Best Hotel Design
Tattersalls Hotel Armidale
Winner
Best Hotel Design
Designer
Luchetti Krelle
Location
Armidale, New South Wales
Jury comment —
Tattersalls brings big-city style to country Armidale, New South Wales, revealing a heritage gem in a surprising location. Built during the 1850s gold rush, the grand dame was transformed in the Art Deco style in the 1930s. Now, almost a century later, the building has been exuberantly restored as a 25-room hotel with a public bar and opulent dining room centred around a wood-fired Josper oven. The playful design by Luchetti Krelle is responsive to the original building but has fun celebrating the classic details of the period. Brass embellishments, a sweeping walnut staircase and slinky archways make a splash, with custom joinery and geometric carpet adding a gilded glamour to proceedings. The unique and memorable offering deftly juggles feelings of spaciousness and intimacy over several defined zones, which are ripe to explore. The essence of the era has been faithfully captured without being a mere reproduction.
Design statement —
Harnessing its original curves and solid timber details while resurrecting the patinas of its gilded history, the extensive restoration and rejuvenation of the heritage hotel honours its opulent Art Deco past with streamlined finesse via an entirely custom-created fitout (excluding only dining chairs and a small selection of lighting). Restoring the original 3,200-square-metre hotel to its former glory took five years, given that the ground floor had been split to accommodate an internal shopping arcade and a drive-in bottle shop to the rear, and the upper levels had fallen into disrepair. The refurbishment included gutting all three floors while restoring as many period features as possible, including solid timber stairwells, pressed tin ceilings and the lower floor’s expansive glass skylights. It also included conservation of the facade; the introduction of a rear courtyard for casual dining and entertaining; the complete refurbishment of the lounge bar, main dining room and function rooms; and the creation of a public bar and multipurpose room, plus a gaming parlour. In addition, 25 guest rooms and spacious suites with marble ensuites were created on the upper levels, together with guest lounge common areas.
Project — Tattersalls Hotel Armidale 174 Beardy Street Armidale, New South Wales tattersallsarmidale.com.au
Design practice — Luchetti Krelle 56 Cooper Street Surry Hills, New South Wales luchettikrelle.com
Project team — Stuart Krelle, Sean Virili
Photography — Tom Ferguson