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featured venue > harbour rocks hotel, sydney |
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Sydney design studio SJB Interiors have navigated
the minefield of restrictions and regulations
imposed by heritage status to restore one of
Sydney's architectural gems to its original glory.
The Harbour Rocks Hotel in Sydney's The Rocks is
now an intimate boutique hotel unlike any other in
Sydney thanks to a multimillion-dollar refurbishment.
Built by convicts in 1887, the three-storey brick
structure was originally a bond store and the six
adjoining sandstone terraces workmen's cottages
and underwent various reincarnations before they
were converted into a hotel in 1989. However, the
design ethos of the day saw much of the original
structure covered over in order to create a more
modern interior.
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Louis Polsen light
Toldbod Mini and Maxi Wall provide concentrated downward and glare-free lighting. The inside is painted white to ensure good reflection, making the luminaire as efficient as possible.
Aluminium coloured with textured surface or black with textured surface, powder coated.
Corporate Culture |
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"Our concept for the renovation was to better connect all the disparate parts of the hotel," says
Jonathan Richards, a Director of SJB Interiors in Sydney and the head designer on the project. "Previously when a visitor wandered the premises they were easily lost. It was confusing and
there was no homogeneity that unified the hotel. We wanted to fix that and enable guests to
immediately understand where they were in the building but also get a sense of the different
parts of the overall structure. The end result is now like a historic reading as you move through
the hotel, we're very proud of the result."
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Also crucial to the project was the unveiling of the building's original internal features so that
guests would immediately feel the historic nature of the hotel. To do this, the design team
created a very clean, modern interior that contrasts more clearly with the original features.
The 125-year old brickwork was scablled back to leave a rough, textured and
unfinished look. This provided a finish more true to the bricks and offered a beautiful
contrast to the new finishes.
A new wine bar was designed in the lobby of the hotel with direct access to the street
through its own entrance. This gives the hotel an alternate public face, one not
exclusive to guests as passers by can easily wander in for a coffee or food.
The original sandstone, covered up for so long, was exposed once again. The
sandstone was stripped back and left rough with a new palette of black, steel,
travertine stone, bronze metals and dark stained timbers introduced to compliment its
tone.
The lighting scheme throughout was designed to glow like candlelight as a reference to
the colonial era in which the hotel was built (pre-electricity). In the lobby, a custommade
wax chandelier imported from Israel hangs down the central void while in the
corridors, the lights used are based on lanterns.
The exterior façade has been recoloured with a sophisticated palette of greys and
blacks with highlights of rust red on the terrace house doors. It is a palette that is
restrained and balanced and is a complete departure from the historic beige, maroon
and green that is often used on buildings in The Rocks.
As one of the most progressive developments in the Rocks precinct, the Harbour Rocks Hotel
is a demonstration that with care and precision, the rigorous requirements of redesigning a
heritage-protected building can still be navigated to produce a breathtaking result. The hotel
has now set a benchmark for hospitality design in The Rocks as well as the rest of Sydney, an
intimate boutique hotel unlike any other the harbour city has to offer. |
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