W Brisbane opened recently, marking the re-entry of the playfully luxurious international hotel brand into Australia. Sitting on the banks of the Brisbane River, the hotel design took inspiration from the site with its overarching theme A River Dreaming developed by interior designer Nic Graham and Associates in collaboration with the multidisciplinary design studio Studio Ongarato.
W Brisbane
“Our first narrative-led hotel was for the W Hong Kong back in 2010. Using narrative at that time was uncommon. It successfully injected greater vibrancy into the brand and rewrote the rulebook for narrative-led hotel design. It offers a world within a world for experience hunters but ultimately it aims to engage, delight and transport,” says Studio Ongarato co-founder Fabio Ongarato.
Reception
And delight it certainly does, if the Instagram-ometer is anything to go by where the hotel spaces have received saturation coverage of late. “For W Brisbane we looked at the W brand DNA, which is bold, witty and shows a lust for life,” says Fabio.
Bar
“It’s a visual feast – gone are the beige and bull-nosed interiors of the past; design is at every corner. When it came to approaching W Brisbane, the W DNA was easy to weave in with the free and easy Aussie attitude. We’ve embraced colour, colonial heritage, modernity, ethnic and indigenous roots, a Brisvegas attitude and a sense of humour,” says Nic Graham.
Bar detail
A River Dreaming pays respect to the Dreaming of the Turrbal people, which sees the river as the giver of life. “The river banks and swamps supported many communities, including the early settlers, becoming the source of life and the place of many gatherings. The main idea behind the design was to create a place on the riverbank where gatherings will form, and city stories and legends will be created,” says Nic.
Hallway
“The ebbs and flows of the Brisbane River are evident in the curved designed features, namely in the bar and restaurant joinery and even subtly in the ballroom carpet. The river reeds, tidal markers, earthy river banks and the ambient life that it supports, are all evident in the choice of materials and finishes, along with the staircase being lined in reeds and sticks. These earthy, somewhat native and organic features that celebrate the physical location, are in contrast with the W brand story that taps into the heartbeat of the city,” says Nic.
Bedroom
As for his favourite part, Nic cites the pool area. “I’m thrilled with the pool area as we designed a very bold ceiling and pool interior to complement its undercover location – the mix of bold colours and patterns in the public spaces is our signature style,” says Nic.
The ah-mazing pool
The first five star hotel to open in Brisbane in 20 years, W Brisbane features 312 rooms with views over South Bank and west towards Mount Coot-tha, as well as dining, bar, pool, spa and yoga facilities. The hotel opened in June, with others scheduled to open in Melbourne and Sydney over the next two years.
People have always spoken highly of Bali for homewares shopping and I thought it would be worth a look. But to be honest, it was never too high on my radar due to all the speculation about Bali in the media. But let me tell you, it’s a lot safer than we’re made to believe and it’s well worth more than just a look. I’m considering making it an annual expedition!
I’m not sure if my level of excitement was due to fact I was finally going on a holiday or the sheer fact that I was an instant millionaire once I exchanged some money. But the range of homewares on offer far exceeded what I ever expected and the prices were just the icing on the cake!
I only had five days to relax by the pool drinking cocktails. Let’s be honest, I was there to shop and boy was I on a mission to fit everything in from my 10-page long itinerary! Instead of running around like a crazy person (like I did) trying to see every single décor piece Bali has to offer, I’ve compiled a ‘best of’ homewares shopping guide to Bali for you. But first, you will need somewhere to stay.
Bali Dyana Villas, Two Bedroom Villa
The place to be is Seminyak and we stayed at the Bali Dyana Villas which was in a great location. We could walk to loads of shops and restaurants and were only a 10-minute walk to the beach. Ok, now onto the important stuff, HOMEWARES! Most of the homewares stores in Seminyak are sort of grouped together which makes navigating between them a whole lot easier.
If you want to stay out of the hussle and bustle and a gated community is more your thing, then Nusa Dua is a good choice. It’s around half an hour’s drive from Seminyak. There’s not much shopping out there but you will certainly get the opportunity to relax. Totally off topic from homewares, but if you’re a foodie like me, you need to check out the buffet at the Mulia Hotel at Nusa Dua (it’s lifechanging).
Clockwise from top left: Kody & Co, Kody & Co, Hobo & White Peacock
Feather & Find has loads of homewares and fashion, they have a great selection of colourful cushion covers to liven up your space. Think neon painted buddha heads, modern art, painted bulls and colourful beanbags at Kody & Ko. I found out their gorgeous paintings aren’t in fact originals, but if you’re into replicas you can pick one up for a steal! Hobo is the brainchild of Anna Pretty who arrived in Bali in 2009. She has loads of interior design experience with bigwigs like Philippe Starck, Wedgewood, Tom Dixon, Zara Home and Habitat and decided to strike out on her own by opening her own homewares and furniture brand. It is well worth the visit and is reasonably priced with a great range. White Peacock stocks a range of fashion and homewares. Think pineapples, pillows, peacock chairs, boho and beach vibes.
Seminyak Markets, Feather and Find, Kody & Co, Hobo and White Peacock are all within walking distance of each other. While you’re here, I found the best markets to be the ones at Seminyak Square in the car park where you will be able to pick up an assortment of homewares and clothes on the cheap. There are also loads of cool clothing boutiques along the street like Natasha Gann.
Carga
Carga was hands down one of my favourite stores of the whole trip. You can’t bargain but the prices are very reasonable and still way cheaper than Australia for what’s on offer. Bathe delivers a lively collection of homewares and stylish accessories to complement their line of handmade paraffin and paraben-free soaps and daily bath/grooming products for men, women and children. Carga and Bathe are right near the W Hotel which has a gorgeous interior and also has some shops in it (it seems very overpriced though compared to everything else in Bali) but having a cocktail there by the beach is well worth it!!
Mercedi
There is a strong French feel at Mercredi, where you can pick up some gorgeous cushions and throws. Their brightly coloured bedspreads are to die for! If you are after souvenirs, Balinese knickknacks or multiple floors of other random goodies, visit Geneva, which is just down the road from Mercredi.
Ubud
If you’re into artsy crafty homemade wares, it’s well worth the day trip to Ubud. It is about an hour away from Seminyak. I found loads of cool stores on the way to Ubud on the side of the road. We hired a driver to take us for the day in a nice air conditioned van and whenever we saw something that caught our eye, he would pull over and yes, this was by far a super lazy way to shop but hey, it was effective I found so many of my favourite items this way! The street stalls have the biggest range of shells, wood, lights, lanterns and statues.
Once you get to Ubud, if shopping is your thing, you’re in for a real treat. The sheer volume of arts and crafts, clothing, unique housewares and antiques available here is truly mind-boggling (don’t forget to bargain)! You can find pretty much anything you can dream of along the streets and at the Sukawati markets. There is even a Sacred Monkey Forest and you can even see the good doctor Ketut Liyer from Eat Pray Love!
Kuta
To be perfectly honest, Kuta didn’t impress me at all. I found it wasn’t as nice and didn’t feel as safe as Seminyak or the other places we went to. But they do have a fabric warehouse which is well worth the look called Alta Moda. They have a huge range of materials over three floors, which are sourced from around the world. The decision is yours to make whether you just buy their material or to have their tailor whip something up for you.
My Bali haul
Don’t take much with you, especially if you’re at a villa with a maid as they do your washing daily (this will also leave you more room in your case for homewares). I sort of set myself a limit and said you can bring back whatever you like, just no shipping containers! Well, not for my first visit anyway…
If you do happen to buy big ticket items that are too bulky for your luggage, Sourcing Bali will take care of all of your shipping needs and they have personal shopping helpers who will assist with negotiations, product selections, order placement, and payment.
Anyone know of any Interiors Addict Anonymous groups I can sign up at? Have you been to Bali before? What were your favourite homewares stores?
Kathryn is our girl on the ground in Melbourne, you can follow her design adventures on Instagram @thedesignrookie
