Design studio Luchetti Krelle has given New South Wales’ Tattersalls Hotel a contemporary refresh that celebrates its art deco design and Victorian history.

The Sydney-based firm has blended minimalist geometric forms and rich timber detailing inside the Armidale hotel with punchy jewel tones and elegant drapery to evoke the mood of a bygone age.

‘We wanted to set a lavish tone that conveyed the impression of opulence and richness without unnecessary adornment,’ said Stuart Krelle, creative co-director of Luchetti Krelle.

The New South Wales hotel – which sits midway between Brisbane and Sydney 100 miles inland from the coast – was built in 1845 during the town’s gold rush heyday. In the 1930s, its Victorian bones were given an art deco transformation that included a front façade with curved glass corners.

Inspired by its art deco history, Luchetti Krelle has used these motifs across its refurbished interiors. Rounded arches and curves appear in recessed shelving, steel-framed doors and mirrors, freestanding headboards and the delicately fluted edges of the restaurant’s banquettes.

Geometric shapes appear in Brintons-designed carpets while brass chevrons and curves on the marble and travertine bar have been ‘distilled to their essential forms, granting the hotel a sense of refined clarity without losing the lustre of its past,’ Krelle said.

The jewel-coloured lounge rooms feature garnet velvet seating and steely sapphire and diamond-blue walls, which recall the elegance of its Victorian gold-rush heyday. Looser abstracted forms and muted pastels feature in the hotel’s 25 bedrooms, while a solid timber-lined staircase, tin pressed ceilings and glass skylight were restored during the Aussie hotel’s gut renovation.

174 Beardy St, Armidale NSW 2350, Australia

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