SHUTTERS COOGEE
AZBcreative wanted to create an environment that was luxurious and comfortable, was able to be scaled throughout the day but also remain visually beautiful, where the view is paramount.The desaturated hues of the vast interior are evocative of ocean surf and desaturating the interior so that it looks almost botanical. The palette appears faded in time from blush hues and marble to soft celadon green textured fabric, custom terrazzo in putty tones to stucco rendered walls in cream on white.The functional needs of the space, and the way it evolves from night to day, created some interesting design challenges. We also need to be mindful of designing an interior that works within the existing hotel space and melded with the foyer. With the addition of multiple entry points, our mission was to spatially design different environments that functioned separately and as a whole and offered access to hotel guests and other patrons alike.We designed three distinct enclaves – the lobby bar annexed to the foyer where we designed and produced a totally hand created concrete render bar that looks as if it was made out of timber but is completely hand carved. On top of this we laid incredible honed terrazzo.
This space also included an area behind glass that we deemed the charcuterie room where chefs can prepare sumptuous feasts for guests all visible from the main bar area. We then designed a 60 seat lobby bar area with 2 substantial custom banquette units in cut marble and velvet facing the majestic panorama of Coogee Beach.The main dining room and large open kitchen was designed to contain guests within one luxurious space. With detailed central dining banquette and lush plantings in the centre, surrounded by our custom dining chairs in rattan and buffed leather and celadon green marble tables. We wanted to reduce the overall tonality of all furniture and the upholstery materials so that the colour balance of the space reflected the scenery outside of the large open shuttered windows.The final space is the shuttered patio opening up to the majestic view of the Coogee foreshore. We created a 6 metre high glassed atrium and designed a floating star cut screen to create dappled light onto the dining area.
At Shutters we collaborated with artists, makers, and small run artisanal factories to create an interior narrative that has soul. From bespoke works from local potters who created barnacle-like ceramics and sculptures to line the room divider shelving to ethically sourced coral, to pastel hand cut art by renowned Australian artist Daimon Downey, to carefully selected jungle plants. These elements all combined culminating in a unique spaces that is rich in texture and detail.
