Domain Review Stonnington & Boroondara - December 11, 2024
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Botanical artist Hattie Molloy shares fresh ideas for holiday decor and tablescaping
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editors: Emma Joyce, Dan Cunningham
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Commercial director: Paul Bates Studio and strategy director: Chrissy Voss Senior media partnerships manager: Jessica Kirsopp
Broadsheet Editor: Jo Walker Assistant editor: Gitika Garg Editorial assistant: Gideon Cohen Design lead: Ben Siero
Designer: Ella Witchell Sub editors: Miriam Kauppi, Kit Kriewaldt, Barnaby Smith, Adeline Teoh Writers: Emma Do, Sanam Goodman, Ruby Harris, Leta Keens, Sara Savage, Sandra Tan, Katya Wachtel, Doug Wallen
Photographers: Graham Alderton, Jamie Alexander, Parker Blain, Pablo Diaz, Pete Dillon, Sean Fennessy, Amy Hemmings, Casey Horsfield, Kaede James Takamoto, Natalie Jeffcott, Chege Mbuthi, Phoebe Powell, Samantha Schultz
Cover credits: Hattie Molloy shot by Phoebe Powell
Broadsheet Media acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to lands, waters and communities. We pay respect to Elders past and present and honour more than 60,000 years of storytelling, art and culture.
Christmas means tradition, but it also means creativity. Which is why we’re excited to feature Hattie Molloy, one of Australia’s most in-demand floral artists, on our last cover for the year. This is also the final issue for Domain Review in partnership with Broadsheet. We’ll be back as part of a new-look Domain Prestige Magazine in 2025 – showcasing the best of luxury property lifestyle and cultural trends. Until then, have a lovely summer!
Jo Walker Broadsheet Editor
Melbourne: Level 4, 600 Church Street, Cremorne 3121, VIC
If you’ve ever partied in the Philippines, you may have partaken in the common drinking practice known as tagay, where all participants drink in rounds from the same cup. It’s this shared sense of togetherness that beverage director Ralph Libo-on invites guests to enjoy at Askal’s new rooftop bar, Inuman – albeit from individual glasses.
A colourful cocktail line-up spotlights little-known Filipino stories, while respectfully riffing on classic bartending techniques. A playful highlight is the citrusy Sari-Sari Sparkle served in an artfully crinkled glass vessel – a wink to the Southeast Asian norm of supplying takeaway drinks in plastic bags.
Fans of Askal’s bold cuisine can expect the party to continue upstairs with a concise menu of refined pulutan – finger food designed for casual, beverage-fuelled grazing. Think delicate crispy-chickenskin sangas, taro and cassava chips swiped through smoky seafood dip, and Gildas with pickled ginger, evoking the vinegary notes of paksiw na isda (fish stew). — ST
Photo: Amy Hemmings
Flure hand-blown candle
Refined fragrance meets opulent design in Flure’s luxury range of scented candles. Encased in distinctive glassware with a silver spray finish, these hand-blown candles will illuminate your space with warm, playful reflections. Scents include the cheekily titled Sweet Baby Jesus – which combines myrhh, frankincense and black oudh – as well as Toscana, with Tuscan cypress, fresh pear, star anise, vanilla and jasmine. Can’t decide on a scent? Order a custom discovery set. — GC $110 / flure.store
IN THE DIARY
Yayoi Kusama at NGV International
Known for her distinct use of pattern, colour and symbols, Yayoi Kusama has been influential in several major art movements throughout her 75-year career. This exhibition is one of the most comprehensive Kusama retrospectives ever seen, with over 200 works on display – including the Dancing Pumpkin. From painting, sculpture and collage to fashion, video and immersive installations, the exhibition reveals the breadth of the artist’s multidisciplinary practice. — SS
Dec 15–Apr 21 / NGV International / ngv.vic.gov.au
Yayoi Kusama’s Dancing Pumpkin 2020. Photo: Sean Fennessy
READ ME
Assemblage: The Art of the Room
Photographer Shannon McGrath has photographed some of Australia’s most striking interiors over 25 years. Assemblage: The Art of the Room delves into her archive to explore 24 homes and the architects, interior designers, artists and artisans whose output combined to bring these charismatic spaces to life. The book is as much about the art of curation as it is about the design and decor process, and the creative minds profiled in its pages. — KW
$79 99 / thamesandhudson.com.au
PANTRY ITEM
Sorry Nonna pasta sauce
Pasta sauces haven’t changed much in the past few decades, so the team behind Aussie label Sorry Nonna decided to spice things up a bit. Adding new ingredients to Nonna’s old-school recipes, choose between a spicy arrabbiata with a hit of gochujang, or a zesty marinara with a twist of limoncello. Fiery and flavourful, they’re perfect for easy dinners over the busy holiday season. — GC
From $12 / sorrynonna.com
THREE OF A KIND
Festive coffee blends
Power through this holiday season with jolly good coffee. The Trifle blend from acclaimed Canberra specialty roasters Ona offers notes of vanilla custard, brandy and baked stone fruit. St Ali’s Sleigher Christmas espresso blend promises to make every morning feel like December 25. And Rumble Coffee Roasters go all-out with fancy packaging and two fancy blends to match, including the excellently named Festivus For the Rest of Us filter blend. — JW
Ona Trifle limited-edition festive blend, $19 / onacoffee.com.au
Rumble’s Festivus For the Rest of Us filter blend, $25 / rumblecoffee.com.au
St Ali Sleigher Christmas espresso blend, $25 / stali.com.au
TRUSTED SOURCE
The Galerie Fitzroy IN THE KITCHEN
Shelley Collins’s love affair with vintage posters began serendipitously in San Francisco. “I was in this iconic restaurant, looked up at the walls, and saw these incredible, huge European posters. I didn’t know what they were, but they had a real impact,” Collins recalls. Her curiosity led to research, and soon she discovered the niche industry of original vintage posters. Her fascination quickly became her life’s passion.
Galerie Fitzroy specialises in mid-century advertising posters from the ’50s and ’60s – what Collins describes as a “revolutionary period” in advertising. Over the years, her collection has expanded to include posters from the 1980s to early 2000s too.
The studio is a light-filled, jewellery-box-type space located in Fitzroy. Meander upstairs to enter and you’re met with walls and tables filled with all sorts of bright and bold posters. Making sure to include accessible prices, Collins describes the gallery as “art for the people”. — SG thegalerie.com.au
Christine
Kingfish crudo
Manfield and Ronith Arlikatti at Hopper Joint
Prep time: 1.5 hours (plus additional time for infusing and pickling) / Makes 1 serving
Make kosho by blending curry leaves, lime zest and salt, leaving to ferment overnight at room temperature.
For the curry leaf oil, infuse the fresh curry leaves into ricebran oil, then heat and let sit overnight. The next day, strain out the oil, which should turn green. Make acharu liquid by mixing all ingredients (except nectarine) together. Add sliced nectarine and set aside for a few hours.
To make fennel thoran, add oil to the pan and then mustard seeds. After it splutters, add your remaining ingredients and cook until fennel is soft (around five minutes).
For kingfish, clean down to fillets and cut sashimi-style into 5mm slices across the fillet.
To assemble, spread thoran in a very thin layer at the bottom of a rimmed plate or very shallow bowl. Layer the sliced kingfish flatly over top, with the slices just touching each other in a vertical row while covering the thoran. Between each slice of fish, slide a slice of the pickled nectarine.
Add tiny blobs of the kosho to each piece of fish, then season with sea salt flakes. Finally, shake the nectarine acharu and curry leaf oil together and squirt it over the fish, letting it pool around the sides. Then scatter fresh fennel on the very top.
Serve with a glass of Fat Cat Pinot Noir Rosé from Cat Amongst the Pigeons.
This article was produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Cat Amongst the Pigeons.
Photo: Natalie Jeffcott
Photo: Chege Mbuthi
SNACK BAR STREET STYLE
Thelatest
By Audrey Payne Lygon Street, Brunswick East
Toast House, one of the city’s most inventive bakeries, recently re-opened in Camberwell. Find pretzels stuffed with black sesame; milk buns filled with mochi and different house-made fillings like red bean paste; and the signature, pillowy, house-shaped loaf in flavour duos including strawberry with matcha red bean, and black sesame and sultana. 541 Riversdale Road, Camberwell / @toasthouse_melbourne
Chef and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Rosheen Kaul has just launched a series of Sunday lunches at Bar Bellamy. She’ll be joined by a different chef friend each week including Hugh Allen of Vue de Monde and Shannon Martinez of Smith & Daughters. The four-course, set-menu lunches cost $75 per person and bookings are essential. 164 Rathdowne Street, Carlton / @rosheen_
Uni mates Bharathi Ghattamaneni and Isaac Rodrigues recently opened gelato shop Good Daze Canteen in Fitzroy. There are 21 flavours inspired by sweets from around the world, including Thai mango sticky rice and the Aussie Milo milk crunch. 316 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy / gooddazecanteen.com
Madeleine de Proust is offering three special holiday treats in a box until Sunday December 22: an orange-infused madeleine with fruit mince pie ganache; a citrus madeleine adorned with pistachio buttercream, cherry compote and a pistachio chocolate glaze; and a bear-shaped gingerbread spice madeleine. 253 Lygon Street, Carlton / madeleinedeproust.com.au
Avani Wines, the Red Hill winery known for pop-up dinners with chefs like Helly Raichura and Tom Sarafian, now offers an Indian-inspired lunch menu, including burrata chaat and chicken tikka skewers, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 98 Stanleys Road, Red Hill South / avanisyrah.com.au Read the full story for each dot point: broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/series/snack-bar
Names: Megan Fulker (28) and Elise Menzies (28). Occupations: Digital marketing and editor. Tell us about your outfits today. MF: I got these pants from my friend’s brand, she makes everything in Marrickville, Sydney. I got my belt in Berlin and the singlet is just from Bonds. These shoes were just left at my house, I don’t know whose they are – no one claimed them, so I was like, “Right they’re mine”. EM: I got this top from Ganni in Paris, the shorts are Mode Mischief, my necklace is from a little boutique on Greville Street in Prahran, earrings are F&H Studios in Byron Bay and the sunnies are Le Specs.
Brunswick East pulses with artistic energy, offering cool cafes, vintage shops, and lush parklands. Its heritage homes and sleek apartments attract creatives and young families, drawn to its community-focused vibe.
Photo: Kaede James Takamoto
ECLECTIC VIBES
Photo: Pablo Diaz
Photo: Parker Blain
Photo: Samantha Schultz
Photo: Chege Mbuthi
THE INTERVIEW
Celia and Kevin McCarthy Turn Skin-Contact Wine Into an Artform
“People get quite anxious about wine, and a lot of people want to try, particularly, this new world of skin-contact wine,” says MDI Wine co-founder Celia McCarthy. “But they’re not quite sure where to start.”
Celia knows far more about wine than the average person – it’s her family legacy. Her parents, Kathleen Quealy and Kevin McCarthy, are two of the most significant winemakers in Australia. The couple founded T’Gallant on the Mornington Peninsula in 1990, where they introduced an entire generation to pinot gris/grigio.
After selling to Treasury Wines, they established Quealy Wines on the Peninsula in 2006, which today is directed by Celia’s brother, Tom McCarthy. MDI Wine, a new range of skin-contact drops, is the latest family project, co-founded by Celia and Kevin. The idea was to create a skin-contact wine that’s clean and accessible – and tastes great.
“Mum and Dad have always been at the
Words by Gideon Cohen · Photo by Kaede James Takamoto
forefront of skin-contact wine and what people call natural wine,” Celia says. “We thought there was a space that hadn’t been properly done for very well-made skin-contact wine in a really approachable way.”
Sometimes known as “orange wine” or fermented white wine, the skin-contact winemaking process sees the grapes left in contact with their skins for days or even months, a method more typical of red wines. “There’s a lot of really crazy and wild skin-contact wine being made,” Celia says. “The idea was something a bit more approachable and a bit more fun, that really just talked more to the enjoyment of wine.”
The brand’s name comes from MMMDI, the Roman numerals for 3501. It’s the postcode of Mildura, the region where the grapes are harvested. Kevin first became familiar with the place in the ’90s after a difficult growing year on the Mornington Peninsula. It’s also the location of dining institution Stefano’s, owned
by chef Stefano de Pieri, who helped inspire and support the project.
“Stefano asked me to make a skin-contact wine for him in 2017 and I was quite reticent. I had never made a wine like that out of Mildura,” Kevin says. “We’d done the Mornington Peninsula, and we said, ‘Okay, let’s give it a go.’ And that gave us the confidence to then go to the next step, which was MDI.”
Launched in 2021 with just a single wine, the range has expanded to 12 drops, from a pinot grigio and rosé to the golden coloured ansonica and dark red refosco. The project has been a freeing experience for both Kevin and Celia, with the pair changing up the range and giving any grape a go. “Everything we’re making is the smallest of batches we’ve got –some of them are just cases,” Celia says. “We’re not talking pallets. We’re talking a barrel.”
That same unconventional attitude extends to the label’s cellar door. Rather than being situated in a vineyard, it’s in At The Above
in Fitzroy – the concept gallery by design studio Space Between. The gallery and studio’s founders, Dave Clark and Tyson Stenglein, are behind MDI’s eye-catching label designs, often incorporating artworks being exhibited in the space.
The inner-city location allows locals to pop in for weekend wine tastings and has also created some exciting cross-over opportunities. Just last year, Troye Sivan’s fragrance label Tsu Lange Yor had its launch party in the space, with MDI on pour.
“There’s not high risks, there’s not all this pressure,” Celia says. “It’s very much a creative project [and] we’re just trying to connect with the right people who want to drink it or sell it or taste it.”
“You just don’t think about it, it’s just wine,” Kevin adds. “That’s how we make it.”
“It is a good way to think about it,” Celia says enthusiastically. “It’s just wine and it’s just delicious.”
HOME OF THE WEEK
Climbing the peak of perfection
Words by Kay Keighery
Named after a hill west of Cornwall, Carnmenellis has provided for proud family living since the 1890s, with tweaks and tailoring along the way ensuring it remains just as dignified today.
Wrapped in leafy gardens by Dave Franklin, complemented by terraces and a self-cleaning pool, it’s big on family-friendly attributes … and the floor plan works wonders for large-clan harmony.
While other updated Victorian homes opt for shy neutrality, that’s not the case here. The interior decor and sundry built-in extras add to the alluring individuality on offer.
The facade displays all a heritage buff could wish for. Think tuck-pointed brickwork, lacework fringing over an iron-post verandah, moulded cement decoration heralding a slate-tiled roofline, and chimney pots distinguished by herringbone detailing.
Across that return verandah, the entrance hall welcomes with subtle wallpaper and a crystal chandelier.
Step left for the home office with bookshelves and fireplace. Sidle right and through double doors for the lounge, where WHAT THE AGENT SAYS
“Carnmenellis is an exquisite Victorian family abode of superb proportions surrounded by beautiful established gardens. Five bedrooms with en suites is often sought but rarely found!”
timber floors, a marble fireplace, dove-grey walls sporting white trims and a ceiling rose hosting a chandelier add timeless elegance.
Before the hall takes its dogleg bend, the main bedroom branches off, resplendent with baby-blue walls, a fireplace and a fulllength bay window. A walk-through wardrobe-dressing room leads to an en suite with a claw-foot bath, shower, partitioned toilet and double vanity.
Flow down the hall for a powder room, laundry, a second bedroom (with Murphy bed and en suite) and an open-plan kitchendining-living hub, where three sets of French doors create an indoor-outdoor union.
The provincial-style kitchen has an impressive array of appliances (including a double oven), stone surfaces, subway tiling and abundant cabinetry. A fourth and final fireplace warms the living area.
Blurring the line between indoors and out is an al fresco room with a servery window from the kitchen proper, and a barbecue kitchen at the ready.
The backyard invites with a pool and spa basking in northern sunshine, and a
succession of greenery-bound, bluestone terraces up for play and shady respite.
Back inside, the first floor boasts a retreat with a study nook and three bedrooms with en suites, perfect for older offspring to read, recharge and relax with friends.
The location fits the exclusive bill. Close to trams, buses, parklands and a selection of elite schools, it underwrites the attraction for people seeking long-term satisfaction.
With all of this, the property is sure to be some fortunate family’s personal Xanadu.
Kew
18 Coleridge Street
$7.5 million-$8 million
5 5 3
Private auction: December 17
Agent: Kay & Burton, Sam Wilkinson 0400 169 148
This house last sold for $6.5 million in 2017. The median price for a five-bedroom house in Kew is $4.1 million.
$2.905 million 52 Normanby Road, November $3.5
Sam Wilkinson Kay & Burton
ALL IS BRIGHT
Words by Emma Do · Photos by Phoebe Powell
Botanical artist Hattie Molloy creates lush installations for clients like Aesop, Mecca and Louis Vuitton. She shares fun ideas for holiday decor, plus why gardens will always be her happy place.
Hattie Molloy has always struggled to define what she does. When you make a living building sculptures from flowers (but also fruits, vegetables, seeds or sometimes just mounds of soil), the term “florist” doesn’t quite cut it.
Since launching her business in 2017, the Melbourne creative has consistently pushed the boundaries of traditional floristry, composing a botanical language that’s entirely her own. In Molloy’s surrealist vision, things should be as weird and wonderful as possible, whether she’s designing arrangements for a wedding, tablescapes for private events, or large-scale installations for brands. She hesitates to call herself an artist – “I get imposter syndrome,” she says – but settles on “botanical artist”, even though the title leaves out her photography practice and foray into object design.
Molloy’s combination of vivid colour and unexpected materials is instantly recognisable, her concepts otherworldly but always dazzlingly beautiful: little green curlicues sprout from a mound of moss, a pile of lemons snakes its way up a wall, tall poppies emerge from a watermelon-turned-vase. Molloy has always been fascinated with vegetable gardens – she considers soil, worms and insects inseparable from her floral work.
Unsurprisingly, Molloy chafed against the formulas of floristry school. “My brain just doesn’t work like that. Every [arrangement] I do is individual, not something that’s replicated,” she tells Broadsheet. “A lot of the time I don’t even know what I’m doing until I start doing it. It’s like a meditative state where my brain can’t rest until it’s all balanced.” Rather than attempt to “replicate nature”, which in her view can’t be beaten, Molloy’s process is about reinterpreting natural forms and changing up the context. “I want people to look at my works and go ‘How the hell did that happen?’”
Molloy came to floristry professionally at age 24, after a few restless years in HR and marketing. She was a flower-obsessed kid, making posies for her family and notoriously pinching blooms wherever she spotted them. Yet, leaving school at 16 , she felt lost: “I was young, could never stick to anything. I thought I just needed something monotonous.” When the nine-to-five corporate life inevitably proved a mismatch, she enrolled in a floristry course at Tafe. “I was like, ‘Why don’t I just do what I’ve always wanted to do?’ I finally figured out what got me ticking, what I actually found joy in.”
Molloy went on to work for local florists
including Gina Lasker of Georgie Boy, while creating her own floral designs at home just for fun. It was these experiments, which she photographed on her iPhone and uploaded to Instagram, that launched her business.
“I was not confident at all about starting on my own, I kind of didn’t want to. Then people started asking me to do jobs, and it just snowballed,” she says.
In 2018, along came a Melbourne Fashion Week installation that accelerated her young business. “I worked with [stylist] Kate Gaskin, who let me do whatever I wanted – she had real faith in me very early on,” Molloy recalls. For the runway, she created a centrepiece of striking, grassy green hillocks punctuated by thousands of gerberas – like little volcanic mountains erupting with floral trails.
“I didn’t actually tell the client I was using gerberas until three days out, because I knew it wouldn’t get over the line,” Molloy says with a chuckle. “I was like, ‘Oh well, it’s all ordered, all done – sorry!’” Gerberas, she explains, were considered daggy and outdated (think ’90s Anne Geddes portraits). “But I felt that arranging them in a very sculptural way and seeing them en masse changed the context. That shape and movement – that shifts people’s perception. To this day it’s still one of my favourite jobs.”
In 2021, Molloy’s world was “flipped on its head”. Diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND), a rare condition that affects how the brain sends and receives information to the rest of the body, Molloy was hit out of the blue. “I couldn’t walk or talk,” she says. “Now I’m in a wheelchair, can’t walk over 300 metres and have a lot of motor-skill issues. It’s been three and a half years and I’m still figuring out how to manage my health.”
Molloy’s mum stepped in as full-time carer while the young artist relearned life skills. Since her diagnosis, Molloy has had to rethink everything – from her daily routine to the way her business operates. “For people with disabilities, events and the productions behind them are not at all accessible,” she says. “It’s a really hard world to navigate.”
The physically demanding tasks that were once her norm – like going to the flower market at 2am or working late nights – are no longer an option for Molloy, whose flareups can prevent her from getting out of bed. A team of assistants and freelancers now help her realise her creative vision on days when she can’t be on-site or out shopping. She has started planning her designs, too – something she rarely did before – to translate the
images in her head into methods others can follow. The last few years have been a grieving process, she says. “I had to accept change, and I feel like now I’m getting there.”
As Molloy’s physical world shrunk, her creativity has been increasingly directed towards what’s around her. She loves designing beautiful, functional objects for fellow florists and botanical lovers; “Even if I can’t access that world sometimes, it’s nice to still be part of the community.” She plans to expand the Hattie Molloy homewares line, which right now includes vases, photographic prints and an annual calendar. “I’ve got so many vase ideas!” she enthuses. “I feel like I’m finally hitting my stride with it.”
In future, she’ll take on fewer installations to concentrate on designing objects – a pivot she’s nervous about but knows is necessary for her health. “I need mediums that aren’t ephemeral, because I need to pick it up when I’m feeling good and able.” One thing she definitely is not pivoting to? “Going on Tiktok and dancing in front of flowers –I refuse!” Social media may have helped launch her career but “it’s part of the game”, she says, not where she wants to live. “I have to disengage, otherwise I feel like, ‘What am I doing this for?’ Is it because I want things to do well on the internet? It’s not.”
What matters is being attuned life’s small joys. Molloy loves to visit nurseries and garden fairs around Victoria, where she is surrounded by “her people”, she chuckles. “Everyone’s a bit batty in the best way possible!” Her apartment balcony is a tiny oasis of potted greenery, vines and flowers, while inside, decorative garlic braids and bulbs of allium flowers line the lounge room walls.
“I try and change the space up and make it as weird and wacky as I possibly can, because it’s my whole world,” she says. Molloy points to a single cob of dried corn, its husk pulled back to reveal colourful kernels. It is perched atop a homemade clay pedestal on her mantelpiece, like a little work of art.
For Christmas this year, she’s fashioned a tree from tomatoes and gerberas, and a festive tablescape to match. Last year she used Spanish moss, and the year prior was flowering garlic. “I like to have a play around and see what happens.”
Gardens are Molloy’s “true love”, she says –a place where she feels at ease. “Gardens are great to pull you out of your own [struggles] You can see that the world continues, keeps turning, keeps on moving. My mum always says if I’m not doing well, just put me in a garden and the lights come back on.”
HATTIE’S TIPS FOR A FESTIVE TABLESCAPE
1. SIMPLE IS BEST
“I did something for Flamingo Estate and Mecca recently and we just did piles of tomatoes and artichokes. So just highlighting things and letting them stand alone is impactful. Even a row of oranges down the table is chic and gorgeous.”
2
. MAKE AN ARTFUL PILE
“You don’t want a blob. You’ve got to edit a little bit and move things so that there are peaks and valleys, like a mountain range with a stream going down the side. That’s what I think when I’m doing piles.”
3. GROUP THINGS
“Keep things grouped together, like beautiful tulips en masse, or foliage en masse. I don’t mix flowers with foliage a lot. I think once you start to mix and get bitsy, that’s when things don’t look right.”
4
. NO VASE? NO PROBLEM
“Sometimes I use fruit as a vessel. Poke a hole in it and put a flower in there. You can also go to the market and get something in season like calendula. Even if you don’t focus on height and just plop their heads off and rest them on the table, that’s super cute. It doesn’t have to be elaborate.”
5
. SHAPE YOUR BLOOMS
“When I’m arranging flowers in a sculptural way, I like to use a Kenzan or a vase with a grate. That allows you to have angles. It’s also about layers with floral arrangements. If you have big hero flowers up top, then you have to fill the base to create depth.”
6
. HAVE FUN WITH IT
“In this day and age, everything feels like it has to be perfect for Instagram. Have a play around and get less caught up in the outcome; enjoy the process. It’s going to look better than having nothing on the table anyway.”
LIKE A LOCAL
Hampton
By Ruby Harris
Looking for sunny beaches, vibrant cafes and a bustling community? Look no further than Hampton, located just 14 kilometres from the CBD. The coastal suburb is nestled between Brighton and Sandringham, offering laidback vibes, plenty of spots to eat and drink and, of course, the picturesque Hampton Beach.
Begin your day on Hampton Street, the heart of the suburb’s buzzy dining and shopping scene. Tuck into breakfast at Merrymen, a cosy spot with great coffee and an out-of-theordinary breakfast menu. If you’re after something relaxed, The Snappy Grump serves up standard cafe fare in an inviting setting. Grab freshly baked loaves of pumpkin and soy sourdough at The Hamptons Bakery (along with some Portuguese tarts), a dose of caffeine (courtesy of Industry Beans) at Paperboy Coffee Bar or spanner crab omelettes at light-filled Lennox, inspired by the Greek Islands.
Once you’re suitably fuelled up, head off to explore the area – takeaway coffee in hand if needed. Hampton Street is a hub of unique boutiques and specialty stores. Check out Paris ’99 for curated pre-loved designer fashion from the likes of Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Comme des Garcons; or Frankie and Coco for eclectic homewares, clothes and accessories. Ulysses Bookstore is another great local independent offering all kinds of new and classic reads.
Easily accessible via Beach Road, Hampton Beach boasts crystal-clear waters, soft sand and plenty of space to relax –it’s also a favourite with kiteboarders and windsurfers. Stroll along the Bayside Coastal Indigenous Trail – celebrating the land’s traditional Boon Wurrung owners – and admire artworks dotting the track including Jeffery Wilkinson’s iconic bronze sculpture The Swimmer. Or take in the ocean views at BJ Ferdinando Gardens, which sit atop seaside cliffs.
After a day in the sun, you’re in the right spot to wind down. For a glass of wine, stop in at Hampton Wine Co or Feast Wine Bar. If you’re after dinner, Southall is a top spot to meet up with friends over an Indian-inspired feast. Or enjoy vibrant Filipino dishes at the newly opened Kalye Marinas grill and seafood boil. Whichever you choose, you’re set to end the night on a high.
Fourteen kilometres southeast of Melbourne, Hampton shines with its stunning beach – popular for kiteboarding and family-friendly nippers programs. The vibrant village features cafes and boutiques, plus the scenic Bayside Coastal Indigenous Trail.
Average Age 45
Median Weekly income $2,682
Clockwise from top: The Hamptons Bakery, photo Casey Horsfield. Southall snacks and facade, photos Pablo Diaz. The Swimmer, photo Casey Horsfield
“Hampton
Clockwise from top: View to yacht club, photo Casey Horsfield. A tasty Lennox dish, photo Jamie Alexander. Merrymen and 431 Hampton, photos Casey Horsfield
Jenny Dwyer Belle
LOCAL MAKERS Boom Room
Words by Leta Keens · Photos by Graham Alderton
There are a few ways of dealing with waste: dump it, chuck it in a recycling bin, or get creative. As director of Boom Studios, Ryan Bishop is, as much as possible, going with the latter.
Since setting up his print and design studio around 13 years ago, he’s been “very conscious of the waste we produce”. Recycling, upcycling and moving products on has always been part of the business. Six months ago, things went next-level with the relaunch of Boom Room, a collection of homewares and furniture that’s “a byproduct of our main business, which used to just sell wallpapers and printing stuff for your home”.
Boom does a lot of 3D printing for commercial purposes, Bishop explains – anything from brackets for large-scale retail fixtures to instore display plinths. Once a job is done there’s often leftover PLA, a cornbased material used in the printing process. “It’s a bit annoying commercially, as there’s not enough to start another printer item with. We started saying to ourselves, ‘Hang on, we’ve got all this beautiful green or blue that we’ve used for a client, and we can use those leftovers to produce smaller items for the home.’”
For Boom Room’s relaunch, Bishop brought in Danica Groth as creative director and manager of marketing and e-commerce. She designs most of the items, but also makes the most of the Boom team’s talents. “Some of the industrial designers have had really cool ideas or have taken my concepts and run with them,” Groth says. “I’ve had a bit more of a hand in a couple of designs – we all work together as a team.” Boom Room makes space for “passion projects”, Bishop says.
One example is the Depth Bomb vase, a spiky number that, especially in its luscious pink colourway, manages to look sexy rather than menacing. “We were looking at mediaeval maces, which is where we got the shape,” Groth says. “And then we found these World War II bombs which were quite similar.” She worked with one of team’s industrial designers, who figured out the structure via 3D modelling software, and printed small prototypes before launching into the full-size version.
Alongside the Depth Bomb are colourful planters, incense burners and other objets d’art, none of which take themselves too seriously. The curvaceous S-Trap vase makes quite a statement for a piece referencing such a mundane plumbing part. The Dopamine incense burner comes in playful pastel colourways
and is studded with tiny ironic skulls.
“Our passion is to make something unique and not readily available in the market,” Groth says. “Our aim with the 3D-printed objects is to design them and print them so they don’t look printed.”
“Some prints might take up to 150 hours – three days into a job, all of a sudden, the printer has a bit of a moment,” Bishop says. “But there’s beauty in those imperfections, and we celebrate them. The amount of waste we see in our industry to make things absolutely perfect when it actually doesn’t matter…”
There’s also an expectation that 3D objects will be shiny, he says, “whereas we’re trying to lean into the process and go with it” – the result being a certain textural quality to Boom Room’s objects. Gloss requires extra chemicals be added to the PLA, which means it cannot be recycled.
Not so with Boom Room. “Let’s say you buy a vase and in two years’ time you don’t want it anymore. You can send it back to us and we’ll give you a big discount on something new,” Bishop explains. The old vase can be ground down and its material reused either in Boom Room or the wider business: “We’re trying to create a holistic circle of life in this.”
To minimise waste, objects are printed on demand. Packaging consists of brown recycled card, with tissue paper left over from other jobs and decals made from waste material that would otherwise have ended up in the bin.
As well as the 3D-printed wares, Boom Room also fabricates objects using other machines in the workshop. There’s an organically shaped mirror (from slightly scratched commercial leftovers) and an incense burner of recycled plastic sheeting.
Groth and Bishop aim to add to the homewares range regularly. And then there’s New Future, which Bishop describes as “a bougie Facebook Marketplace”, finding new homes for one-off pieces (such as an acrylic shelving unit) that Boom Studios would have spent a couple of weeks making for “an event for a week for a big company”.
“We’re definitely not going to retire off what we do with Boom Room,” Bishop says. “But if you’ve got a business like mine where you’re making things constantly, you have an obligation to do something. Danica and I have both got young kids – you start looking at all the stuff that goes into the bin, and it hurts.”
Slow Down, Reset and Recharge at Peninsula Hot Springs Eco Lodges
By Natalie Mortimer
There’s something disarming about the sound of frogs. At the new Eco Lodges in Peninsula Hot Springs, the chorus of croaks from the private lake outside my room is a soothing nighttime companion. It’s not the kind of noise you expect to sleep through, but here it feels in sync with everything else – peaceful, unhurried and a little bit wild.
that invites ease without trying too hard.
The lodges are designed with one purpose in mind: rest. From the moment you step inside, soft calming hues immediately set a relaxed tone. Custommade furniture, with smooth wooden finishes and soft sophisticated textures, feels more like a natural extension of the surrounding environment than a stock hotel room set. It’s understated luxury
The room’s technology quietly enhances the calming vibe. Circadian lighting shifts from bright daylight tones to warm, golden hues as evening sets in, helping to ease the transition to a restful night. When it’s time for sleep, the lights dim gradually, signalling to your body that it’s time to unwind. There’s no overstimulation here (don’t expect a TV), just subtle cues that help you relax.
For those who need extra help slowing down, a simple swipe on the provided iPad offers a calming playlist, a yin yoga class and breathwork exercises – all curated to guide the mind and body into calm.
A private geothermal bath on the deck is another highlight, offering a secluded space to soak in mineral-
rich waters without the crowds. Of course, you also have access to the Mornington Peninsula destination’s broader grounds, where you can enjoy thermal pools, spa treatments or yoga sessions.
A hearty buffet breakfast, with fresh, locally sourced options, is included in your stay. For lunch or dinner you can dine at the Dreaming Centre on-site, or take it easy with room service. It all comes together seamlessly – an experience that prioritises restful sleep and quiet moments. Whether you’re in the private bath soaking in the sounds of nature, or unwinding with yoga, it’s a place designed to help you slow down, reset and recharge. The kind of escape where the best thing you can do is nothing at all.
LUXURY
Words by Richard Cornish & Joanne Brookfield
Deepdene
9 Creswick Street
$4.95 million-$5.4 million
5 4 2
Expressions of interest: Close 5pm, December 16
Agent: Jellis Craig, Elsa Li 0477 888 099
This luxurious two-storey house has a warmth and energy that complements its solid, modern build. With five bedrooms, four bathrooms and a beautiful outdoor entertaining area, it suits a dynamic family. Features include expansive living and dining zones, a gourmet kitchen, a ground-floor bedroom with an en suite, and a stunning main-bedroom suite with valley views. The location is excellent, set on a quiet, tree-lined street just off Deepdene Village.
Prahran
401/525 High Street
$3.9 million-$4.29 million
4 4 5
Private sale
Agent: Marshall White, Joanna Nairn 0419 994 664
The agent describes this sub-penthouse as a “house in the clouds”, and with multiple balconies plus a large north-facing terrace to maximise the genuinely impressive uninterrupted views of Melbourne, she’s not wrong. The five-year-old building was designed by JCB Architecture and Hecker Guthrie and offers contemporary style, high-end appointments and family-friendly proportions. The primary suite – with a retreat, office and balcony – occupies the entire upper level.
This two-storey Elwood house is defined by space, light and loftiness. Downstairs, the original Edwardian home has been renovated with three bedrooms, one with an en suite, leading to the new open-plan kitchen, dining and living area with timber floors and marble benches, protected al fresco dining space and an established garden. Upstairs is a large, tranquil retreat with a main bedroom, en suite, walk-in wardrobe and bay views. Just minutes from the beach and Elwood village.
Balwyn
3 Ellen Street
$3.5 million-$3.85 million
5 2 2
Auction: 1pm, December 14
Agent: Jellis Craig, Peter Vigano 0407 301 224
Located within the sought-after Balwyn High School zone and with five bedrooms over two levels, this contemporary home is ideal for families with school-aged children. The minimalist facade is matched with a perfectly uniform hedge by the heated pool-spa in the north-facing rear garden. The covered al fresco area has a built-in barbecue kitchen and strip heating. Inside, there’s a sunken lounge, double-height ceilings and windows, and a laundry with a drying cupboard.
OPEN FOR INSPECTION
Words by Joanne Brookfield, Maria Harris & Shae Wiedermann
WEEKEND
Clearance Rate of 61%*
Source: Domain Group
WHAT OUR MANAGING EDITOR SAYS
Natalie Mortimer Domain managing editor
“Australia’s housing market defied 2024’s challenges, showing resilience despite high interest rates, inflation, and pressures, adapting amid global uncertainty and RBA caution.”
Toorak 6 Evelina Road
$3.6 million-$3.96 million
3 3 1
Auction: 10am, December 14
Agent: RT Edgar, Jeremy Fox 0418 339 650
$4 million
*As reported on November 30, 2024
Set on one of Toorak’s most intact historic streets, this Victorian terrace house’s striking renovation has created an opulent home where contemporary finishes complement original features. Past the living room or third bedroom, the kitchen opens to a deck, and steel-framed doors connect the living and dining rooms to the patio. Upstairs, you’ll find a balcony and a huge terrace.
South Yarra 32c Cromwell Road
$1.55 million-$1.65 million
2 2 1
Auction: 11am, December 14
Agent: Kay & Burton, Tim Blackett 0400 780 700
Designed by Wood Marsh, this exceptional townhouse is a former winner of the Harold Desbrowe-Annear Award for best residential project. On a tree-lined street within a boutique gated community, the abundant privacy on offer here is matched by the elegance of the interiors, which feature jarrah floors, natural stone finishes and wall-to-wall glazing. The private, crazy-paved terrace is a highlight.
St Kilda
410/129 Fitzroy Street
$800,000-$880,000
2 1 2
Private sale
Agent: Kay & Burton, Gary Ormrod 0419 588 331
The location of this apartment couldn’t be better: Albert Park Lake, the beach, and CBD trams are all close by. On the top floor of The George complex, it has views of St Kilda and Port Phillip Bay. There are two bedrooms (both with built-in wardrobes and balcony access), a galley-style kitchen and black Japan timber floors throughout. Two car spaces add convenience.
Expressions of interest
Agent: Whitefox, Lana Samuels 0435 165 633
Light-filled and luxurious, this half-floor penthouse has views that stretch from the city skyline to the northern ranges. All living areas open to generous balconies, and the balcony gardens are lush and inviting. Opulent finishes include marble and Corian benchtops in the kitchen and bathrooms, Miele appliances and a butler’s pantry. It also has secure two-car basement parking.
Auction: 11am, December 14
Agent: Buxton, Nancy Yang 0404 742 888
This single-level house sits in a low-maintenance garden. Three bedrooms – including the main, with a built-in wardrobe and an en suite – accompany an open-plan kitchenliving-dining space, bathroom and laundry. It would suit downsizers or young families who want to be close to the beach and schools like Haileybury and Sandringham Primary.
Auction: 10.30am, December 14
Agent: Shelter, Dean Brooks 0412 055 511
Here are two levels of thoughtful and convenient features – including a butler’s pantry and laundry with outside access A floating staircase sits next to a courtyard, which leads onto an open-plan kitchen-living-dining room. Two main bedrooms (one up and one downstairs) are ideal for intergenerational living; both have walk-in wardrobes and en suites.
Auction: 12.30pm, December 14
Agent: Jellis Craig, Will Bennison 0438 572 371
Behind its unassuming facade, this singlelevel 1980s house delivers a prized northern rear aspect and formal and informal living areas. In the family room, full-height windows and doors provide a seamless flow between inside and out. Close to Ferndale Park and Glen Iris Primary School.
retirement at Fountain Court
An exclusive opportunity awaits at Fountain Court Retirement Living in Burwood, with a limited collection of premium apartments now available. These bespoke apartments offer open-plan designs with private terraces or balconies, and connect seamlessly to the new community hub, featuring resident café, private dining room, billiards lounge, activity green and more!
Available apartments now open for inspection!
Discover sophisticated retirement living with our new range of 2-bedroom and 2-bedroom plus study apartments, featuring spacious layouts, indoor/ outdoor flow, generous storage and premium quality finishes.
A new collection of one, two and three bedroom premium residences set among the trees in Hawthorn’s prestigious Scotch Hill precinct.
Scotch Hill Gardens is the vision of Hamton Property Group to be a place where daily life is enriched by the abundance of nature, wellbeing and community.
Set over six boutique buildings, these residences have been designed by Woods Bagot in collaboration with Tract landscape architects to embrace the existing natural landscape and sit seamlessly beside Hawthorn’s period homes.
Make the most of the new Victorian Government initiative to reduce stamp duty, ofering signifcant savings for all of-the-plan buyers. Scan to join our VIP database and be one of the frst to experience the Scotch Hill Gardens Display Gallery for yourself.
SCOTCH HILL GARDENS
Finally, a nature-based approach to design
Words by Larissa Dubecki
As Australia’s population grows and cities swell with new developments, sustainable design principles have never been more important.
A nature-first approach to mitigate the effects of climate change has become standard in other parts of the world such as the UK, but Australia is lagging, says Paul Hameister, founder and executive chairman of Hamton Property Group.
In fact, Australia’s environmentally sustainable design (ESD) rating tools have no minimum mandatory requirements for living landscapes.
“We’ve always wanted to do more, and we know other developers who want to do more, but the ESD rating tools just aren’t there,” Hameister says. “In Australia, you can have a five-green-star rated building that’s concrete and glass with not a blade of grass.”
Hameister launched Nature Based Cities a few years ago out of frustration with the slow pace of change while advocating for landscaping-based updates to ESD rating tools.
The not-for-profit brought experts together to develop nature-based design research, guides and tools for developers to
incorporate more living landscapes in the design and construction of their projects, including the University of Melbourne to analyse the last 20 years of academic research globally.
To argue his case to the developer community, Hameister then engaged property and planning consultants Urbis to assess the financial premium of co-locating residential real estate with nature and green open space.
The result was commercially credible research that shows a nature-based approach financially benefits developers and owners alike.
“The outcome was just mind-blowing in terms of the price premium, increased capital growth and rental growth,” Hameister says.
Occupying a 1.6-hectare site in Hawthorn, six kilometres east of Melbourne’s CBD, Scotch Hill Gardens will be the first development to follow the Nature Based Cities principles.
The six buildings were designed by Woods Bagot in collaboration with Tract landscape architects to embrace the existing natural landscape.
The former campus of the University of Melbourne will be home to a collection of premium residences set within a lush botanical setting, with over 40 per cent of the site reserved for a variety of living gardens.
Just four existing trees on the site were considered significant in the original planning assessment, but Hamton is retaining 77 of them, planting an additional 151 and taking a “landscape first” approach by designing around them, with the result that every residence will have views of a tree canopy or garden.
An ecologist has been engaged to ensure the gardens aren’t merely ornamental.
“It’s important that they’re actually providing habitat,” Hameister says. “If you don’t like the sound of birdsong, it’s probably best you don’t buy here.”
For Jan Talacko, director of environmental consultancy Ark Resources and member of the Nature Based Cities advisory board, Scotch Hill Gardens is destined to be a “lighthouse project” proving the universal benefits of a nature-first approach.
Looking at the existing ESD rating tools, Talacko says “it seems like a contradiction
that you can have a green-rated building without greenery”.
“To focus only on reducing carbon by reducing energy consumption ignores the urban heat island effect,” he says.
“Creating significant greenery is an ignored piece of the puzzle that delivers a tangible benefit to residents through their health, wellbeing and connection.”
Talacko hopes that Scotch Hill Gardens will set an ambitious yet attainable standard for Australian developers to follow. In the UK, he points out, it is already imperative for every new inner-urban development to prove a net gain in biodiversity.
“We can do so much better here in Australia,” he says. “It’s time to prove it.”
To find out more about Hamton’s latest development, Scotch Hill Gardens, visit scotchhillgardens.com.au
Every residence will have a ‘green’ view.
A spectacular 226 sqm apartment with city views. Opposite Fitzroy Gardens, moments from MCG and the CBD. This building enjoys first class facilities including concierge, swimming pool, gymnasium and vehicle accommodation.
Jock Langley 0419 530 008
Michael King 0415 505 505
Luca Pignalosa 0497 017 146
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST Closing Tuesday 17 Dec at 5:30pm
VIEW BY APPOINTMENT
Thursday 12 Dec 12:00pm - 12:30pm Saturday 14 Dec 1:00pm - 1:30pm
