The New Inchcolm Hotel and Suites is a heritage-listed, distinctly boutique hotel of clandestine character, influenced in every way by its incredibly rich history.
The original building was built at an enchanting time in our history, the heyday of Art Deco, and early interior design which featured exotic
touches from the Orient, Africa and Egypt.
These influences are seen in the geometric and angular shapes, silky oak, chrome, glass, shiny fabrics, mirrors and mirror tiles. A style to suit lavish cocktail parties and royal patrons.
The building’s neo-Georgian features have been carefully protected and modern touches have been introduced. The end result is the perfect
blend of modern elegance and thoughtful luxury.
Design firm Robertsons Design Studio International was responsible for the hotel’s impeccable styling. The rooms, lofts and public spaces feature select pieces from designers, such as Christopher Guy and Jonathan Adler, as well as one-off furniture pieces, custom designed for The New Inchcolm.
The suites are styled using one of three distinct design schemes, adding to the unique experience of any stay.
Unique features of the site included the 1920’s heritage building, original cage lift, and silky oak timber panelling.
RDSI (Robertsons Design Studio International) wanted to enhance the hotel’s traditional architecture with all the modern comforts of a contemporary hotel, creating a signature style in a heritage building that was unique to Brisbane.
The space planning was extensive. Every room was basically different and the entire space plan through to the lobby area was redesigned understanding the sensitivity of the heritage building and requirement for functionality as a five star hotel.
The integration of new services and the replanning of the spaces was extensive to ensure the heritage features of the building were retained whilst working in close collaboration with consultants and trades to ensure the finished product offered state of the art services essential to deliver a five star standard.
One element that was extensively reviewed (and almost deleted due to the degree of difficulty to engineer) was the back-lit ensuite feature mirror. The design itself required the input of the Robertsons design team in conjunction with a metal fabricator, electrician, a glass artist and a specialist installer to ensure this unique design feature in the ensuites was applied throughout the suites. The end result is a more spacious and elegant bathroom with soft ambient lighting.
The initial space planning phase was involved with the client as the hotel was previously medical consulting rooms from the 1920’s and had already undergone an 80’s refurbishment. Robertsons reworked the suite layouts extensively in order to achieve a 5 star rating for the suites with larger bathroom configurations and a honeymoon suite.
The public spaces reception area on the ground floor was relocated from the front of the building to the middle and a gas fireplace added. This resulted in a reconfiguration of the spaces on the ground floor whilst retaining the heritage elements of the hotel including the cage lift and traditional timber wall panelling. The building also had a rooftop pool which was removed to add 14 new loft suites across two levels.
The brief was boutique styling and the request was that the hotel did not adopt a typical beige scheme but embrace a more timeless design with harmonious styling across the various eras of the hotel.
The custom paisley carpet is a key design feature as the pattern is placed per room and through meticulous design detailing and planning it does personalizes each hotel room adding the boutique styling which was part of the initial client brief.
Lighting was a critical part of the overall ambient feeling for The New Inchcolm Hotel & Suites. Lighting was dimmable LED throughout with Robertsons Christopher Guy Wall Lights specified for the reception and conference rooms.
Robertsons designed and specified all of the furnishings, window treatments, artwork and accessories for the hotel suites and public spaces based on an international resource available to the group.
A signature furniture piece designed for the hotel was a very glamourous ‘maxi bar’. The customized bar features padded wallpaper internally which created a very tailored solution for the hotel suites to house the all-important Nespresso, sink and bar fridge and further re-inforces the signature ‘tailored’ style that was part of the overall design ethos applied for each and every selection for the Inchcolm Hotel refurbishment.
The reception area is reminiscent of European hotel with full-height bookshelves, a gas fireplace with bookmatched onyx surround, aged oak herringbone floors and luxurious and tailored furnishings supplied by Robertsons. The reception space is partially screened by ornate full height ebony screens whereby the subtle glamour of the repositioned guest reception is revealed as a ‘journey’ for the guest once they have traversed the hand-laid mosaic flooring and traditional cage lift from the entrance.
Silver and bronze mirrors were also used in the reception space on the walls and ceiling with delicate patterns to further enhance the traditional architectural elements.
The bathrooms have a large back-lit feature mirror in the shower across 50 bathrooms of various configurations. The mirror adds a signature style for the hotel and as a result, all of the bathrooms have soft layers of traditional elements combined with contemporary black tapware and slick pedestal basins. Another quirky design feature is the ‘teacup’ lamp.
The end result far exceeded expectation as there were so many elements that were extensively detailed for the hardworks, furnishings, lighting, artwork and accessories. It was ideal to work on the project from start to finish and for Robertsons as project designers to co-ordinate the interior architectural design and F&F concurrently to achieve the desired layering and detail that is a tribute to a unique Brisbane heritage building.