Melbourne designer David Hicks isn't afraid to ... - Shannon McGrath

MELBOURNE luxe
this page The hotel-style lobby is a mix of old and
new, with a black mirrored wall forming the perfect
backdrop for the antique and vintage items and a
credenza designed by David Hicks. Antique Persian
runner from Behruz Studio. OPPOSITE PAGE The
credenza’s Macassar ebony veneer forms a striking
contrast with its Arabescato marble top, on which
sits a wooden African reliquary figure. Barovier &
Toso 40s pendant light from Mondo Trasho.
Melbourne designer David Hicks isn’t afraid to combine stripes
and herringbone in a sophisticated Melbourne penthouse.
Photographs SHANNON McGRATH words JACINTA LE PLASTRIER
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MELBOURNE luxe
this page A vintage black lacquered screen by Eileen Gray overlooks a velvet
sofa designed by David Hicks. Screen from Designage. Sofa fabric is Pepe
Peñalver ‘Vel Fashion’ from Elliott Clarke. Minotti coffee table from De De Ce.
Custom-made rug from Rugs Carpet & Design. OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP Pattern
meets pattern, with a herringbone-fabric chair sitting alongside a sofa with a
‘Greek key’ design. ‘Swan’ chair from Corporate Culture in ‘Sigrid 2’ fabric
by Fanny Aronsen from Kvadrat Maharam. Sofa fabric is Sahco ‘Tatami’
from South Pacific Fabrics. Knoll ‘Platner’ side table from De De Ce. BOTTOM
Florence Knoll dining table in Arabescato marble from De De Ce. Charles and
Ray Eames fibreglass chairs from Living Edge.
The choice of a herringbone fabric for a Swan chair will be either
just right or plain wrong, depending on one’s aesthetic tastes.
Certainly, eyebrows were raised when interior designer David
Hicks specified the pattern for a pair of the Arne Jacobsen icons
in an extensive apartment refurbishment in Melbourne’s CBD.
The client, however, trusted the choice and the textile is now part
of a striking cacophony of stripes and motifs in various ranges of grey,
brown and silver in the living area.
The Swans sit alongside a pair of David Hicks custom-designed sofas
in ‘Greek key’ and champagne velvet, with scatter cushions adding a further
layer of pattern. A 1923 Eileen Gray black lacquered screen overlooks the
ensemble, and on the floor is a custom-designed charcoal and pale grey
carpet with a thick stripe. As David explains, the overall effect is to add
visual interest in what could have been a very straight-lined look.
“The client’s aesthetic is very minimal, very rectilinear, so it was a
matter of playing on that and creating decorative texture with the screen,
the rug, the patterned cushions,” he says.
The living area is at one end of an open-plan section which also hosts
the dining area and kitchen. Beyond the windows is a view of the leafy
Treasury Gardens and eastern skyline, both of which are reflected in a
wall of mirrored cupboards that shower the space with light. Indeed, shine
and reflection are recurring themes in this home.
The brief for this 600-square-metre project was to combine two
apartments into one whole-floor penthouse. “At the same time, the owners
wanted the spaces to be two separate wings, one for the children and one
for the parents, but with a seamless finish throughout,” David says.
Sitting in the middle of the two wings, operating as a linking conduit
between east and west, is a hotel-style private lobby, which is classic Hicks.
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MELBOURNE luxe
Speed read
This penthouse in Melbourne’s CBD was converted
from two apartments. + Interior designer David
Hicks created a children’s wing and adults’ living
wing, at the client’s request. + Both are linked by
a stunning hotel-style central lobby. + The living
area is a riot of pattern, in greys, browns and
silvers. + The apartment combines high-sheen
finishes, such as a black mirrored wall, with softer
elements, including fabric upholstery along the
length of the kitchen and dining room wall.
this page A 50s daybed looks out over Melbourne’s
Treasury Gardens. ‘Cleopatra’ daybed by Dick
Cordemeijer from Mondo Trasho. Knoll side table by
Eero Saarinen from De De Ce. Knoll ‘Platner’ side chair
from De De Ce. OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP A plain fabric wall
along the length of the kitchen and dining area offsets
the pattern elsewhere. Wall panels in Pierre Frey ‘Rive
Gauche’ from Milgate. Venini 60s chandelier imported
from New York. BOTTOM Custom-made bar stools
upholstered in Contemporary Leathers black leather.
Art Deco tea set from Designage.
It is home to a dramatic Macassar ebony veneer credenza topped with
Statuario marble, custom-designed by David. This is flanked by French Empire
chairs, with a vintage heart-shaped 40s Barovier & Toso pendant light
hanging asymmetrically above. Behind it, the wall is sheathed in black mirror,
bringing an added element of shine and reflectivity.
The lobby is David’s favourite space. “The contrast between the darkness
and sumptuousness of the materials against the clean white apartment
spaces at each end is very dramatic,” he says. It also takes full advantage
of the views to either side of the apartment. “That was why we created the
lobby space. It’s a central axis so that if you look left on arriving, you can
see through to the city, and to the right you look over the gardens. It creates
a connection between the two wings and the two very different views.”
The western side, the so-called children’s wing, has a large playroom,
family room, children’s bedrooms and a separate study retreat for one of the
adults. The eastern side, meanwhile, is focused on living, cooking and
entertaining, and is also home to the main bedroom and ensuite. The kitchen
was one of the biggest areas to be redesigned from scratch. A former laundry
was absorbed to make extra space, and David incorporated hospitality-style
refrigeration units and a butler’s kitchen. Countertops are in plain Corian
to offset the terrazzo flooring and the pattern at the other end of the room,
while the wall running along the length of the kitchen and dining area is
upholstered in an equally plain fabric.
So how does the client feel about her new home? Horrified by the
herringbone? Not at all. Instead, she’s full of praise for David’s creation.
“It’s glamorous and luxurious but also so livable,” she says.
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