Boutique Seaside Living at Bower Manly

Six apartments make up this boutique coastal development in Manly, with architecture by Koichi Takada Architects and interiors by Mim Design intended to celebrate the natural surroundings

Surrounded by sandstone cliffs and overlooking the calm waters of Cabbage Tree Bay, Bower Manly offers panoramic ocean views from each of its six two-bedroom residences. In designing the building, Doha- and Sydney-based Koichi Takada Architects were inspired by the surrounding natural environment, seen in the curves on the facade that evoke Manly’s coastline or the waves of the Pacific just beyond, the natural rock platform connecting the garden to the water’s edge, and the way that all interior spaces were designed to maximise the views.

The exterior has been designed in such a way that nature remains the highlight, and Mim Design took a similar approach to the interiors, conceiving a minimalist, elegant and timeless aesthetic befitting the property’s location. Tasked with bringing the outside in, the studio established a design narrative inspired by Japanese minimalism and a reverence for nature, resulting in clean lines, organic materials and a sense of refinement that all integrate seamlessly with the architecture. According to Mim Design founder Miriam Fanning, the brief called for ‘refined coastal living’, which she and her team realised with an approach she describes as ‘luxurious minimalism entwined with natural, organic references’.

The neutral material palette ‘mirrors the coastal outlook accessed via expansive balconies and frameless glass balustrades’, says Fanning. ‘Natural materials that are robust in nature and authentic in composition such as stone, textured timber and polished plaster reference the nearby coastal iconography — seaside rocks, beached driftwood and sandstone cliffs — ensuring visual unity.’ Over-scaled, highly detailed joinery is one of Mim’s signature touches, employed here to ground the generous spatial planning, while a monolithic stone kitchen island is a sculptural anchor in the space.

Mim Design worked with interior stylist Steve Cordony to curate the furniture in each apartment. ‘Every piece was chosen to reflect the surrounding environment, with softened curves and forms, and the application of natural materials,’ Fanning explains. Fanning and Cordony selected furniture and objets d’art to work with the proportions of the space and time ‘deliver a relaxed, elegant and authentic coastal feel’.

But for Fanning, Bower Manly is more than just architecture and interiors —it’s about the opportunity ‘to live and breathe the natural connection to the spectacular surrounds,’ she says. ‘The direct connection and view lines to Manly and Cabbage Tree Bay make it very hard to leave once you’ve visited.’

Text / Simone Schultz 
Images / Tom Ferguson