Who doesn't love a great transformation? A rather tired and seen-better-days motel in the beachside suburb of Cabarita in Northern NSW has been re-invented into one of Australia's go-to Boutique hotels - Halcyon House.
The owners set out to be truthful to the essence of the great Aussie beach-side motel tradition and have captured this through keeping some of the original architectural features, however this nod to nostalgia is tempered with something uniquely contemporary for this part of the World.
Interior Designer Anna Spiro brings her inimitable flair for combining colour, fabrics and texture with antiques and collectibles sourced from far and wide adding to the relaxed ambience that has been created.
A cohesive, classic and almost timeless vibe has been achieved through the repeated use of blue and white, with brass accents throughout the hotel.
Each room is different, with fabric upholstered walls, soft padded headboards and individually selected artworks.
This unashamedly bold use of colour and fabric reminds us of Kit Kemp's Ham Yard Hotel in Soho (we featured in a previous blog post here) and whilst such eclectic layering and confident clashes of colour are (dare we say?) more in tune with British interiors, Anna Spiro is the champion of this approach Down Under.
Halcyon House is a relative new-comer to the boutique hotel scene, but in it's first year it has garnered considerable attention, receiving awards ranging from Smith Hotel Top 5 Best Dressed 2015, to Conde Nast Traveler Best New Hotels 2016.
Halcyon House is conveniently located between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay (coincidently just where we are heading off for a sneaky weekend away with some girlfriends soon) think it would be rude not to at least pop in for lunch....!