Waterloo Station Hotel rises from the ashes
A devastating fire at the Waterloo Station Hotel in Adelaide’s northern suburbs was the catalyst for a $10 million renovation that engaged the services of hospitality flooring experts, Artistic Flooring.
Ken Milne from Ken Milne Architects in Adelaide was the lead designer on the project, charged with bringing the popular waterhole back to life.
“Carpets are one of the biggest design elements in a room, so I always aim to create something that gives a room a lift, a positive energy, and I think this design achieves that,” Ken said, “It also had to translate through the bistro, dining and gaming areas so we needed something that was versatile.”
Ken said that while looks are important, a carpet’s design must also take into account practical considerations.
“It’s important when designing carpet for a hospitality venue, that your design minimises the appearance of stains,” Ken said, “Carpet stains are unavoidable in hotels and bars so you have to work with that reality in mind.”
Ken said he had only good things to report about his experience working with our team from Artistic Flooring.
“Artistic Flooring were excellent to work with, and the finished result impressed us all,” Ken said, “Most importantly, it impressed the client.”
Wynnum Tavern gets the Artistic Flooring touch
With its major refurbishment recently complete, patrons and visitors to Wynnum Tavern are now enjoying the kind of luxury underfoot that only a quality Axminster carpet guarantees, thanks to the work of Artistic Flooring.
The managers of Wynnum Tavern, centrally located in the rapidly growing seaside suburb of Wynnum in Brisbane’s east, are thrilled with the new interior design and with Artistic Flooring’s three new carpets which underpin the stylish new look.
The carpet in the Sports Bar is a one-off, specially designed to meet the unique design brief of the refurbishment project. It’s highly geometric ochre and charcoal design strikes a confident chord, without drowning out other design elements in the room.
The fun and whimsical carpet in the Gaming Room is called Taylor, one from Artistic Flooring’s exclusively designed Welcome Range. The carpet in the Bistro, Herringbone, is also from the Welcome Range, but this time the feel is ultra-modern – bold and there to make a statement.
The Wynnum Tavern joins a growing list of happy hotels, clubs and pubs that have turned to Artistic Flooring to deliver quality custom-made carpets in eye-catching one-off designs. Carpets that not only look good, but are also built to last.
“All our carpets come with a 20 year standard warranty when laid using our quality underlay”, is the promise made by Artistic Flooring’s Managing Director, David Williams.
“Our carpets and underlay have impervious backing, which is essential for areas where you expect drinks and other liquids to be spilt. If your carpet does not have impervious backing, fluids will slowly seep through the carpet and become trapped on the floor directly underneath. All that trapped moisture will eventually rot your carpet, breed bacteria and damage the floor beneath. Not to mention the smell…”
“Carpets are a big investment for hotels and clubs – you need to be sure they last the distance.”
Fresh new look for Gallopers Sports Club
A contemporary lift was what Gallopers Sports Club needed when it underwent a major refurbishment in April last year, and a contemporary lift was what Artistic Flooring delivered.
The old, worn, striped carpet was at the top of Management’s list of things in need of updating and our team was brought in to design and deliver a fresh and modern flooring scheme to replace it.
Lead designer on the project, Stacey Stojcevski, said she worked closely with the client to create a one-of-a-kind carpet design that was welcoming, full of warmth as well as adaptable.
“One of the challenges we faced with the design was the broad market segment the club attracts,” Stacey said, “It enjoys regular patronage from the older demographic, however being situated between Eagle Farm and Doomben race tracks it also draws in a lot of the younger, fashionable crowd.”
The brief also called for flooring design that would work across the Club’s three main public spaces; the bar, the gaming area and the bistro.
The design that ticked all the boxes and won over the client was a bold lotus-inspired pattern, created by Stacey, featuring a striking red flower motif with accents of gold in the vine work.
“It’s been deliberately designed to really catch your eye when you first walk in, and to complement other interior design elements such as the original tiling,” Stacey said, “The pop of red against a dark mahogany background has a modern-retro feel which appeals to younger as well as older generations.
General Manager of Gallopers Sports Club, Wayne Percey, said he couldn’t be more pleased with the end result.
“I was impressed by Artistic Flooring’s professional service and ability in dealing with our tight deadlines,” Mr Percey said, “We have received nothing but positive feedback on the design plus the feel of the carpet and since the upgrade we have seen a significant increase in patronage and sales.”
Our Managing Director, David Williams believes Artistic Flooring’s signature Axminster carpet makes the difference.
Indooroopilly Golf Club gets a makeover
Constructed in the 1980s, the Indooroopilly Golf Club’s main clubhouse and function centre in Brisbane’s leafy western suburbs was long overdue for a makeover and the decision was made to bring in a team of Brisbane’s best interior designers to project-manage the job. Carpet specialists from Artistic Flooring were part of that team.
As part of the refurbishment Artistic Flooring delivered new carpeting for three seminar rooms, two large function spaces as well as the club’s upper and lower foyers.
“It’s exactly what we were hoping for and we’re getting some really great feedback,” is how Stephanie Carmichael from Indooroopilly Golf Club replied when asked what she thought of Artistic Flooring’s work.
“We wanted our new interior design in the function areas to make a bold statement and Artistic Flooring certainly delivered that in spades, with an eye-catching green tropical landscape underfoot” Stephanie said of the design.
When it came to the entrance foyers, the club was looking to set a different tone to the function areas – something more relaxed and understated, while still exuding confidence and a sense of arrival.
“We went through a few design ideas for the foyers but in the end Artistic Flooring offered to create a whole new custom carpet design, just for us,” Stephanie said, “And we couldn’t be happier with the result.”
The end product was a more subtle design; a softer fern-like motif that retains the green colour-scape of the function areas as well as the botanical theme.
Stephanie said working with Artistic Flooring made the process of creating a custom designed flooring scheme that much easier.
“They were fantastic to work with,” Stephanie said, “They dealt with all queries and concerns promptly and they were always happy to take our calls and answer any questions.
Managing Director of Artistic Flooring, David Williams said his team jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the re-visioning of one of Brisbane’s most iconic golf clubs.
“Clubs are our true area of speciality and it’s what we love to do the most,” David said, “Working on such a high profile club in it’s beautiful landscaped location was a real treat for us. The club is known as one of the best wedding venues in Brisbane and it’s nice to think that our carpets will be a part of so many happy celebrations for many years to come.”
Preserving the past at Brisbane Racing Club
When we were asked to design and supply custom carpeting for Brisbane Racing Club’s 3-year-long refurbishment, our team jumped at the opportunity.
Facilities at the club’s two main racetracks, Eagle Farm and Doomben, were long in need of a makeover and we relished the opportunity to give the club the five star design treatment.
In the words of David Williams, Managing Director of Artistic Flooring: “The Brisbane Racing Club is one of the largest and most prestigious clubs of its kind in the country and we wanted to make sure they looked the part.”
Artistic Flooring were commissioned to supply custom-designed Axminster carpets for over a dozen public and private rooms at the twin racecourses including the prestigious Moreton Dining Room, the Derby Bar, corporate suites at Doomben, the Kentucky Bar, Hall of Fame and Doomben’s Champion Bar.
Stacey Stojcevski was the lead designer and manager of the project, and personally designed many of the carpets that made it on to the floor.
“The client felt very strongly that they could only use Axminister carpet,” Stacey said, “Their venues experience a huge volume of foot traffic every weekend so their carpets must be very hard-wearing. Only quality Axminster can give you this high durability while still feeling luxurious.”
Stacey said the client was passionate about the refurbishment and wanted carpets that had that heaviness; that feeling of richness and quality, underfoot.
“They insisted on Axminster and they’re now very glad that they did,” Stacey said, “They were blown away by how sharply defined and vibrant the patterns were on the carpet. You can only get that with quality Axminster.”
While the Brisbane Racing Club itself is relatively young, just 8 years old, it was born from the merger of two far older clubs, the Queensland Turf Club (established in the 1860s) and the Brisbane Turf Club (established in the 1930s). The proud history of these two predecessors would greatly inform design direction of the refurbishment.
“Our brief was to keep it classic,” Stacey said, “They’ve been racing at Eagle Farm since 1865, and the course is heritage-listed, so we understood completely their desire to pay homage to the history of place.”
When they pulled up the joinery on the floor of the Derby Bar, workers made a fascinating discovery. The original carpet was still underneath. And thanks to protection afforded by the joinery the carpet still retained its original vibrant colours.
“We were all quite amazed by this – it was like a secret time capsule had been lying under the floor all these years and nobody knew,” Stacey said, “It presented us with an exceptionally rare opportunity to recreate the past.”
A sample of the old carpet under the floorboards was sent to Artistic Flooring with a query as to whether a replica could be made. The answer was a resounding yes.
“Our team studied the colours and patterns of the old carpet and were able to recreate it faithfully using new materials,” David said, “It is beautiful work that is quite special because it has a lot of meaning for the club.”
Respect for heritage would also play a part in many of the other rooms, as illustrated by an opulent and very arresting carpet created for the historical Ascot Bar.
“Drinks are still served from behind the original bar, which is a very striking black and gold,” Stacey said, “We enhanced that original design feature with a carpet pattern of equally striking black and gold. The effect is quite stunning.”
Artistic Flooring’s good relationship with Brisbane Racing Club continues with work recently completed on the Virginia room and other public areas.
For more information on any of the articles or products in this newsletter or to find out how we can help your next project stand out contact david@artisticflooring.com.au
Artistic Flooring lays solid foundation for Rydges award-winning refurbishment
When Rydges South Bank threw open its doors to reveal their $30million refurbishment in June of last year, the work of Artistic Flooring was one of the first things the gathered crowd saw.
Our custom-designed Axminster carpets now grace the impressive lobby of the world-class hotel, along with hallways, foyers, and luxurious guest suites. Our work also now features in one of Brisbane’s finest degustation restaurants, Bacchus, on the hotel’s Podium level.
Callum Kennedy, General Manager of Rydges South Bank, said their aim was to create a feeling of refinery and opulence from the first moment you entered the hotel.
“We wanted flooring that was unique to us and created a real sense of arrival,” Mr Kennedy said, “Artistic Flooring created for us a series of bespoke carpets that are distinctly ours.”
For the team managing the Rydges refurbishment, three years in the making, there was never any question about the kind of flooring they would use.
“We were always going to opt for Axminister carpet,” Mr Kennedy said. “You can feel the quality underfoot; you can’t replicate that plush wool feeling with a cheaper product. And a good Axminister also guarantees longevity which is important to us.”
Mays Jajo from the multi-award winning architectural firm, KannFinch was the Lead Interior Designer on the project and worked closely with the team from Artistic Flooring to create stunning floor designs in each of the zones.
“Artistic Flooring was wonderful to work with,” Ms Jajo said, “Their execution of our creative vision was great. What they produced was exactly what we, and the client, had in mind.
“The carpet design in the common areas was very geometric, but in the suites we felt that it needed to be softened, so we developed a design much like a free-hand brush stroke – very organic and relaxed but with a rich, luxurious feel.”
Ms Jajo said the decision to go with a ‘brush-stoke’ design was a subtle nod to the precinct where Rydges is situated – just a short stroll to major art galleries, design schools, museums and major performing arts venues.
“We chose the plum as our hero colour for its richness and sophistication. There’s something very regal about that shade,” she said. “It’s opulent hue can also be found in carefully selected elements around the room, such as soft furnishings, so that the design flows through the whole space.”
Despite winning the Queensland Hotel Association’s Award for Best Redeveloped Accommodation Hotel/Resort in 2016, Ms Jajo said the Rydges refurbishment project was not without its challenges.
“We had a few technical challenges to begin with, but the amazing results we achieved, thanks to the help of Artistic Flooring, were well worth the extra effort.”
Mr Kennedy echoed Ms Jajo’s sentiments.
“Our experience working with Artistic Flooring has been flawless,” Mr Kennedy said. “It was a long, involved processed, however they were very patient and the outcome was outstanding.”
“The end result was exactly what we had envisaged from the start of the design process.”
Artistic Flooring specialises in custom Axminster carpets. View more of their beautiful work here.
For more information on any of the articles or products in this newsletter or to find out how we can help your next project stand out contact david@artisticflooring.com.au.
