape ever since. Then came the focus on the all-important aesthetics. “In relation to look and feel, we really wanted to push that notion of being in Manly, being in a beachside suburb, emphasising that coastal element,” Peterson continued. “We wanted to lift up the old dark carpets and dark timbers and lighten up the space, but at the same time we wanted everything to be timeless. COOL BEACH HOUSE The Petersons teamed up with designer Paul Kelly, who had collaborated with the family on a number of other projects, including twice previously working on the Ivanhoe’s top floor. Together they wanted to create a destination that would not only meet the expectations of anyone who greeted the Ivanhoe’s classic façade, but surpass them once they walked through its doors. It involved retaining the elements of a pub that were so important to the owners, while also providing something new and fresh to the area. “We decided from the outset that it was going to be that European, coastal-luxury sort of concept,” Kelly said. “The idea is the space is what everyone imagines a really cool beach house to be like. The result is a modern, vibrant venue intended to entertain people of all demographics, all year round.

“We’re very proud to be a pub … But we also really wanted to take it that one step further”

CONTACTS 1

Hughes Commercial Furniture (Barstool): 1800 242 479 or www.hughescf.com.au

Anibou (Bell Pendant): (02) 9319 0655 or www.anibou.com.au

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Jardan (Lounges): (03) 9548 8866 or www.jardan.com.au Temperature Design (Coffee Tables): (03) 9419 1447 or www.temperature design.com.au

GREAT SOUND, GREAT LOOKS Beyond AV has a long and fruitful history working with the Petersons at The Ivanhoe and with Paul Kelly (most recently on a number of projects at The Star). So it was no surprise that Angelo Andrews and his team got the call to bring the new Ivanhoe’s AV stocks bang up to date. Beyond AV’s audiovisual brief was to provide a great-sounding, easy-tocontrol AV system that didn’t detract from the aesthetics of the hotel. From an audio perspective, a number of options were auditioned with everyone agreeing on a Martin Audio/QSC combination. Indoors you’ll find a mix of Martin Audio AQ6 and AQ8 speakers with the AQ212 subs. Outdoors, a variety of weather-resistant QSC Acoustic Design series speakers were employed. Out back, QSC four-channel amplifiers, BSS BLU processor deliver 36 audio inputs to 32 outputs across four levels of the hotel. All the equipment is maintained in an air-conditioned comms room. Wall-mounted iPads control the system via the AMX controller (programmed by Everything IT), making the zone control and finessing of levels easy — the system can even be controlled via the manager’s iPhone. Sharp wall-mounted LED screens provide the visuals. Three of the screens use a drop-down Ultralift motorised assembly to keep the lines sharp. Outside, 3 x 55-inch Sunbrite weatherproof TVs provide a great solution with clean lines and no bulky metal boxes concealing standard TVs. The DJ Systems are all state-of-the-art Pioneer Pro DJ CD players and mixers from the Nexus range.

CONTACTS Beyond AV: (02) 9554 6781 or www.beyondav.com.au TAG (Martin Audio, QSC): (02) 9519 0900 or www.tag.com.au Ultralift (TV Lifters): (03) 9459 0873 or www.ultraliftaustralia.com.au Sharp (Screens): www.sharp.net.au Jands (BSS): (02) 9582 0909 or www.jands.com.au Herma (Sunbrite TV): 1300 730 025 or www.herma.com.au

FROM DARK TO LIGHT Building a venue that works all year around and all times of day meant a total reappraisal of how The Ivanhoe addressed natural light — the hotel boasts impressive rooftop bars and stylish open-air courtyards, but thanks to the redesign, much of the interior is now bathed in natural light. “With this traditional terrace-style pub that we’ve had, sandwiched between buildings, it was a dark space,” Peterson said. “So to let more natural light in and provide the outdoor space has been a huge plus for us. “Some of the outdoor areas are all-weather spaces, we’ve got plenty of heating, so it’s lovely to now have that opportunity that traditionally hasn’t been afforded us.” It was a challenge for Paul Kelly Design to create the look and feel of a beachside outlook in a venue that is nestled in the heart of Manly’s famous Corso, just back from the beach itself. “Because the space doesn’t have any aspect to the beach, we were trying to create an internal feeling of this fresh, coastal vibe without actually looking onto the water,” he said. “So the lighting is very, very important. It’s predominantly a night-time space, so we had to get that warm beach house feel, warm tones, plus that vibrant summer atmosphere with coloured lights and outdoor areas. “There are lounging areas, there’s indoor/outdoor spaces, there are restaurant areas — there’s a whole cross section of the people making use the venue.”

PUB FOR ALL While the hotel has been transformed and has achieved that modern feel, it was crucial to the Petersons to make all and sundry still feel welcome. Make no mistake – the Ivanhoe Hotel is, and always will be, a pub. So the factors that any pub worth its salt has on offer still remain, albeit with a fresh approach. But they also wanted to open themselves up to a different audience: “That focus of being a pub and being accessible to all was really key,” Peterson said. “We’re very proud to be a pub, so we still have our bottle shop, our gaming elements, our variety of bars and our pool tables. But we also really wanted to take it that one step further to say ‘okay, we want all ages and stages to walk in’. So we’ve got mums’ groups coming in now pushing their prams to have a coffee in the lounge room on the ground floor. We’ve got older folk in wheelchairs going up and down the lift, and everybody in between. “So there really isn’t an age group we’re missing out on and that was big for us in relation to being that true notion of what a pub is in the community.” BEYOND AV The last significant renovation of the Ivanhoe occurred back in 1996. To get this project right, Kelly and his team fully designed and documented it twice before a third version was agreed upon, with work commencing over two years ago. The experienced team at Beyond AV was also included in the project to ensure the audiovisual side would match the overall philosophy of the renovation. “We worked closely with them,” Kelly said. “There are drop-down televisions everywhere and it’s all motorised. There’s also a significant audio system in place.” GAP IN THE MARKET While the pride of the Peterson family is palpable, having owned the property since 1985, it also quickly becomes apparent how driven Kelly was to get the renovation just right. To Kelly, the project was representative of a changing landscape on the northern beaches. “It’s definitely changing,” he said. “For people who live in the area, Manly is the CBD of the northern beaches,

but there hasn’t previously been a lot of diversity. The other hotels in the area are sometimes focused towards volume beverage and there hasn’t always been a lot of focus on quality food. “That’s why this venue was really designed specifically to target people who want a safe and stylish experience with quality staff, product and service. There is a gap in the market place in the area that the Ivanhoe is filling.”

FOOD RIGHT More recently, there has been an increased focus on the diversity of food and beverage options available in Manly, and the Ivanhoe wanted to ensure it kept up with that change. A second kitchen has been built, and quality, fresh produce is used to prepare traditional pub fare, coupled with options such as handmade angel hair pasta, slow-cooked pork ribs and a vanilla bean crème brulee. There is a pizza and burger menu available until late, while patrons can even order fish and chips to go. “Manly is becoming a food and beverage destination in itself,” Peterson said. “We have a good number of experienced operators in the area along with some newer players who have joined the suburb over the last say five or 10 years, and even more recently. We love being a part of that environment and part of the suburb. It’s really got a personality of its own now.” NEW LOOK, FRESH FACES The hard work has been done and the new-look venue is now open for business. So how have those ambitious objectives being received? “It still is early days, but lots of locals are walking in and saying ‘wow, look at this’,” Peterson said. “People are also experiencing it for the first time and there’s nothing nicer than seeing the faces and hearing the opinions and expressions of others. “We’re certainly getting positive comments and the nicest thing is just seeing smiles on the faces and people enjoying the space, through day and night. “We wanted to make everybody feel welcomed and the space has done what we wanted it to do.”

COMMON SENSE AUDIO The Common Room: www.crownmelbourne.com.au/the-common-room The West End at Crown Level 1, Clarendon St, Southbank VIC

CONTACTS PAVT (EAW): (03) 9264 8000 or www.productionaudio.com.au PointOfView: (03) 9017 4161 or www.pov.com.au Urban Intelligence: (03) 9514 6000 or www.urbanintel.com.au

When Crown Casino knocks a wall through, its with real intent, and a decent budget. So it was when Melbourne’s gaming cathedral refurbished its West End, throwing $50m at the project, much of which we’ve covered in venue. From an audio perspective, Crown was equally uncompromising, with the Common Room nightclub and lounge scoring a full EAW installation. The technology consultants were PointOfView while Urban Intelligence was awarded the installation contract. The Common Room, imagined by CLEO Design out of Vegas, is modelled on the latest and funkiest bars in New York, and has many remarkable features, such as the 200inch screen behind the bar, DMX stage lighting and custom stage rigging. But it’s the audio that arguably steals the show. And EAW system featuring QX full-range speakers, SBK subs and UX8800 speaker control makes for a superb high-energy sound system.

The Common Room is designed to cater for live acoustic, jazz, rock, and all other acts that regularly perform within the venue. From the opening night, the EAW QX system has consistently wowed patrons, providing precise directivity and amazing sound quality, that Crown has come to expect. The monstrous QX cabinet consists of 4 x 12-inch LF phase-aligned drivers with co-axial MF and HF horn-loaded drivers — selected to enable the perfect amount of audio level to be concentrated on the audience, without spill disturbing the nearby gaming floor. Meanwhile, the four EAW SBK250 subwoofers pack dual 15-inch direct radiating drivers and are flown and meticulously positioned behind the QX speakers, providing the best possible sound performance in a well balanced, phase aligned and tuned sound system.

Distributed by Production Audio Video Technology 03 9264 8000 sales@productionaudio.com.au

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Cue The New Qu-16

Glenn Rogers, MD of Allen & Heath put it this way: “The Qu-16 represents the best technology we could pack into a 19-inch unit.” A&H has certainly stuffed some features in. Five high-speed dual-core DSPs provide channel and FX processing with room for future processing updates. Five latest generation 200MHz super-efficient ARM core processors run in parallel, one to drive each of the touchscreen and surface, the Qu Drive USB interface, USB streaming, Ethernet port, and the moving faders. Street price should be sub $3000. Technical Audio Group: (02) 9519 0900 or www.tag.com.au

8 Zones Made Easy

With audio quality that can be tailored for a wide range of applications – including live music, recorded background music, and speech — the PLENA matrix system is ideal for just about any small to medium installation. Venues such as pubs, gyms, hotels, restaurants, bars, houses of worship, and education facilities, to name a few, can now experience professional audio with a cost-effective and easyto-install platform. The system includes an eight-zone DSP matrix mixer/processor, four-channel DSP amplifiers, call stations and wall control panels. Live or recorded music and speech can be distributed in up to eight zones with easy control via PC GUI, iPad, iPod or iPhone. Bosch Communications Systems: (02) 9683 4752 or www.boschcommunications.com.au/plenamatrix

L-Acoustics Given Stick

Bucharest-based Bamboo Group, a successful European club owner and promoter, took over a landmark Miami venue last year and renovated it into a lavish nightclub — Bamboo Miami. A full L-Acoustics loudspeaker upgrade forms a big part of the reno of the 1200-cap venue that hosts top DJs and live bands four nights a week. Two four-enclosure Kudo arrays are now flown on either side of the hydraulically elevated main stage, while an additional pair of three-enclosure Kudo arrays is positioned on the far edges of the balcony’s face at the rear of the room. These balcony arrays fire back into the main space and are particularly essential to create a dance floor atmosphere for DJ performances. For maximum LF impact, four SB28 subs on either side of the stage, with the bottom cabinet in each stack reversed to create a cardioid dispersion pattern. Two additional SB28s are located under the runway down the middle of the room to deliver extra thump in the VIP areas. Hills SVL (L-Acoustics): (02) 9647 1411 or www.hillssvl.com.au

PJ’s Irish Performance

PJ’s has maintained tradition by keeping its Irish-style pub interior but has stayed contemporary through a multimillion-dollar refurbishment (led by SJB Interiors) mid last year. Xcite Audio Visual was bought on board to supply a comprehensive and quality audio system from the PA through to digital signage and DJ/performance rigs. Brendon Fava, director of Xcite Audio Visual, explains that many of the venue’s key areas are serviced magnificently by JBL speakers. JBL Control Contractor Series of installation loudspeakers includes a complete range of surface-mount, in-ceiling and subwoofer models, providing a wide variety of choices to meet any architectural, aesthetic, and system performance requirements. Xcite Audio Visual: 1300 568 571 or xciteav.com.au Jands (JBL): (02) 9582 0909 or www.jands.com.au

Panasonic Saddles Up

The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) has recently installed two 20,000-lumen three-chip DLP PT-DZ21K Panasonic projectors. Located at Flemington racecourse, the VRC runs up to 23 race meetings per season. It recently purchased the projectors which have been installed in the members-only dining area of the Grandstand — The Atrium. They offer stunning vision of every race so VRC members never miss a moment of the action. The incredibly compact PT-DZ21K projectors are twice as bright as the 10,000 lumen projectors they replaced at VRC, and deliver reduced running costs by using four newly developed, affordable 465W UHM lamps instead of the Xenon single lamp system. Panasonic: 132 600 or www.panasonic.com.au

Quest: 100 Wedges Plus

Johnston Audio has cultivated a name over many years for being the friend of grassroots live music. The inimitable Bruce Johnston knows more about pub rock than most. Sure, he’s a director of JPJ — the biggest rental company in Australia that services the biggest touring acts in the world — but the Johnston Audio marque remains as a reminder that Bruce knows something about where the live music ‘rubber’ hits the road. A big chunk of Johnston Audio’s business is in hiring PAs to pubs and other venues. The pub pays a weekly fee while Johnston Audio maintains and services the system. With this in mind, Bruce was looking for a standardised rig that means a) if there’s a gear failure he knows exactly what model he needs to fix/replace and he can carry the spares to do so; and b) If someone phones saying ‘hey, love the sound at the Frog & Duck’, he knows exactly what they’re commenting on. On stage, Bruce has anointed the Quest 12MP (RRP: $1695) as his floor monitor of choice. The reason is threefold: “Quest monitor systems deliver value, quality and durability,” noted a straight talking Bruce Johnston. “Value, because I know how much I can charge these pubs for rental a week and the 12MP provides bang for buck; Quality, because we’re always surprising sound engineers with what this little monitor can do; and Durability, because I’ve bought over a hundred of these wedges and I’ve not had one fail.” Bruce has been experimenting with the 15-inch model as well in larger venues such as the Fern Tree Gully Hotel and the Pier Hotel. But for 300400 capacity pubs, the 12MP reigns supreme. Group Technologies (Quest): (03) 9354 9233 or www.grouptechnologies.com.au

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sit

Smooth as Butter

Butter Chair is the first chair to be released by DesignByThem and is a welcom addition to the Butter Range of recycled furniture. While consistent with the Butter range, designers Nicholas Karlovasitis and Sarah Gibson have explored new and playful relationships with its form and colour choice. Made from 100% recycled content, the Butter Range of furniture has been popular thanks to its bright colours, longevity, and ability to be used indoors and out.  Colours: Mix and match — yellow, orange, red, blue, grey, green, white and biege. Price: $695. (Photo: Pete Daly)

MIRADOR SOFA

Mirador is a modular seating product comprised of 63 unique modules, which may be used interchangeably to create an unlimited number of configurations. Mirador is fully upholstered with a polished cast aluminium frame with levellers and nonmarring glides. All necessary ganging brackets are included and pre-installed. Sofa and Settee modules are available with arms or without arms.No less than Twelve unique connecting modules are available to alter both the length and the angle of a configuration.GREENGUARD and level l certified. Ke-Zu: 1300 724 174

DesignByThem: (02) 8005 4805 or designbythem.com

Renegades Fits Right In

The Renegades Cafe Wine Bar in Mascot has been designed by U+I Building Studio to incorporate a variety of seating arrangements suitable for all-day dining and drinks. Patrons can watch the hustle and bustle at the front counter while sitting on the banquet seating or at the large timber table and benches. Or they can relax in the armchairs and sofas in the quieter rear part of the cafe that opens to the balcony. Furniture sourced from Café Culture includes: Ypsilon table base, Compact Laminate table top, Askew lounge, Ara armchair, Foglia chair, Cheope barstool, Lightblocks and Ply table top. Ines Klein from U+I Building Studio commented: “the furniture harmonised perfectly with the interior design”. Café Culture: (02) 9699 8577 or www.cafeculture.com.au

Paustian ASAP

The ASAP chair from Danish designers Paustian is a durable, stackable chair ideal for restaurants, meeting rooms and canteens. The form of the chair and the padding ensures a high degree of comfort, both aesthetically and ergonomically. Pago Designs: (02) 9700 9100 or www.pagodesigns.com.au

EvoStyle Bespoke Furniture

Evostyle is a wholly Australian owned and operated family business headed up by Luke Ommundson, a third generation woodworker and specialist woodturner, together with his wife Louise a trained architect. Having recently been involved in manufacturing some iconic furniture and joinery items at QT Sydney, The Morrison at Circular Quay and the recent refurbishments at The Clock Hotel, Surry Hills, Evostyle has quickly become the manufacturer of choice for Architects and Designers. Matt Nadilo, Design Associate from Nic Graham Architects said: “Evostyle will definitely be our preference for future jobs. Luke was great to deal with, their shop drawings are great, and the quality of their work was brilliant.” Evostyle has set itself apart from other joinery companies by specialising in the more unusual commissions. Leading the way with its high-tech design service, exceptional quality, commitment to the environment and an ability to make almost anything out of solid wood, Evostyle is able to offer word class skills, craftsmanship and experience that is hard to find anywhere else in Australia. Evostyle: (02) 9627 6369 or luke@evostyle.com.au

DONT TOSS IT

TRADE IT ! HUGE TRADE-IN DEALS on Sennheiser Wireless Mic systems.

Furnitex 2013

Furnitex, Australia’s largest furniture and furnishings Trade Fair, and the co-located Decoration + Design, will return to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 18-21 July 2013. 2013 will see the largest showcase of Australian manufacturers in the world, with leading exhibitors Ambience Eco Fires, Bayside Furniture, Satara and Art of Life exhibiting. Australia’s premier interiors event, Decoration + Design, is under the same roof and will feature an impressive line-up. The Hotel + Hospitality Furnishings feature section returns in 2013. This feature will showcase products suitable for hotels, motels, clubs and restaurants, providing a unique opportunity to preview the latest trends in the industry. Now celebrating its eleventh year, a highlight of the fair will be Vivid – Vibrant Visions in Design, the prestigious furniture design competition that offers aspiring designers a unique launching pad into the furniture industry. Australian emerging designers will present their original creations in Commercial, Concept, Student and Green categories. Also returning is the International Industry Seminar Series, with a worldclass line up of international and Australian presenters set to headline the 2013 Seminar Program. See our 20 Questions with furniture designer Suzanne Trocmé for a taster, or log on to the Furnitex web page to view the full line up. Furnitex: (03) 8672 1200 or www.furnitex.com.au

TRADE IN your old or non compatible system for a

NEW SENNHEISER WIRELESS SYSTEM and get an amazng

TRADE IN DEAL ! Any brand wireless system accepted. Limit of one trade in per Sennheiser Wireless System.

visit

ddready.com.au for more information

Freecall 1800 648 628 sales@syntec.com.au www.sennheiser.com.au

1 2

lit

3 4

AMF Bowled Over by Pro Shop LED

Audio Visual Design and Construct (AVDC) has been revamping AMF Bowling and Kingpin Centres, as well as M9 Laser Skirmish Centres, around the country by adding sparkling colour and light courtesy of Pro Shop LED products. Each type of venue follows a format: the Kingpins have LED Par cans down the side of the lanes and on trusses, the M9s go for colour and movement while the AMF has developed a hybrid model using LED tape in the counters and LED Par cans on trusses throughout the venue. Show Technology: (02) 9748 1122 or www.showtech.com.au

Aëon Klec & Lule

The ever expanding Aëon Illumination lighting collection now has two new products. The Klec and the Lule are decorative, feature pendant lights which celebrate the minimal yet industrial aesthetic. The vintage wire details create decorative shadow play when suspended near surfaces. Change up the style by putting in various lamps including old-style Edison filament lamps, eco-halogens, compact fluorescent lamps or bring it into today with decorative LED lamps. Available electrical flex colours are red, black, white and clear. Price: $110+GST (lamps not included). Satelight: (03) 9399 5805 or info@satelight.com.au

Slope Finds New Angle

By combining two distinctly different materials, steel and wood, Skirvo Design has collaborated with Miniforms to create a series of conical pendant lights. The ‘Slope’ design reveals the inner grains of the beechwood top by carving into the cone in order to attain a three dimensional pendant that provides multiple profiles on its viewing angle. Price: sub $500. Café Culture: (02) 9699 8577 or www.cafeculture.com.au

Spotlight FresneLED 250 RGBW

With higher light output than a 1000w conventional Fresnel while using a quarter of the power the FresneLED 250 RGBW brings full colour mixing to Spotlight’s Green Line fixture series and saves you time and money. The combination of red, green, blue and white LEDs afford an extended palette of true colours that will work seamlessly alongside conventional fixtures and deliver the results that designers need and expect. Reduced maintenance with no lamp or gel changes, lower power bills and lower heat load for your HVAC system. On every level FresneLED saves you time and running costs without compromising the quality of light hitting your stage. Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or www.jands.com.au

Microhire Goes with Robe LED

ULA Group has won the contract to supply the latest Robe LED lighting technology to Microhire QLD to be used as the in-house lighting inventory at the Royal International Convention Centre (RICC) in Brisbane. Microhire had been awarded the contract as the in-house AV supplier for RICC earlier this year. The newly released Robe fixtures will be used as a part of the permanent lighting installation in the movable truss grid system in the halls of RICC. The recently acquired lighting set includes 30 x Robin 300 LEDWash Plus fixtures, 24 x Robin DLX Spots, 6 x Robin DLS Profiles and 12 x Robin MMX Wash Beam fixtures. ULA Group: 1300 852 476 or www.ulagroup.com

Pharos Ships

This pendant caught our eye in the Ivanhoe Hotel refurb. It must have caught Paul Kelly’s eye as well as the Pharos Modern Pendant Light features heavily. Pharos takes its name from the ancient texts where a Pharos is a tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships — a lighthouse. Pharos looks fabulous in clusters or lines of multiples over a kitchen counter or restaurant bar. The Niche Modern Pharos pendant is hand made with great care in New York and perfect for both hospitality lighting and residential lighting. Niche Modern: www.nichemodern.com

HEATRAY HEATING SOLUTIONS integrated radiant heating systems designed for all environmental conditions.

INTELLIGENTCUSTOMISEDENERGYEFFICIENT melbourne 2 Powlett Street Moorabbin VIC 3189 T +61 3 9555 3667 F +61 3 9555 9723

sydney 7/76 Reserve Road Artarmon NSW 2064 T +61 2 8436 7200 F +61 2 8436 7211

www.celmec.com.au

info@celmec.com.au

PREFERRED SUPPLIERS ACCESSORIES

www.jcba.com.au

Allplastics Engineering Pty Ltd www.allplastics.com.au

KP Architects www.kparchitects.com.au

Luchetti Krelle Bar Icon Group www.luchettikrelle.com www.bar-icon-group.com Marchese JamFactory www.marchesepartners.com.a www.jamfactory.com.au Make Kennards www.kennards.com.au www.make.net.au Mezzanine Wine Nicholas Associates www.mezzaninewine.com.au www.nicholasassociates.com.au PILA Group www.pilagroup.com

Peckvonhartel www.pvh.com.au Raypak Pikewithers www.raypak.com.au www.pikewithers.com.au Technogym SixDegrees Architecture www.technogym.com www.sixdegrees.com.au

Electric Factory www.elfa.com.au Funktion One www.funkton-one.com.au Group Technologies www.gtaust.com Hills SVL www.hillssvl.com.au JB commercial www.jbcommercial.com.au Len Wallis Audio www.lenwallisaudio.com Magna Systems www.magnasys.com.au Max Home www.maxhome.com.au McCalls www.mccallsservices.com.au

JVG Sound Leaders in AV, Lighting, Hire, Production, Security and MATV NSW, QLD, NT, VIC, TAS 1300 584 584 (07) 5599 1222 admin@jvgsound.com.au www.jvgsound.com.au AMX Australia www.amxaustralia.com.au AVICO www.avico.com.au Avocent Australia www.connectivity.avocent.com

AMMENITIES

SJB www.sjb.com.au

Meyer sound www.meyersound.com.au

Dyson www.dyson.com.au

Squillace Architects+Interior Design www.squillace.com.au

Music Link www.musiclink.com.au

Jet Dryer www.jetdryer.com.au

Stanton Creative Group www.stantoncreativegroup.com.au

National Audio Systems www.nationalaudio.com.au

Tradelink www.tradelink.com.au

Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects www.tzg.co.au

Night Works Audio www.nightworksaudio.com.au

RBA Group www.rba.com.au

McGlashan Everist www.mearchitects.com

One Productions www.oneproductions.com.au

Bose Australia www.bose.com.au

Webb Australia www.webbaustralia.com.au

Pioneer www.pioneer.com.au

BOSCH www.boschsecurity.com.au

Woodhead www.woodhead.com.au

Production Audio Services www.productionaudio.com.au

Canohm www.canohm.com.au

Syntec International www.syntec.com.au

Castel Electronics www.castel.com.au

TAG www.tag.com.au

Clipsal www.clipsal.com.au

Yamaha www.yamahamusic.com.au

Clearlight Shows www.clearlight.com.au

ARCHITECTS

AUDIO EQUIPMENT

2RKS Architecture + Design 2 Winslow Street Milsons Point, NSW 2061 T: (02) 8904 0000 F: (02) 8904 0411 www.2rks.com

BERGSTROM ARCHITECTS Suite 103, 3 Eden Street, North Sydney NSW 2060 T: (02) 8920 1499 F: (02) 8920 1599 info@bergstromarchitects.com.au Altis Architecture www.altisarchitecture.com Arkhefield www.arkhefield.com.au

J Audio Supply and Design Professional Audio Systems (07) 5599 1551 info@jdistribution.net www.jdistribution.net

Jands Pty Ltd JBL - SHURE - Soundcraft 40 Kent Road, Mascot NSW 2020 (02) 9582 0909 www.jands.com.au

AUDIOVISUAL & INSTALLATION

BE Productions www.beproductions.com.au

CMI Music & Audio www.cmi.com.au

Dynalite www.dynalite-online.com EPSON www.epson.com.au Herma www.herma.com.au

Australian Venue Services Pty Ltd 5 Saywell Street, Marrickville, NSW 2204 1300 66 31 66 info@a-v.com.au www.australianvenueservices.com.au

Acoustica AV System Consultancy & Design www.acoustica.com.au Theatre Planning & System Design Baenzigercoles Architectural Lighting Design Advance Audio Australia www.baenzigercoles.com.au NSW: (02) 9029 0281 www.advanceaudio.com.au Brand+Slater sydney@designstage.com.au Audio Logistics www.brandandslater.com.au QLD: (07) 3367 2234 www.audiologistics.com.au BY Architects brisbane@designstage.com.au Audio Product Group www.byarchitects.com.au www.designstage.com.au www.audioproducts.com.au Cox Richardson Bishop Audio www.cox.com.au www.bishopaudio.com.au Goodwin Design Bose www.goodwindesign.com.au www.bose.com Group GSA Jackson Clement Burrows

Beyond AV www.beyondav.com.au

DJW project www.djwprojects.com.au

Axil Architecture www.axil.com.au

www.groupgsa.com

Axiom www.axiompl.com.au

iMatteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sBody of Work www.techtel.com.au Impact AV www.impactav.com.au JBN www.jbn.com.au Laser Vision www.laservision.com.au Milestone Solutions www.milestone.com.au Pulse AV www.pulseav.com.au Venutech www.venutech.com.au Video Pro www.videopro.com.au YSI www.soundinvestment.com.au

FABRIC

CONSTRUCTION

Dickson-Constant www.dickson-constant.com

Global Shop Fitters Complete commericial fit-outs design and consultancy Unit 9/17 Rothcote Crt Burleigh Heads QLD 4220 Ph: 1300 103 755 www.globalshopfitters.com

TM DESIGN GROUP PTY LTD DESIGNERS TO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Studio 5, 11 Beach Street Port Melbourne, VIC 3207 Ian Macklin (Director) 03 9646 9932 0417 147 110 imacklin@tmdg.com.au www.tmdg.com.au Barbara and fellows www.barbaraandfellows.com.au

Arcon www.arcon-nsw.com.au

Bleux www.bleux.com.au

Crown Commercials www.creationbaumann.com

Dasch Associates www.daschassociates.com

Gibbon Group www.gibbongroup.com.au

D4 Residential & Commercial Design www.d4designs.com.au

Rohrig www.rohrig.com.au Isis www.isis.com.au James Clifford Construction www.jamesclifford.com.au Liquid Lines www.liquidlines.com.au Paynter Dixon www.paynterdixon.com.au Premier Club Constructions www.premierbuild.com.au Premier Building Group www.premierclub.com.au Quality Project Management www.qpmgt.com.au Reed Constructions Australia www.reedgroup.com.au COMMERCIAL EDUCATION

UNE Partnerships Facilities Management Frontline Management Project Management 122-132 Mossman Street Armidale NSW 2350 (02) 6773 0000 www.unep.edu.au accounts@unep.edu.au

DBI Design www.dbidesign.com.au Dreamtime www.dreamtimeaustraliadesign.com Edge Commercial Interiors www.edgecommercialinteriors.com.au Innersphere www.innersphere.com.au Inset Group www.insetgroup.com.au Joshua Bacon Design www.joshuabacon.com.au MERRILL DESIGN AUSTRALIA www.merrilldesign.com.au

V Screen Indoor/Outdoor LED Screens (07) 5599 1551 info@jdistribution.net www.jdistribution.net Aquavision www.aquavisiontv.com.au Hitachi www.hitachi.com.au Innovizion www.innovizion.com.au JVC proffesional www.jvc-australia.com Mitsubishi Electric www.mitsubishielectric.com.au NEC www.nec.com.au Panasonic www.panasonic.com.au Philips www.avico.com.au Samsung www.samsung.com.au Sony www.sony.com.au Wilson Gilkes www.gilkon.com.au

Warwick Fabrics www.warwick.com.au FINISHES Alloy Design www.alloydesign.com.au Armstrong www.armstrong-aust.com.au Axolotl Group www.axolotl-group.com Bravo print www.bravoprint.com.au Caesarstone www.caesarstone.com.au Casf www.casf.com.au Design Room Australia Digiglass www.digiglass.com.au Dulux www.dulux.com.au Hot Metal www.hotmetal.biz

Viewsonic Australia www.viewsonic.com

Hunter Douglas Architectural Products www.hunterdouglascommercial. com.au

ENTERTAINMENT

Instyle Contract Textiles www.instyle.com.au

Moth Design www.mothdesign.com.au

Interior Art Image www.interiorartimage.com

Nexus Design www.nexusdesigns.com.au

Interior Decorative Coatings www.idccolourfield.com

Origin Didier Design www.origindidier.com.au Platinum Interiors www.platinuminteriors.com.au Quattro Design www.quattrodesign.com.au Ryder Hampton www.ryderhampton.com

Nightlife Music Managed Music, Visuals and Digital advertising solutions For more information call: Phil Brown - National Sales 0404 556 727 phil.brown@nightlife.com.au www.nightlife.com.au

DISPLAY

Laminex www.laminex.com.au Liquid Metal Technologies www.liqmet.com Llias www.ilias.com.au Marblo www.marblo.com Pet Shop Studio International www.petshopstudio.com.au Porterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Paints www.porterspaints.com.au

DESIGN

Samsung Electronics Australia Commercial Displays 8 Parkview Drive Homebush Bay NSW 2127 02 9763 9700 it.sales@samsung.com www.samsung.com/au/business

Paul Kelly Design 77 Bay St. Glebe. NSW 2007 (02) 9660 8299 www.paulkellydesign.com.au

Kvadrat Maharam www.kvadratmaharam.com

FLOORING Playcom Customised Entertainment Digital Signage systems background music and music video Street 22, 89 Jones St, Ultimo (02) 8815 6600 info@playcom.com.au www.playcom.com.au

Platinum TV www.platinumtv.com.au

Finest international, local and custom-made tiles for the commercial, hospitality & corporate market. 182-186 Parramatta Road, Camperdown NSW 2050 (02) 9550 5204 www.belmondotiles.com.au

Karndean International www.karndean.com Living Tiles www.livingtiles.com.au Cavalier Bremworth Pure NZ wool carpet More than 30 carpet styles 1800 251 172 mrobinson@cavbrem.com.au www.cavbrem.com.au

Gibbon Group Innovative, sustainable and high-quality interior finishes (07) 3881 1777 sales@gibbongroup.com.au www.gibbongroup.com.au

Tappeti Level 2, 13 - 15 Levey Street Chippendale 2008 T: (02) 9698 2735 F: (02) 9698 2788 designstudio@tappeti.com.au www.tappeti.com.au

82 Academy Tiles www.academytiles.com.au Altro Flooring www.asf.com.au Amber Tiles www.ambertiles.com.au

National Tiles www.nationaltiles.com.au Polyflor Australia www.polyflor.com.au Rms Natural Stone www.rmsmarble.com

Dalsouople Australasia www.dalsouple.com.au DĂŠcor Stone www.decorpebble.com.au

Eco Flooring Systems www.ecoflooring.com.au Eco Tile Factory www.ecotilefactory.com.au Forbo www.forbo-flooring.com.au Godfrey Hirst www.godgfreyhirst.com Gunnersen Inspirations www.gunnersens.com.au InterfaceFLOR www.interfaceaus.com.au

Matt Blatt www.mattblatt.com.au Nufurn www.nufurn.com.au PGR Furniture www.pgrfurniture.com.au Pomp Furniture www.pomp.com.au

Stone Art www.stoneartaust.com.au

Blok Furniture www.blokfurniture.com.au

Robert Plumb www.robertplumb.com.au

Tascot Carpets www.tascot.com.au

BINDI Furn www.bindifurniture.com.au

Ross Didier www.origindidier.com.au

The Andrews Group www.theandrewsgroup.com.au

Botton & Gardiner www.bottongardiner.com.au

Schiavello www.schiavello.com

The Rug Collection www.therugcollection.com.au

Cafe Culture www.cafeculture.com.au

Sebel www.sebelfurniture.com

Tsar Carpets and Rugs www.tsar.com.au

Capital Design Works www.capitaldesignworks.com.au

Space www.spacefurniture.com.au

Casino Consoles Australia www.casinoconsoles.com.au

Cubus www.cubusconcepts.com.au

Stylecraft www.stylecraft.com.au

Whitecliffe Imports www.whitecliffe.com.au

Chairbiz www.chairbiz.com.au

Tait www.tait.biz

FURNITURE

Comax www.comaxaustralia.com.au

Zenith Interiors www.zenithinteriors.com.au

Corporate Culture www.corporateculture.com.au

HEATING

FURNITURE

Corporate Express www.ce.com.au

B Seated Australia Leading Supplier & Manufacturer of Commercial Furniture. 7/22 Mavis St , Revesby, NSW 2212 1300 727 637 www.bseatedglobal.com.au

CF Design www.cfdesign.com.au

Echelon www.echelonproducts.com Evostyle www.evostyle.com.au Eurofurn www.eurofurn.com.au

Bromic Heating Head Office: 1 Suttor Street, Silverwater, Sydney NSW 2128 1300 276 642 F: (02) 9748 4289 www.bromic.com.au

Form and Function www.form-function.com.au Contempo Furniture Pty Ltd Design and Manufacturing of Commercial Furniture and Lighting, specialising in unique metal finishes; Metal Spinners and Sheet Metal Fabricators (02) 9726 6794 www.contempofurniture.com.au

Four Two www.fourtwo.com.au Furniture Options www.furnitureoptions.com.au Gadget King www.gadgetking.com.au Globe West www.globewest.com.au

Climate Australia Specialists in Outdoor Temperature Solutions Unit 6, Enterprise Industrial Estate 8 Tilley Lane Frenchs Forest NSW 2086

(02) 9977 3474 0414 48 5555 www.climateaustralia.com.au

Great Dane Furniture www.greatdanefurniture.com

Designer Rugs www.designerrugs.com.au DTAC www.dtac.com.au

JMH Hospitality Furniture www.hospitalityfurniture.com.au

Aero Design www.aerodesigns.com.au

Boral Timbers www.boral.com.au

Classic Floorcoverings www.classicfloorcoverings.com.au

The Seatery Custom Upholstery Specialist Factory 3, 24 Longstaff Road Bayswater Vic 3153 (03) 9720 0042 enquiries@theseatery.com.au www.theseatery.com.au

Rocks On www.rockson.com.au

Ardex www.ardexaustralia.com.au

Brintons Pty Limited www.brintons.net/commercial

Jardan Australia www.jardan.com.au

Prototype Commercial Furniture Manufacture, Tailor and Supply Commercial Furniture 31 Paringa Road Murarrie QLD 4217 1 The Crescent, Kingsgrove NSW 2208 1300 799 376 info@prototype.net.au www.prototype.net.au

Hospitality Furniture Concepts www.hospitalityfurniture.net.au Hughes Commercial Furniture www.hughescf.com.au Iken www.iken.com.au Instyle Seating www.instyleseating.com.au Interstudio www.interstudio.com.au Insitu Furniture www.insitufurniture.com.au James Richardson www.jamesrichardson.com.au

Thermofilm Australia Pty Ltd 27 Rosalie Street, Springvale VIC 3171 T: (03) 9562 3455 F: (03) 9548 3979 sales@thermofilm.com.au www.thermofilm.com.au Alfresco Spaces www.alfrescospaces.com.au Celmec International www.celmec.com.au

Devex Systems www.devexsystems.com.au

LIGHTING

EcoSmart Fire www.ecosmartfire.com Everdure www.everdure.com Gasmate www.gasmate.com.au

Pulse Show Lighting www.pulse-ent.com.au Jands Pty Ltd Vari*lite - ETC 40 Kent Road, Mascot NSW 2020 (02) 9582 0909 www.jands.com.au

Jetmaster www.jetmaster.com.au Keverton www.kevertonoutdoor.com.au Pure Heat www.pureheat.com.au Realflame www.realflame.com.au

Satelight www.satelight.com.au Studio Italia www.studioitalia.com.au Tenrod www.tenrod.com.au

J Lighting Architectural/LED/ Stage Lighting (07) 5599 1551 info@jdistribution.net www.jdistribution.net

Solamagic Australia www.solamagic-australia.com.au FABRICATION

PointOfView www.pov.com.au

Yellow Goat www.yellowgoat.com.au Xenian www.xenian.com.au WhiteLite www.whitelite.com.a ULA www.ula.com.au

NPA Specialised Lighting Components Wholesale supplier of lighting components, specialising in custom neon, cold cathode systems, LED general lighting and architectural LED systems. (07) 5597 2554 sales@npalighting.com www.npalighting.com

OUTDOOR LouvreSpan www.louvrespan.com.au Skyspan Umbrellas

www.skyspan-umbrellas.com Supershades www.supershades.com.au

OX Engineering Group Pty Ltd Specialists in architectural metalwork,displays,metal fabrication and Signage 23 Britton St Smithfield NSW 2164 (02) 9616 7444 www.overexposure.com.au

Balanced Technology www.balancedtech.com.au

POINT OF SALE

INTERIORS

Coemar De Sisti Australia www.cdaust.com.au

Fedeltapos www.fedeltapos.com

Display Design www.displaydesign.com.au

Impos www.impos.com.au

ECC www.ecclightingandliving.com

Micros Systems www.micros.com

Element Labs www.elementlabs.com

Omnipos www.omnipos.com.au

Euroluce www.euroluce.com.au

Redcat www.redcat.com.au

Di Emme Creative Solutions Chiaro Screens - MetaFinish MetaFlex - Stonini Unit 3, 87-89 Moore Street Leichhardt NSW 2040 (02) 9550 0811 www.diemme.com.au Crown Doors International www.crowndoors.com.au Ke-Zu www.kezu.com.au Silent GlIss www.silentgliss.com.au Smartstone www.smartstone.com.au Somfy www.somfy.com.au Tint Design www.tintdesign.com.au Woven Image www.wovenimage.com.au Woven Wall www.wovinwall.com Viridian Glass www.viridianglass.com

Haron Robson www.haronrobson.com.au Illumanon www.illumanon.com Innermost www.innermost.com.au Illumination Physics www.illuminationphysics.com LSW www.lsw.com.au Mance Design www.mance.com.au Mayfield Lamps www.mayfieldlamps.com.au Mega Vision www.megavision.com.au Optique www.optique.com.au Optic Fibre Lighting www.opticfiberlighting.com.au Osram www.osram.com.au Passive Lighting www.passivelighting.com.au

Vergola www.vergolansw.com.au

SECURITY EOS www.eos.com.au Nightkey www.metropolisfremantle.com.au OPOC www.opoc.com.au SIGNAGE Albert Smith Group www.asggroup.com.au Face Visual Marketing Group www.facevmg.com.au Fen Systems Australia www.fensystems.com.au Fremont Design www.fremontdesign.com.au Sachr Sign Strategy www.sachr.com.au

BATHED IN GLORY Hotel bathrooms play a curious role in how we feel about a room. More often than not, our bathroom experiences are brief: a shower, shave and/or slap on some make-up, and go to the loo. But a bathroom that makes you go ‘wow’ can give you as many goose bumps as a great view.

Or you can have both. Luxuriating in the bathtub of a Sebel Pier One suite, flute of champagne in one hand, gazing out at the twinkling lights of Vivid on Sydney Harbour Bridge, I thought to myself: “is there a better bathroom experience on the planet than this?”. In Australia, special mention must also go to the Westin Melbourne and The Darling, Sydney… but not many urban hotels can combine great bathroom amenity and a great view (at least not without the nagging feeling that some perv is training their binoculars on you). As far as bathroom disasters go: there are plenty. Do we really want to share our beloved’s latrine time… can we finally file the open plan bathroom/bedroom experiment into the ‘Never Again’ category? Lighting is particularly important in a bathroom. Low, indirect lighting is very calming after a long day on the hoof, so long as there’s plenty of optional light on tap for close-up mirror work. I’ve assembled a collection of recently designed hotel bathrooms for your delectation. I invite you to make up your own mind. — CH.

AUSTRALIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FIRST ISF CERTIFIED SCREENS

Galleria Novares Series Worth staying home for. LP Morgan Galleria Novares projection screen now has the official stamp of approval for visual excellence from the Imaging Science Foundation, the only Australian product to have been awarded this certification. With Galleria Novares screens you can be assured of the Real Home Cinema Experience. Use it with 2D or 3D projection for stunning results or combine it with the newly released Panamorph DC1 anamorphic lens for the ultimate in immersive and engaging home entertainment. www.imagingscience.com Herma Technologies is a division of Hills SVL

For more information and where you can see a Galleria Novares visit www.lpmorgan.com.au or call 1300 730 025.