When money can literally buy you anything; what do those with big interior design budgets really wish for in a home? <\/p>\n
New York-born and Sydney-based award-winning interior designer Thomas Hamel specialises in redesigning the homes of wealthy Australians \u2013 bringing a calm elegance to their waterfront properties in Sydney, recreational ski-lodges and luxurious penthouse suites in Melbourne.<\/p>\n
His client list includes Hollywood actor Russell Crowe to former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the Packer family to name a few, where he chimes an international luxury that feels right at home for these avid travellers.<\/p>\n
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A private 10-pin bowling alley requested by a client. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
According to Mr Hamel, it all comes down to a bespoke wow moment\u2013 and it\u2019s his job to fine-tune what it is that makes each of these luxury homes different.<\/p>\n
From built-in wellness retreats to custom furniture designed with purpose and intent, he’s is all about making these A-list homes an unforgettable experience the moment his clients walk in the front door.<\/p>\n
From Point Piper in Sydney to Brighton in Melbourne, he dials up quiet luxury with some unusual requests.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been fortunate to design homes for clients with exceptional vision and\u00a0imagination, allowing us to incorporate some wonderfully unexpected and bespoke features,\u201d Mr Hamel told realestate.com.au.<\/p>\n
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This British-style pub was fully built into a private residence in Singapore. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
Ultra-personalisation is a trend he\u2019s seeing more of when it comes to client demands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese personal spaces reflect a growing trend and desire for their homes to not only reflect their taste, but to actively support how they live, entertain, unwind and even play,\u201d Mr Hamel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more unusual the request, the more we enjoy the challenge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hamel talks us through five key design wow moments.<\/p>\n
1. Indoor Pub \u2013 The Earl’s Sedan<\/p>\n
A British-style pub, fully built into a private residence in Singapore.<\/p>\n
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An electric fireplace emulates the warmth of a traditional pub. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
Rich timber joinery, leather upholstery and an electric fireplace were used to emulate the warmth of a traditional pub \u2014 made trickier by Singapore\u2019s lack of gas fire systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2. Bowling Alley and Games Room<\/p>\n
With a love of entertaining in a multi-generational home, the client asked for a private 10-pin bowling alley.<\/p>\n
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An entertainer’s dream: The private 10-pin bowling alley connects to a bar, cinema and pool table zone. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
The alley forms the heart of a larger entertainment zone, seamlessly connected to a bespoke bar, cinema area, and a pool table nook, creating the ultimate destination for family fun and weekend entertaining, all without stepping outside.<\/p>\n
3. Dressing Room Meets Hair Salon and Private Bar\u00a0<\/p>\n
For one particularly fashion-forward and stylish client, a dressing suite was created that\u2019s equal parts boutique, salon, and retreat.<\/p>\n
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No bad hair days here. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
Custom cabinetry houses everything from couture gowns to a concealed bar cart, while a dedicated salon area makes daily grooming feel utterly indulgent.<\/p>\n
4. Private Wellness Centre with Himalayan Salt Wall<\/p>\n
Wellness has become a central pillar of luxury living. One client wanted a full-service retreat within their residence including a yoga studio, steam room, and a pink Himalayan salt wall, which adds both atmospheric light and health benefits.<\/p>\n
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A full-service wellness retreat from the comfort of home. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
The design evokes serenity through natural textures, ambient lighting, and seamless flow.<\/p>\n
5. Korean BBQ Table with Sunken Seating\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inspired by the client\u2019s favourite restaurant in Korea was this custom-built marble Korean BBQ table with integrated grills and recessed floor seating.<\/p>\n
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A custom designed and built Korean BBQ table requested by a client. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
The family wanted to recreate the communal, lively feel of dining out, yet in the comfort of their own home. It\u2019s now the heart of their weekend entertaining.<\/p>\n
The art of curation<\/p>\n
Arriving in Australia in the early \u201890s as a 20-something interior designer, Mr Hamel saw an opportunity to start his business in Sydney; the industry a vastly different landscape to what it is today.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first arrived in Australia, there was a limited supply of product and options for clients who were redesigning their homes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Thomas Hamel is the director of interior design firm Thomas Hamel & Associates.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always showed my clients what was happening in the world and what was important when it came to design, and then we\u2019d look at the cost if importing and shipping items from overseas because that was how we did it all back then,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in the 90s, it was much more difficult to get international products, fabric and lighting, but that has changed dramatically. The world has become more global, and that makes my job more difficult to come up with things people haven\u2019t seen before,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Mr Hamel says designing homes for the rich and famous comes down to the art of curation. He looks for antiques, unique sculptures and works with emerging artisans for a point of difference. He is known to take some of his clients to Palm Springs where art consignment stores are located \u2013 and many collections that once belonged to wealthy retired Americans end up a reasonable purchase.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsignment shops become a place of discovery; it\u2019s where I like to take my top Melbourne and Sydney to clients to find pieces for their home,\u201d said Mr Hamel.<\/p>\n
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A Himalayan pink salt wall forms part of a full-service wellness retreat. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
Mr Hamel also scopes stores like Kazari in Melbourne and Orient House in Sydney for antiques that come from Japan, India, Bali and South Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am known for a calm edited look and have never been too gimmicky,\u201d says Hamel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fun to have a zing moment in the home, but you want everything to be harmonious. Everything needs calmness and to successfully achieve this, it comes down to layering everything within and to make sure what is on display tells a story.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When money can literally buy you anything; what do those with big interior design budgets really wish for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42694,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":["post-42693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42693\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}