the right place
A unique expression of national identity
When luxury was the exclusive domain of the super-rich, it was easy to define. Obvious, flashy and very, very expensive. It was in short supply but high demand but as it becomes more available, and more anticipated, a new interpretation of Australian luxury has been developing. It’s less tangible but conversely more substantial.
Our location has always meant that the concept of Australian luxury has had the benefit of distance, giving us the opportunity to forge a particular luxury identity of our own. Today, even with digital media bringing the world closer, instead of joining the international luxury zeitgeist, we are doubling down on our own local interpretation, one that is more authentically of this place. Our place.
The new luxury indicators are very personal, defined by how it makes you feel - rather than how it makes you look. Privacy is top of the list and space has become a premium. The power to control and edit your environment, and choose who you spend time with is truly luxurious. And overwhelmingly the freedom to travel and experience nature in an exclusive, curated way is what defines luxury today.
We take a deep dive into the world of new luxury as six influential Australians describe this new wave of aspiration.
Tim Maxwell
CO-OWNER ISLAND HOUSE, LORD HOWE ISLAND
The hotelier has immersed himself in the pursuit of high-end experiential getaways in his hot home-hotel.
Australian luxury often strips back what other places layer on. It’s not about opulence or excess; it’s about feeling deeply human and present. On Lord Howe Island, luxury might be a freshly caught fish grilled over a beach fire, eaten with bare feet in the sand and fresh lemon squeezed by hand.
It could be arriving at a secluded bay that feels like it hasn’t been touched by anyone else. It’s those moments that immediately ground us, inspire us, and allow us to peel back the distractions we’ve been carrying.
In Australia, these moments are part of our rhythm, and when thoughtfully curated, they become transcendent. A sunset shared with loved ones, paired with considered hospitality, often outweighs extravagance. Luxury here is about connection not separation.
Australians are incredibly inspired people with a beautiful openness. We’re not afraid to borrow and blend. We travel a lot, we learn, and we bring that learning home.
A hibachi on the deck or a new French dish at dinner. These global influences quickly become part of how we live and what we offer to others. Yes, we have strong local traditions, but we’re also curators of internationality, weaving it into our experiences in a way that feels fresh and unpretentious.
“A sunset shared with loved ones, paired with considered hospitality, often outweighs extravagance. Luxury here is about connection not separation.”
In my own life and environment, the ultimate luxury is being immersed in nature. Life on a small island in the Pacific can be hectic, and finding ways to separate my work, the giving, expressive part, from my personal renewal is essential.
The true luxury of Island House is our dedication to personal curation, not just in aesthetics or service, but in the emotional and experiential space we create for our guests. We’ve designed every layer of the experience, through architecture, music, art, service, even silence, with the intention of helping people move beyond surface-level enjoyment and into something deeper.
We aim to create an environment that invites guests to slow down and become present. Some may find connection while sitting with a morning coffee watching the palms move in the breeze. Others may experience it through an adventure, a beautifully set table after a kayak, or in a moment of shared silence under the stars.
For every guest, the connection here is different. Our role is to build the thoughtful, beautiful, and quietly intelligent platform that allows them to access what they need. Whether that’s reconnecting with a loved one, realising something about themselves, or simply feeling content again, Island House is designed to hold that space. That is the ultimate luxury and we are deeply honoured to host it.
Matthew Sheargold
MIRVAC DESIGN DIRECTOR – INTERIORS
The Mirvac Design Director leads Mirvac’s multi award-winning interior design team bringing extensive local and international experience to the role. He is currently collaborating with interior design studio Bates Smart, to redefine Australian luxury at Mirvac’s iconic Harbourside Residences on the Sydney waterfront.
The idea of Australian luxury was the common thread for everyone working on Harbourside Residences, from the architects Snøhetta and Hassell to Bates Smart and Mirvac Design who did the interiors. We set out to interpret Australian luxury and establish what it means and what it looks like from many different perspectives.
The luxury of the apartments is not all about the finishes; equally important is privacy and the volume of space, something that is a priority when we plan the interiors. The floor-to-ceiling windows enhance the sense of space as well as framing those incredible harbour and city views. It’s absolutely critical that we maximise that.
A large percentage of our future residents are local; downsizers who will make Harbourside Residences their principal home or use it as a bolt hole between travels abroad. They expect it to be luxurious and also to elevate their lifestyle.
There are different perceptions of what constitutes luxury but we steer away from trend-driven fads to create a sense of luxury that is timeless and grounded in authenticity.
“Australian luxury is softer, more tactile, not ostentatious, but beautifully detailed and crafted so if you walk into a space, you feel a sense of joy.”
That same idea, of maximising access to nature - sun, shade and views is how we consider integrating luxury into a project - especially the connection to outdoors, with orientation to the sun in winter and availability of shade in summer. In Mirvac’s Portman St Terraces we integrated passive design strategies so all habitable spaces are naturally well-ventilated and have access to good natural light with large windows and fully glazed sliding doors to allow the interiors to fully open up to the outside.
They also back onto a communal green space shared with Portman on the Park and Portman House, all sitting around the Drying Green, the main park at Green Square, giving outdoor community spaces for connection.
With experience across the UK, Asia and Australia, Stefanie brought her deft interior design experience to Mirvac’s Portman St Terraces at Green Square.
Australia’s relative isolation allows us to reframe our own personal idea of luxury, without the constraints of conforming to internationally accepted, traditional ideals.
Our luxury can be uniquely defined by our access to natural light and open space, proximity to water and the ocean, immersion within beautiful landscapes, and connection to the natural world around us.
It’s also our accessibility to the natural materials exclusive to Australia, our warm sandstone, rich hardwood timbers, dense mottled granites, and the local artisans who craft them. Australia’s dynamic quality of light also luxuriously renders materials and finishes with a unique intensity and richness.
Portman St Terraces at Green Square
Saskia Havekes
GRANDIFLORA
The iconic Sydney florist, famous for dramatic arrangements and exotic varieties operates her flower and fragrance empire from her chic atelier. With six fragrances, four beautiful books and a busy schedule in fashion, events and hospitality, Saskia is immersed in luxury every day.
I think Australian luxury is defined by our room to roam, it’s the access to our landscape of natural beauty that seems to feel like infinity here. Our oceans, shore line, forests, deserts and bushland have no parallel.
Australians have a quiet confidence in knowing we have this luxury that has no price on it. Knowing the rest of the world is relatively remote to us - and vice versa keeps us a luxurious option.
For me, sourcing and working with the flowers for the studio and the spaces for events and homes brings an edge of luxury into other people’s lives but also gives me tremendous personal satisfaction. Armfuls of magnolias and lotus flowers denote luxury - even just one stem of Cattleya orchid in its full potency is a delight.
Flowers in any space can bring an immediate sense of style and a nod to a connection with nature. There’s always a mood set by a selection of blooms, foliages and pods. Back in the day it was an absolute privilege to select blooms from the garden and bring them into your home, or be gifted a bloom from someone else’s garden. Something that could then be taken and planted into one’s own pot or garden creating a gift that keeps on giving and the luxury of having that plant to emotionally connect you with that person.
Fragrance is such an esoteric luxury. It’s unseen, but the olfactive connects us with luxurious memories. Flowers that have fragrance can connect us to a time and place, to an experience and to people. That is a deeply personal, luminous and luxurious experience.
The fragrances we create are a rendition of a transient flower which gives us the luxury of being able to associate with memories at any time. Our quality oils are sourced from many parts of the world and combined in Grasse with an expert team. The fragrances are then produced in Paris by the same company who works with other perfumers of notoriety including Frederic Malle and Kilian Paris, and the fact that we have worked with some of the most highly regarded perfumers in the world gives us a luxurious distinction.
“Fragrance is such an esoteric luxury. It’s unseen, but the olfactive connects us with luxurious memories.”
Richard Unsworth
GARDEN LIFE
The urban horticulturist and garden designer is responsible for some of the most beautiful gardens, courtyards and balconies in Australia while his three best-selling garden books share his inspired garden transformation.
The ultimate luxury for me is something that is well considered and well crafted. It’s not a logo or a brand, but it is more about something being authentic, whether it’s an object or a beautiful, mindful, experience. A moment in time, connecting at heart-level with someone, can be considered truly luxurious.
For me, the power of plants is luxurious in that they connect us back to nature, to our source, a reminder that we are part of the natural world; that we came from the earth and we will return to the earth. So if we are living in the city, plant material has the power to tap us back into the bigger picture of wellness and wellbeing.
When it comes to design, I think restraint and simplicity can be seen as luxurious. I’d rather see less quantity but more of a bold statement. I like the one beautiful plant specimen in a corner, in the kind of vessel that lets the plant do the talking. And I think we’re moving from quite stark architectural plantings and gardens towards more naturalistic schemes, with a sense of richness and luxury.
I’ve always been drawn to the natural and even though brass or bronze vessels would be seen as traditionally luxurious, terracotta is actually the humblest of materials but if it is worked by hand, its uniqueness and individuality then becomes luxurious.
The key to creating a luxurious space whether it’s a backyard or balcony is a lush abundance of healthy plants, so they will need to be plants that are going to thrive in that particular environment. It’s then when you start layering different plants together you start to build up this feeling of luxe abundance.
“The power of plants is luxurious in that they connect us back to nature, to our source, a reminder that we are part of the natural world.”
Heidi Middleton
ARTCLUB
The acclaimed fashion designer and artist has embraced slow fashion principles in her sophisticated collection of hand-signed, locally made pieces. Her art practice includes collage, painting and modernist wall murals.
Luxury to me, has always been embodied by small in-between moments and experiences. It is the freedom to express myself creatively and the time to enjoy these things. I feel lucky to have lived a creative life, raising two beautiful daughters, living and pausing in faraway places and weaving all of this into my career and livelihood. My love of design is also woven into my sense of luxury.
Appreciating creative works, whether it be sourcing vintage designer garments or objects, designing clothes or making art - these all feel luxurious to me.
Australia’s geography is also our luxury - our clean air, white sandy beaches, wide skies, fresh produce and abundance of nature. There’s an exoticism to Australia that is in turn luxurious. We are an island paradise after all.
“There’s an exoticism to Australia that is in turn luxurious. We are an island paradise after all.”
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