Melbourne’s Ritz-Carlton Tells the Story of the City

BAR Studio’s design of the new Ritz-Carlton in Melbourne pays homage to the history and culture of the city, with symbolic motifs and a curated art collection 

Walking up to the new Ritz-Carlton in Melbourne, guests are greeted by a pair of eye-catching door handles in the form of a bronze-cast welcome necklace by prolific First Nations artist Maree Clarke, who was commissioned by art consultants Chapman & Bailey to create the first point of contact guests have with the new hotel. 

From there, the entrance opens up into a soaring atrium, where a grand staircase stands next to French designer Mathieu Lehanneur’s marble water installation, its deep green water rippling below a glistening Lasvit chandelier. Next is a tall cluster of traditional stringybark poles by artist Djirrirra Wununmurra. 

This is the introduction to BAR Studio’s first project in Melbourne in more than a decade — a meditation on the city’s history, contradictions and undeniable allure. ‘Melbourne’s laneways build a real, diverse and intimate connection with the city. It’s this “feeling” that’s uniquely Melbourne to me. And it’s this interplay, this sense of discovery, of unexpected, special moments and experiences that’s central to the design of The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne,’ said BAR Studio co-founder and creative director Stewart Robertson.

Subtle details — textures and materials, understated references, recurring patterns — contrast with sweeping views of the city and large-scale artworks throughout. Taking over the three lower levels and top 17 floors of the 80-storey-high West Side Place on Lonsdale Street, The Ritz-Carlton is now Australia’s tallest hotel, with views to prove it. 

The hotel offers a kind of visual tour of Melbourne — from the geometric patterns inspired by the Art Deco period and the touches of gold that reference the city’s gold rush, to the collection of First Nations and local art and contemporary local design in the form of lighting by Christopher Boots and The Flaming Beacon.

‘There’s the industrial edge, Art Deco, early 20th-century architecture, deconstructed postmodern convoluted geometries — we’re riffing on things like that,’ explains BAR’s curatorial director Rowena Hockin. ‘Another of the motifs that runs throughout the project is the herringbone flooring and the plaid-patterned glass, which weaves in the image of suit lining,’ she adds of the references to the hotel’s location in the CBD.   

The rooms and suites have a sense of residential comfort, with a neutral colour palette and materials inspired by the city. A base of dark wood and natural stone is overlaid with glimmers of gold and the decorative handmade glass panels to which Hockin refers — their woven pattern designed by studio co-founder Felicity Beck — as well as bespoke leather and velvet furniture.

Another highlight is the spa and pool area. The entrance to the spa has its own water wall, a direct reference to the iconic water wall at the nearby National Gallery of Victoria. Arriving at the pool, the design language shifts from the city to the coastal, in the same way that Melbourne gives way to peninsulas to the south. The white stone, natural light and reflections on the pool’s surface create an inner sanctum cocooned in the centre of the building and overlooking the city. 

Capping off the hotel are the Ritz Carlton-Club — a riff on Melbourne’s clubs that Hockin describes as ‘establishment club overlaid with quirky moments’ — cocktail bar Cameo and all-day restaurant Atria, designed by local firm LAYAN. 

Text by Simone Schultz 
Images by Peter Bennetts