Domain Prestige - May 17, 2023

JOSEPHINE HUYNH

When writer Helen rang me the other week saying she’d found a property on the market with a climate-controlled wardrobe I put her on speaker and the ladies in the office swarmed. A 200-square-metre dressing room, with endless shoe and handbag storage, with its own lighting floor plan, airconditioning and dehumidifier? We couldn’t believe our ears. “That’s how you know you’ve made it,” one of us said. Take a look in this week’s Top Tier column about the extravagant extras found in Australia’s luxury listings. Elsewhere, in our Feature Story, but keeping in the fashion theme, we reverse the channels of interior inspiration and look at a few of our favourite retail spaces in Sydney, which have been designed to feel like home, sweet home. We talk to the designers who’ve crossed over from residential to commercial and the art they’ve mastered along the way.

OUR COVER

12 Mary Street, Hawthorn

Listed by Abercrombys

PAGE 6

Editor:

Josephine Huynh

Editorial producer:

Hailey Coules

Group picture editor:

Kylie Thomson

Senior designer:

Colleen Chin Quan

Graphic designer: Emma Drake

National magazine editor:

Natalie Mortimer

Chief marketing officer: Rebecca Darley

Chief executive officer: Jason Pellegrino

Residential sales: Queensland

Amanda Vaughan 0413 370 004

New South Wales

Joe Pinneri

0408 694 223

Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern

Territory & Tasmania

Ray van Veenendaal 0438 279 870

New development sales: Ivan Curic 0413 498 156

Media sales: Sam Hill 0438 348 998

Contact: editorial@domain.com.au

TOP TIER

By KATE FARRELLY

Hawthorn

Melbourne 12 Mary Street

$10 million

4 4 5

Expressions of interest: Close 5.30pm, May 23

Agent: Abercrombys, Jock Langley 0419 530 008

Old and new merge in spectacular fashion at this Grace Park Estate residence located within strolling distance of the Glenferrie Road shopping precinct. From the five-car garage with a turntable to the curved outdoor domain, no detail has been overlooked. You’ll find lift access across all three levels, multiple living spaces, two studies and a pool.

ANSON SMART

Werai

Southern Highlands 223 Greenhills Road

$7.5 million-$8 million

6 5 2

Expressions of interest

Agent: Highland Southern Highlands, Corina Nesci 0416 523 155

With two newly renovated residences set on almost 4.5 hectares of parklike grounds, The Folly is well equipped to house the extended family or generate income from holiday letting. Highlights include a marble kitchen with Gaggenau appliances and high ceilings with exposed timber battens.

Manly

Sydney 77 Bower Street

$23 million

Auction: 6pm, May 30

Agent: Belle Property Manly, Anthony Calacoci 0406 314 188

Positioned a five-minute walk from Manly and Shelly beaches and capturing panoramic coastal views, this impressive home is no ordinary beach abode. Designed by Nanna Lesuik, the tri-level residence showcases two northfacing living zones, each with a designer kitchen.

Yeronga

Brisbane 375 Brisbane Corso 5

Auction: 5.30pm, May 22

Agent: Ray White New Farm, Christine Rudolph 0400 943 984

A sunset cruise can be a regular indulgence at this Brisbane River-front residence, which comes with its own private pontoon.

ETERNAL LIGHT

Despite being designed in 1968, the Semi Pendant by Gubi retains a strikingly modern aesthetic. Its distinctive cone shape is crafted from enamelled metal and is available in a variety of colours and sizes. ingoodcompany. com.au

Modernist marvels

Whether created in bygone times or the contemporary era, these mid-mod makes are for the ages. Compiled by PAULINE MORRISSEY

BAUHAUS BEAUTIES The NOOM collection is a stunning tribute to the Bauhaus movement, comprising furniture created by a composition of geometric shapes and named after modernist artists and architects. They include the Chair Gropius and the Freyja Coffee Table. tigmitrading.com

1970S STYLE The Timberline Floor Lamp by Mads Caprani was a ’70s sensation. Its playful expression, use of contrasting natural materials and neutral colour palette continue to make an impact as a mid-century design icon. cultdesign.com.au

LUXURY LOUNGING Sarah Ellison’s latest creation is the Chromeo Armchair, a contemporary, yet timeless, design. A chrome-finish frame is coupled with bolster cushion detailing to form a striking statement piece. sarahellison.com.au

A feast for your eyes

Residential and retail are merging as interior designers lend their hand to creating spaces that feel like home.

By ELIZABETH CLARKE

ANSON

Johnson’s spaces for custom tailor P. Johnson in Sydney’s Paddington are more “grown-up” thanks to stunning design elements.

While online shopping and takeaway gourmet dinners offer simplicity and convenience, neither provides the sensorial experiences that a highly designed bricks-and-mortar store can.

“There is a statement to be made alongside the purchase, and the in-store experience is a bigger part of the package,” says Sydney interior designer Tamsin Johnson. “Online buying can satisfy a simple means of purchasing, but instore, a brand speaks to the customer. There’s more theatre.”

Post-pandemic, luxury retailers are working with interior designers to transform their spaces into highly conceptual settings that feel homelike and keep us lingering for longer.

Here are four designers leading the way.

Tamsin Johnson for SIR. and P. Johnson Femme Johnson’s interiors for fashion label SIR.’s flagship Bondi store speaks to its customers with cool, spirited spaces that mesh the warmth of natural wood with travertine, marble, glass blocks, and polished concrete floors.

“Its playfulness and excitement reflects SIR.’s audience and its depth of character explains a complexity of taste and maturity,” she says.

Vintage pieces, like De Sede’s iconic DS-600 modular sofa in rich chocolate leather and the Garbo String Hanging Lamp by Mariyo Yagi and Studio Simon are crowd favourites, says Johnson, who styled them alongside dynamic surfaces and finishes that elevate the store’s overall design language.

The new P. Johnson Femme showroom features a mirrored ceiling, Murano antique lighting and French-washed walls in terracotta and sage.

Furnishings in the Victorian terrace range from mid-century acrylic joinery and 19thcentury Spanish furniture to a vintage glass cactus, ensuring surprises at every turn and creating spaces as sophisticated as its fashion.

ACME for Gimlet

Selecting a restaurant is like choosing a movie scene to play a part in, and Melbourne’s Gimlet, helmed by celebrated chef Andrew McConnell, is a future classic.

Created in collaboration with Sydney firm ACME, Gimlet spans the ground floor of Cavendish House, a glamorous Chicago-style 1920s building in Melbourne’s CBD.

SMART

A fully immersive experience, its amphitheatre-like layout rotates around a fabulous French marble bar and a kitchen that allows diners to engage in its theatre. Layers of opulence like stippled glass, aged brass, parquetry floors and twinkling Murano glass chandeliers exude old-school sophistication.

“The psychology behind the space is to engage patrons into the realm of theatre and education, while drinking or dining,” says ACME cofounder Vince Alafaci.

Co-founder Caroline Choker adds: “It’s a sensory journey from drinks at the cocktail bar, casual dining in the lower booths and elevated dining on the podium level. Each is heightened with nostalgia ... orchestrated with the atmosphere, food offering, service and theatrics that stimulate an appetite for guests to return.”

Akin Atelier for Camilla and Marc

The seventh Camilla and Marc store worked on by Sydney practice Akin Atelier feels just like home, says director Kelvin Ho.

“Each store has its own narrative with beautiful stone, rendered finishes and clash of geometric and organic shapes,” he says. “For the Armadale [Melbourne] store, we wanted a warm residential European apartment feel.”

Housed on the ground floor of a heritage terrace in the inner-city suburb, the store reflects the brand’s ethos with sculptural forms and a palette kept natural and subtle.

“We work closely with Marc and Camilla on the design to create a platform to accentuate the product, not distract from it,” Ho says.

“It must also be memorable and create a lasting impression.”

The store comprises four spaces, each offering a subtly different aesthetic thanks to sumptuous materiality that ebbs and flows throughout.

A pearl wave onyx-clad counter links one room to another, and vast windows and skylights draw in light that bounce off soft marmorinorendered walls.

“We incorporate furnishings you might find in a beautiful home and there’s a garden and plenty of light throughout for a real sense of

nature,” says Ho. “People spend 30 to 45 minutes here, so it must be functional and durable and intimate with warm, flattering light so everyone looks and feels their very best.”

Fiona Lynch for Kiln

“Ace Hotels really wanted Kiln to have its own Australian DNA,” says Fiona Lynch, who, charged with designing the hotel’s first restaurant in the southern hemisphere, looked to the landscape to tell its story. “We bypassed fads and designed spaces with longevity, and spent more time finessing the finer details that make the customer experience more immersive.”

Kiln sits atop an 18-storey former warehouse in the Sydney CBD that housed one of Australia’s oldest known kilns and was later a garment factory. Its two inside dining areas, bars, lounge and two terrace dining areas each have a unique feel and different city views.

Natural materials were the project’s starting point, most notably Australian timbers, including Tasmanian Huon pine, recycled bird’s-eye stringybark, and blackbutt as well as stone sourced from regional quarries.

The palette – rich, luminescent and varied – is inspired by the natural stones and morphs from space to space. “One of the terraces features inky blue upholstery and blue-toned wall textiles, then it moves onto burnt reds, and olive green and brown,” Lynch says. “It’s a very Australian palette.”

Salvaged materials from the building site were crushed to create a pigment hand-painted onto Belgian linen that lines the two terraces. The central utility room features a custom metallic ombre finish, a first, Lynch says, by Australian lighting designer Volker Haug.

“The furniture language, with its fairly brutal and honest design, ties back to our early colonial past where our furniture originated,” she says. “There are no fussy details, just raw, natural materials that feel undone, comfy and relaxed.”

For Lynch, dinner at Kiln is a must whenever she’s in Sydney. “There’s a spot in front of the kitchen that offers a slither of a view of the Opera House,” she says. “It’s my special spot.”

SEAN FENNESSEY

SHARYN CAIRNS PABLO VEIGA

SIR. Bondi and P. Johnson Femme by Tamsin Johnson, left and below; Gimlet by ACME, above; Kiln by Fiona Lynch, above right; Camilla and Marc by Akin Atelier, right.

Marquee are proud to introduce Monterey’s crown jewel to the prestigious southern Gold Coast beachfront…

An irreplaceable full-floor penthouse with the widest expanse of absolute beach frontage & best views in Queensland.

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Deal

The seaside playground of Sorrento has year-round appeal with a stylish centre and many natural attractions. By PAULINE

As the leaves and temperature drop in Victoria, visitors to the historical seaside township of Sorrento will dwindle, leaving those who reside here to appreciate the place they call home with fewer crowds, if only for a short while.

Sure, the town shines during summer, especially along its stunning beaches, from the surfer’s paradise of ocean beach to the family-friendly waters of front beach.

But then again, winter is when the open fire is cranking, a glass of red from one of the nearby wineries and restaurants is especially soothing, and the brisk air during walks along trails and nearby national parks feels incredibly refreshing.

Year-round beachside bliss

Speaking as a lifelong local, Myles Pitt believes Sorrento is arguably even more beautiful during the cooler months.

His family has lived in the area since the ’80s when his grandparents bought Hotel Sorrento, a historic landmark and local institution that has undergone recent renovations.

“I believe there’s such a special story to be told and an exciting new chapter unfolding at the hotel, much like Sorrento itself,” Pitt says.

“We are so lucky to be located on a beautiful peninsula surrounded by water, national parks, and incredible local produce – it’s simply a magical part of the world.”

MORRISSEY

While many Victorians regard Sorrento as a seaside playground, Pitt views the town more sentimentally, more akin to a long-term relationship than a summer romance.

“In our town, everyone will go out of their way to make you feel welcome,” he says. “Whether it’s getting out on boats, rallying behind the local footy club, or sipping cocktails under the stars on our hotel’s rooftop, it just feels like home.”

Serene slice of Sorrento

When asked what draws holidaymakers and buyers to the suburb, Jellis Craig Sorrento director Emil Foller points out that luxury properties offering the ultimate in coastal living play a role.

“These prestige properties are then matched by a stylish and sophisticated village, with the main strip along Ocean Beach Road serving a variety of cosmopolitan delights,” Foller explains.

“Of course, there’s also the nearby renowned wineries, such as Pt. Leo Estate and two hotspring resorts, Peninsula Hot Springs and Alba Thermal Springs and Spa.”

According to Domain’s latest House Price Report, stable conditions persist in Melbourne’s housing market, suggesting house prices are currently at or close to the bottom of the price cycle, with Sorrento’s median currently sitting at $2.28 million.

YOU MAY LIKE ...

Sorrento

Mornington Peninsula 31-35 Salonika Street

$7.2 million-$7.9 million

5 4 2

Private sale

Agent: RT Edgar Portsea/Sorrento/Blairgowrie, Clayton Smith 0418 877 445

Coast meets country in this ultimate countrystyle residence, where days are spent cosying up in the central living, dining and kitchen zone with cathedral ceilings and big bay windows.

Sorrento simply buzzes in summer, drawing big crowds of visitors, but locals appreciate its natural winter charms.

Hover

541 FRIDAY HUT ROAD, POSSUM CREEK

975

Disclaimer *= approx. 22.15 acres*

Only once in a generation will such an exquisite and exceptionally rare property opportunity present itself. Immersed within a pristine natural wonderland in Byron Bay's hinterland and sprawled across 22.15 acres, "Longwood" promises unrivalled peace, privacy and panoramic views. A uniquely secluded sanctuary with no neighbours and sweeping views, it's also an approved dual occupancy estate. The 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom plus powder room Stone House (primary residence) is a luxury architectural triumph infused with heart and soul. Wrapped in galleries of glass (including the breezeway) to ensure an ever-present connection to the magnificent outdoors, it co-exists in complete harmony with the lush landscape. Rich with history, showcasing reclaimed bridge timbers and rare convict sandstone, these pair perfectly with no-expense-spared finishes to create this consummate entertainer.

TOP TIER

Elite storage for fashionistas

By HELEN HAWKES

It was Carrie Bradshaw who said, “I like my money where I can see it – hanging in my closet”. But what she probably should have added is that the design of the closet itself is essential to maintaining that investment.

Or, as Lynn Malone of Sotheby’s International Realty Queensland, says: “When the cost of a pair of shoes, a jacket or a handbag, is similar to investing in a piece of fine art, storage that preserves the quality and value of clothing and accessories is key.”

Wardrobes and dressing rooms are no longer an afterthought in luxury homes, she says, but have been catapulted to the same design priority as a bathroom or kitchen among luxury-home owners and buyers.

“Think custom cabinets for display, organisation and storage, suede-lined shelves and drawers that cocoon delicate garments, mirrored shelf backs so items can be easily found, lush seating and flattering lighting, including concealed illumination with automatic sensors,” Malone says.

Currently listed by Sotheby’s is a Noosa Shire home with a dressing room of nearly 200 square metres that includes a floor-to-ceiling handbag

cabinet with built-in air-conditioning and dehumidifying.

Sydney-based interior designer Brendan Wong, who is creating an increasing number of upscale dressing areas, agrees that prestige clients consider the care of garments as important as the look of the rooms in which they are housed. He says the V-ZUG RefreshButler V600 represents the best technology in the market and is perfect for taking creases out of a fine suit without a trip to the dry cleaners. It also removes odours, germs, damp and creases from clothing using steam, light and heat. Wong adds that having a luxurious feel underfoot means silk carpets and rugs are the first choices for dressing rooms and walk-in robes, while “styling walls”, where clients can select garments and combine them to assess a curated look, are also very much on-trend.

Colours and finishes for walls and cabinets are informed by the clients’ personal style. “They may have a colourful array of garments, in which case we usually provide a more neutral backdrop. Or, for those who dress black-onblack we might select a single colour to use on cabinetwork, floors and ceiling.”

Cooroy Mountain

Noosa Shire

430 Cooroy Mountain Road

$20 million

Private sale

Agent: Queensland Sotheby’s International

Realty, Graham Smith 0408 874 888

No expense has been spared in this home’s luxury dressing room. “An architecturally designed space increasingly attracts buyers who view fashion as an investment,” the agent says.

The dressing room at this Cooroy Mountain property reflects a desire for top-end care of valuable garments and accessories.

Hover your camera over the code to see Domain listings in Cooroy Mountain

SUGARLOAF 381 Sugarloaf Road

School Hill is a modern yet classic homestead providing luxury country living and is set on 8.14 acr es (3.293Ha) of rolling hills in a sunny, tranquil and quiet cattle grazing valley approximately 6kms f rom the Dungog township. The 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home features an incredibly beautiful and unique open plan kitchen, dining and living areas with large timber poles, fireplace, cathedral ceilings and a w raparound deck at the entrance to an undercover outdoor entertaining area and salt water in-ground pool. Other features include 2 courtyards, picturesque views from all windows , commanding views of Cook's Pinna cle to the west, mains power, timber floors, dam, 50,000 litres of water storage, double carport, side s hed, pool storage closet, under house storage previously used as a cellar and a stable for the horses.

4 2 2

Auction Monday 5th June 2023 at 5:00pm Level 1/29-33 Bay St, Double Bay NSW 2028

View By appointment

Annette Pinkerton 0418 447 856

David Medina 0419 772 233

All information contained herein is gathered from sources we deem to be reliable. However we cannot guarantee its accuracy and interested parties should rely on their own enquiries.

5 MCMILLAN COURT, SOUTHPORT

GRAND EUROPEAN MANSION INSPIRES ON MAIN RIVER

Lavish Gold Coast waterfront living and entertaining finds a new benchmark inside ‘Alston’, a magnificent Main River estate set within the prestigious The Southport School precinct.

A rare 3,442m 2 * waterfront allotment, with its private sandy beach and skyline vistas spanning Main Beach to Broadbeach, sets the stage for this stately French manor to shine. Designed by Michael Witty Architects and crafted to perfection, an exquisite tri-level residence boasts six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a five-car garage and a long list of luxury inclusions.

An indoor lap pool, spa, gym, and sauna beckon, while entertainers will embrace a bar, wine room, cinema and billiards room. A rooftop viewing platform captures 360-degree views, while a deep-water pontoon with twin jet ski docks creates easy passage to the Broadwater, Marina Mirage and the Gold Coast Seaway.

CONTACT FOR A PRIVATE VIEWING

MICHAEL KOLLOSCHE 04111 888 15

REBECCA MOFFREY 0433 261 489

(RAY WHITE)