Once regarded as Australia’s unloved ugly duckling, especially when compared to its more glamorous siblings Sydney and Melbourne, Perth is all grown up and turning heads.
The new 74-room Alex Hotel is a masterful expression of the city’s changed fortunes. Local architect Space Agency has turned a corner plot in the midst of the Cultural Centre and the entertainment quarter Northbridge into an eye-catching low-rise of bright spacious rooms, while Sydney-based interiors studio Arent & Pyke have added a light palette of colours and mixed textures. Patchwork rugs, mid-century furniture, locally crafted pots, folksy wall hangings and raw concrete surfaces gently set off Beltrami linen, Bemboka blankets and Sodashi toiletries.
The rooftop terrace offers views of downtown Perth, while the Shadow Wine Bar downstairs – a mood-lit den of perfectly chilled vintages from local vineyards – should end an afternoon’s tour of the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts next door.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
50 James Street
-
A landmark show by ‘the godfather of the modern collectible design movement’ opens at Ralph Pucci, New YorkParisian designer Hervé Van der Straeten unveils a large new collection at Ralph Pucci, celebrating 20 years of collaboration with the New York master
-
The Spirit of Paimio brings new life to the modernist landmarkThe second edition of the Spirit of Paimio conference, ‘Reimagining Community’, brings together a group of architects, writers, designers, astrophysicists, and artists to think and talk about what it means to be in community at the sanatorium turned Modernist site
-
Kohler plunges into the world of wellness with an ice bath for your homeKohler has teamed up with Remedy Place to design an ice bath for the home, marking the brand’s first move into the wellness space
-
Australian heritage meets European grandeur at Copperstone, a New South Wales retreatCopperstone is New South Wales’ answer to the European country estate, and includes a five-bedroom retreat, set in 48 acres
-
Tap into local creativity at The StandardX, MelbourneThe StandardX, Melbourne is the first hotel in The Standard Group's new breed of ‘younger and rebellious’ properties
-
Discover Beau Sydney, an intimate two-part restaurant enlivening the city’s lanewaysBeau Sydney dishes up contemporary Australian cuisine, from baked goods to regional wines, amid elegant interiors by Smart Design Studio
-
Inside The Ghan train across Australia, new carriage interiors elevate a classic tripThe Ghan’s new carriage interiors designed by Woods Bagot reimagine modern rail travel for this epic trip between Darwin and Adelaide
-
Sydney’s The Darling shows off its playful and sophisticated suitesThe Darling in Sydney unveils its recently renovated suites by Fender Katsalidis, paying homage to the surrounding cityscape
-
St Ali & The Queen elevates Melbourne’s coffee culture with modern brews and brutalismSt Ali & The Queen is a Fiona Lynch Office-designed café and cocktail bar in Melbourne’s revitalised Queen Victoria Market
-
Kangaroo Island’s Southern Ocean Lodge returns to full splendourKangaroo Island’s Southern Ocean Lodge reopens in one of Australia’s wildest and most enchanting remote corners, following the devastating 2019 bushfires
-
Six luxury lodges to discover in Western AustraliaFrom desert camps to beach retreats, explore luxury lodges to rest and recharge in the sun-kissed region
