Image Credit : Richard Ludbrook for AZBcreative
Project Overview
Trumps Spa is located in the newly redesigned InterContinental Hotel in the heart of Double Bay, an area that is on the cusp of recapturing its Old Europe elegance, thanks to a new generation of exciting retailers and restaurateurs. Trumps Spa is designed as a modern oasis: both a highly functional, innovative salon and a hidden retreat. It encompasses a huge range of services and welcomes a mix of regular clients, hotel guests and international VIPs. There are many well-preserved architectural gems of the 1920’s in the area, from Boomerang, built in 1926 in the old Hollywood, exotic Spanish style, to the Moorish style villas in the hills above the bay, and Trumps Spa draws on that glamorous heritage.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Design Director: Alex Zabotto-Bentley
Interior Designer: Chantel Covey
Interior Designer: Peter Harley
Interior Style Producer:Jenni Munster
Interior Stylist: Felicity Tottle
Interior Stylist: Nathan Sullivan
Production Coordinator: Lucy Erasmus- Green
Richard Ludbrook: Account Coordinator
Project Brief
We were tasked with creating a contemporary oasis, making every customer feel like a VIP and capturing the old world style and romance of movies like Casablanca, inspired by the owners’ mother, who started the family business 40 years ago. We were inspired by the lush gardens and hidden villas of Morocco, which exude calm opulence. To enhance the sense of luxury and escape, we worked with a colour palette of creams and whites in the main areas, accented with touches of rich brass. The spa zones, in dark, rich browns, with low-key temple lighting and hammam tiles, are deliberately darker, allowing the client to feel relaxed and protected.
Project Need
As the first full service hair salon plus day spa in Sydney, the space needed to be iconic and memorable yet welcoming, and fit into the modern luxe aesthetic of the hotel. The aim was to create an environment that was luxurious and tactile, with a sense of fantasy and magic. While many day spas have a minimal, clinical atmosphere, the Trumps Spa team wanted a warmly glamorous, escapist space – without resorting to clichés. Most surfaces were custom created, from hand hewn marble to wax rendered walls, bespoke brass candle votives to italian hand set ceramic tiles.
Design Challenge
The space needed to encompass different functions in separate zones, including a reception area, a full hair salon, wash stations, wet and dry spa rooms, sauna, steam room, hammam and a private VIP room. Each area had to be highly functional yet luxurious, without closing off the flow and sense of space. We used innovative materials and textured finishes to build layers of meaning into the spaces. Custom laser-cut screens echoed traditional Moorish patterns to divide zones without losing light and air flow. Using texture rather than bold colour, we could create a soothing, modern, Moroccan oasis.
Sustainability
Working with natural materials including granite, wood and brass, we achieved a clean, fresh aesthetic with a sense of old world luxury. In the salon area, freestanding arches and laser cut screens were used to divide the space and allow easy updates in the future. Natural light was maximised through the windows, large, modern mirrors to reflect light and a pale colour palette. In the spa rooms, wall sconces hold votive candles for low-key lighting.
Interior Design - International Hospitality
Open to all international projects this award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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