ELLE
Tammy Miconi
Inner West Interior Designer
Eastern Suburbs Interior Designer
Sydney Interior Designer
Best Interior Designer
Interior Architecture
Interior Decorator
Interior Designer
Interior Designer Sydney
ELLE
Raw meets polished in this all-in-one Australian fashion boutique and headquarters. The client, a designer of eveningwear and bespoke bridalwear, was planning to house all parts of her business – boutique store, head office and back-of-house – under the one roof, a warehouse in St Peters. From a user experience perspective, the boutique store needed to cater to walk-in clients during trading hours, whilst also enabling appointment-only bookings for bridal party fittings.
A buttery almond entry begins a journey of discovery, where clients are greeted by a custom Point of Sale counter that sets the raw-meets-polished aesthetic. Spacious dressing rooms elevate the buying experience, with softness created in the rectilinear industrial space through curved partitions, furniture settings, and a dramatic spiral staircase.
Ascending to an alternate lounging space and the company boardroom, the sculptural stair echoes the grandeur and opulence of the garments themselves, whilst structural detailing at the base provides a striking backdrop for photo shoots. Throughout the space, organic forms and textured finishes – micro-cement flooring, champagne glazing and doors, linen curtains and travertine plaster walls – provide a subtle and rich counterpoint to the brand’s soft, flowing dresses and gowns. Lighting was similarly selected to showcase the fibres, colours and details of the garments.
With a cohesive and elegant overlay that masks its hardworking multifunctionality, the project gives the client the ability to run her business in an efficient and holistic way, with every part of the process housed within the one location. Her visitors are treated to an elevated retail experience that sets the tone for an immersion in luxury.
The entry is punctuated by the custom Point of Sale counter, an evocative presence with raw layers of plaster peeled back to reveal natural quartzite stone beneath. The merchandising approach is pared back, with gowns and dresses hanging on a single rail protruding from perimeter walls of curved plaster.
Custom arch changerooms are oversized for enhanced luxury in that special moment when trying on something new, and fitted out with customised arched mirrors. A special trowel-applied travertine finish, a process originating in Rome, exposes the organic grainy beauty of the lime minerals it contains.
Positioned outside the boutique space, the feature staircase is intentionally visible at all points in the customer journey. Whilst it’s mainly used by staff and models for photoshoots, it is experienced by everyone in the boutique – an expression of visual vastness and feminine layering through its sensual curves.
Upstairs in the alternate lounging space and company boardroom, original trusses become a feature in painted dark charcoal, while a dropped plaster ceiling with curved detailing to the skylights provide natural light throughout the back-of-house workspaces.
The timber moulded handrail – required for compliance – is finished in the same travertine plaster as the balustrade to blend in seamlessly, allowing the staircase, balustrade and rail to be read as one sculptural form.
AWARDS | PRESS
Interior Design Excellence Awards IDEA 2024
Shortlist l Retail
Photographer: Prue Ruscoe