Jewel Box – Main Beach
Inspired by the client’s art collection, Studio Yugen’s Jewel Box revises the traditional washed-out coastal palette in favour of a deeper, rich-coloured modesty testament to personal taste and a well-travelled history.
Located in a newly built tower in a quiet beachside suburb of Queensland’s Gold Coast exists a homely celebration of colour and weightlessness, presenting a welcoming sub-penthouse sanctuary with a spatial connection established through the deft use of scale, materiality and memorable design moments.
The project is the result of two separate dwellings combined to occupy an entire level, to embrace the views east over the Pacific Ocean and west over the hinterland, to create lifestyle opportunities in either the rising or setting sun, on opposing sides of the apartment
Although situated not far from the tourist mecca of Surfers Paradise, Studio Yugen’s elegant interior design offers an interpretation more cultured than the Gold Coast’s often kitsch reputation, and is perhaps more reminiscent of the client’s travels to transformative global hubs the likes of Los Angeles.
In general, the spirit of European or American counterparts is apparent. Parisian or New York apartments are brought to mind, but these moments are fleeting and offset by the bold artworks adorning the walls, grounding the apartment in Australia and Australian culture. A David Bromley dominates, while a site-specific, historically Gold Coast sculpture by Scott Redford playfully commands attention in the living room.
Designing around existing and such recognisable artworks is a challenge Studio Yugen confronted with great will, working with the palette and scale in complementary ways. The client’s penchant for limited edition artworks led the design teams ambitious pursuit of bespoke solutions in other areas of the design.
From the striped bedhead and kitchen joinery to the graceful walnut office desk, Studio Yugen worked with Australian manufacturers and furniture companies to produce one-of-a-kind outcomes.
A motif of transparency travels throughout, floor-to-ceiling sheer curtains diffuse the harsh Queensland sun as it penetrates the entire-level apartment. This calming weightlessness is reinforced by the restrained material choices and the repeated soft textural gestures of fluted glass. In the kitchen, the heart of the apartment, the decision to continue the fluted glass cabinetry provides a light touch against the dramatic navy blue, and the marble and brass pairings creating a distinctively contemporary space – a truly individual home, modelled to the individual tastes of the occupants.
Photography by Kristian Van Der Beek
