CHANGE CHAMPIONS

Proving that progress can be both constructive and creative, this practice promotes re-use and reinvention.

- KAREN McCARTNEY

"OUR HOSPITALITY PROJECTS often act as a sort of gateway to residential and commercial work,” says Kirsten Stanisich, founding partner with Jonathan Richards of Sydney design and architecture practice Richards Stanisich. “The success or failure of a hospitality project is very immediate,” she adds. “People instinctively need to feel good in a space and so these interiors teach really great design lessons that inform other project types.” The award-winning Woollahra Hotel is a case in point. Its art deco heritage is celebrated rather than masked, but it has been updated with variegated Formafantasma volcanic tiles from Mount Etna that have perfectly muted ochre brown tones alongside crafted terrazzo and polished timber. The contemporary palette captures the essence of welcome and warmth while maintaining an ambiguity that begs the question – has it always been this way?