Meticulous details adorn Gibney’s luxurious dining areas where guests are welcomed with formal service. The total package is seamless, complete with an impeccable ‘French-esque’ wait staff, personalised service and an outstanding contemporary French menu.
The brief was to draw on old world ‘grandiose’ and the maximalist movement, steering clear of beachside cliches. Set apart from its contemporaries in Perth, Gibney’s design concept exemplifies locality, theatre and voyeurism.
Rezen designed an interior experience that references Parisian hotel lobbies and exclusive country clubs. The dining room is planned around three distinct zones— each providing a unique, comfortable and yet opulent setting.
Key to articulating this were the materials selected; all centred around a gentle grey green palette. Elton Group’s Eveneer ALPI Sottsass Grey was pivotal in marrying the traditional with a contemporary freshness. Known for its inception in the Memphis movement, Rezen have cleverly used the organic grey veneer as a hero selected to reflect the context—”the fluidity in the pattern evoking the coastal feel—the reflections through water.” The timber veneer, with its neutral grey base, complements the sandy textures and sits comfortably against the cool-toned, ocean-inspired hues.
Zen Bowring, Design Director of Rezen, explains that the placement of this bold and graphic veneer was carefully considered and balanced with more consistent dark veneers and lighter sandy tones. ’We applied it in panels as feature moments—in the curved banquette and low screens, adjacent to tables and the lounge where rather than being an immediate feature of the space, it is woven into a dense materials palette that can be experienced and appreciated once you are sitting in the space. ’
It is also used to frame the feature wall at the end of the dining room the panelled wall bringing structure—sitting comfortably next to antique mirror and glass blocks—to water-inspired materials.
All images by Jack Lovel