A country escape is a great way to get away from it all. We love the idea of swapping Saturday morning errands and queuing for a table at our favourite breakfast establishment for a walk in the countryside and a home-cooked start to the day. But there are some things we don’t want to leave behind when we head for the hills. A lack of mobile phone reception can be liberating, but spending the night amid an explosion of chintz and doilies takes many of us far outside of our comfort zone. The patterned-cell interiors of country hotels are often terrifying. Hepburn at Hepburn by 8Hotels is a country hotel that eschews the cloying sentimentality of the country bed and breakfast.
Nestled into the valley site, the accommodation at Hepburn at Hepburn is configured as a series of interlocking duplexes clad in black-stained timber. In their arrangement and orientation these self-contained pods respond to the cultivated and natural qualities of the landscape setting. David Hicks has brought his deft touch and attention to detail to the interiors of these simple box-like pavilions, creating a luxurious hybrid between hotel room and private villa.
This sanctuary is a refined home away from home. Finely detailed built-in elements do all the hard work; the living space is edged by a wall of joinery neatly containing the kitchen, fireplace, television and desk. This strategy conceals the everyday, celebrating the more pleasurable aspects of the experience. Woven curtains bring a sense of intimacy to the bedroom and bathroom, wrapping them to create an elegant cocoon for relaxation. After five, a dramatic lighting arrangement animates and defines the space. A deep red and a deep green colour scheme alternate across the villas. The rich red palette features Nero Marquina marble, burgundy soft furnishings, black gloss furniture and dark-stained timber joinery. Crisp white and natural oak is teamed with deep green to create a calming palette in the alternate scheme. Hicks has applied his astute sense of juxtaposition and contrast to the furnishings selection.
Hepburn at Hepburn is a sophisticated version of the country experience. If you enjoy the sound of birds chirping in the landscape just outside the window, but don’t want to view this scene through a fright of patterned curtains, this is your kind of place.
Products and materials
- Walls
- External walls are American oak timber veneer stained black in 2-pac satin polyurethane. Interior walls are in Dulux natural white.
- Doors
- Lama polished chrome door handles.
- Flooring
- Polished and filled silver travertine flooring. Polished Nero Marquina marble to joinery and spa bath. Cowhide rug from Lethers Leather. Wizard Velour rug from Supertuft.
- Lighting
- Moooi Non Random small pendant light from Space Furniture. Kreon mini Diapason wall light from Dedece.
- Furniture
- David Hicks sofa from davidhicks.com upholstered in Brussels Velvet from Elliot Clarke. Table is Knoll Saarinen with white laminate top from Dedece. Eames DCM chair in black ebony and light ash from Luke Furniture. Stainless steel Drum coffee table from Korban Flaubert. Vintage bamboo armchair in white lacquer upholstered in Decorators Walk emerald-cut fabric from Grant Dorman. Basis carved timber stool from Safari Living.
- Kitchen
- Smeg undermount sink. Vola polished chrome sink mixer from Dedece. Parmco two-gas burner. Miele compact convection microwave. Fisher and Paykel dish drawer. Parmco in-bench downdraft rangehood.
- Bathroom
- Rogerseller Waterslide spin 180 shower rose. Rogerseller Tonic Motion shower mixer. Vola bath mixer, bath outlet and polished chrome mixer from Dedece. Parisi Twinset vanity basin. Rogerseller floor-to-ceiling heated towel rail. Dolce Vita Venice spa bath. Catalano wall faced toilet.
Credits
- Project
- Hepburn at Hepburn
- Interior design practice
- David Hicks
Richmond, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
- Architectural practice
- David Edelman Architects
Balaclava, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
- Consultants
-
Builder
ED Enterprises
Engineer DM Landy and Associates
Landscaping Jack Merlo Design
- Site Details
-
Location
2/8 Range Road,
Hepburn Springs,
Vic,
Australia
Site type Rural
- Project Details
-
Status
Built
Category Hospitality, Interiors
- Client
-
Website
8hotels.com/melbourne-hotels/hepburn-at-hepburn/
Source
Project
Published online: 8 Jan 2013
Words:
Cameron Bruhn
Images:
Shannon McGrath
Issue
Artichoke, June 2012