The Saint Hotel
Telha Clarke were engaged to create an Interior Design scheme to reinvigorate and refurbish an existing institutional Melbourne hospitality venue. A revival of an iconic St Kilda venue compromising of a series of premium fine dining, cocktail bar, listening lounge and function offerings across multiple levels.
Shortlisted for the Hospitality Design Award under the Australian Interior Design Awards 2024
Longlisted in the Restaurant and Bar Interior Category of Dezeen Awards 2023
"An immersive experience, layered with charred timber and a sincere palette that invites tactile exploration."
Saint Hotel has previously been a bank, a pub and a nightclub. One of our challenges was to maintain familiarity and give new life to a premium hospitality venue that has reminiscent character of times past while being sensitive to the existing heritage building elements.
Restoration and reuse were core values of the project. Featuring the raw brickwork, steel structure, glazed atrium and existing facade were non-negotiables.
A unified approach was embraced to ensure the design respected the integrity of the building. It was important to us to include careful product selection that prioritised honest and textural materiality. We collaborated with local creatives who shared a desire to make mindful choices. Emphasis on the highly textural elements of the existing building character and the relationship between the raw and refined create an encompassing sensory experience.
Material selection and thorough consideration for detail was integral for the overall vision for Saint Hotel. The existing building possessed a huge amount of character in the textural quality, the interior fitout was designed to complement and not compete.
Each joinery element was carefully designed to suit the selected materials and each contractor shared a true passion for detail resolution and quality craftsmanship which was evident in the built outcome.