Glamorous coastal design: Cabana Apartments Display Suite

With a large number of high rises popping up on the Southern end of the Gold Coast, the primary aim for Cabana was to create something unique and memorable that would stand out from the crowd rather than to succumb to what was “in” and currently trendy.

On the exterior, the relaxed architecture by Plus Architecture sees Cabana blend organically into its coastal environment. Fluted concrete, floor-to-ceiling glazing and detailed screening lend a classical tranquillity to the building, while maintaining a connection with the spectacular ocean views.

Inside, interior design practice Mannigan Edwards was given a “clear goal” by developer Ignite “but with plenty of room to interpret creatively”, says director Cris Edwards. “We wanted to create a sense of luxury, whilst retaining the relaxed Gold Coast lifestyle.”

Mannigan Edwards worked hand in hand with Ignite and Plus to workshop and hone in on the brief until they arrived at a look that everyone was excited about. “There were definitely a few false starts, and at times some creative tension, but this always results in the best outcome,” says Edwards. “Everyone creatively pushed and pulled until we got something amazing.”

And amazing it is – the interior design offers a refined coastal colour palette of muted whites and champagnes, offset by natural stone, oak-coloured timber flooring and beautifully detailed joinery. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows ensure that each apartment is flooded with natural light, capitalising on the ocean views and breezes.

For tapware for the display suite, Mannigan Edwards turned to Phoenix, and for the bathroom, selected Vivid Slimline Oval Wall Basin Outlet and Wall Mixer in the brand-new Brushed Gold finish, along with Radii Accessories. In the kitchen, Phoenix’s Vivid Slimline Oval Sink Mixer Gooseneck was chosen, a room that proved to be the biggest challenge of the project.

“The client wanted a real wow showstopper, but also did not want to alienate any potential buyers,” explains Edwards. “We looked at our competitors and saw kitchens that ranged from weird and over-the-top, to stock standard boring.

“For us, finding that balance was a huge challenge, but we couldn’t be happier with the result. It’s a unique mix of modern and classic elements with crisp panelled doors, Lucite handles, a marble island and full height splash, fluted accents and of course all deliciously topped off by Phoenix tapware.”

Edwards and her team began researching tapware early in the design process and chose Phoenix for a number of reasons.

“They represent that balance between designer styles and quality at an accessible price point,” she says. “The taps we chose fit the brief perfectly, modern but not spacey, classic but not old fashioned!  We were also able to offer them to clients in both the fashion forward brushed gold finish and the more conservative but still unique nickel finish.”

Interior design: Mannigan Edwards
Architecture: Plus Architecture
Phoenix products: Vivid Slimline Oval Sink Mixer Gooseneck, Vivid Slimline Oval Wall Basin Outlet and Wall Mixer, and Radii Accessories.