One of our favourite interior design studios, Melbourne-based The Stella Collective, set up its new home in a hundred-year-old department store last year, so we thought it was about time that you had a look around.
Built in 1914, The Conway Building is located in the heart of Melbourne’s Chapel Street, an iconic destination for retail, food and nightlife. The Stella Collective embraced the building’s old-world charm, channelling a bygone era distinguished by its soaring ceiling and ornate detailing. Director of The Stella Collective, Hana Hakim, explained how she has realised her vision for creating a ‘feel good’ space that has an apparent simplicity, yet is expertly crafted and honest in its materiality and reverence for history. “The space is a reflection of our philosophy in respecting the old whilst embracing the new,” she explained. “It’s the kind of design tension we live for. Refined sophistication, but with a rock ‘n roll heart. It’s a space that excites the senses and has an uplifting, inspiring quality.”
The spectacular and functional space has been cleverly built as an insertion – as it was easy to install and remove without interfering with the original structure. The celebration and preservation of the old details of the building can be seen in the form of the parquet flooring and decorative ceiling, while the addition of glass-filled walls embraces the new, modern aspects of interior design.
Take a closer look at the studio in the image gallery above and check out The Stella Collective website for more news, projects and inspirational interiors.
