Developers, architects and agents are turning to contemporary Australian art to make their properties stand out from the crowd
5 min
When architect Phillip Mathieson first walked members of Third.i property group through the interiors he had designed for their Kurraba Point “super penthouse”, there were a few raised eyebrows. It wasn’t the million-dollar kit-out of furniture and decor by French luxury brand Liaigre that was disconcerting his clients — it was the art. Not the Brett Whiteley linocut of a dove, or the intricately patterned larrakitj (memorial pole) by Yolngu artist Malaluba Gumana, but the yellow mirrored work by young queer artist Tay Haggarty, which appeared to be pinioned to the wall by four white socks.
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Mathieson, whose architecture firm was charged with the interiors for all 24 residences in Third.i’s new Sydney Harbour-side development (including 21 harbourfront apartments and two sub-penthouses), was given free rein on choosing the art for the penthouses, and engaged the expertise of Artbank: a governmental body whose collection of more than 10,000 Australian artworks spans from the 1920s to now, all available to lease. In the super-penthouse, the selection includes a monumental work in black Belgian marble by the late Melbourne artist Joel Elenberg (who smashed the sales record for Australian sculpture in August 2023 with a similar work, which sold for $925,000) and a mix of abstract and figurative works by significant artists such as Bronwyn Oliver and Marion Borgelt.
Amongst these, Haggarty’s piece stands out: “It’s quite a controversial piece to have in there, given that it’s a very high end development,” says Artbank consultant Carey Corbett, who worked closely with Mathieson Architects to select the works. “I imagine the expected clientele is not so familiar with their work, being a younger artist — and possibly not the sort of artist that some of those prospective buyers would have in their homes.”
But Haggarty’s piece, titled Sun on Bare Back, provides a moment of delicious, cheeky dissonance within the elegant surroundings.
It’s the kind of memorable moment designed to cut through at the top end of the market.
As Mathieson says: “Quite often what happens when there’s a display suite for a project, or even when a project is finished, either it’s left empty or it’s furnished with rental items, and you end up with a bad reproduction poster on the wall; it’s all very generic. The Kurraba project was unusual in that the developer, I think partly because of the market that they were going after and the calibre of the location and the apartment itself, saw the value in buying furniture -— and therefore the natural extension of that was to fully provide the experience of how someone might live.
“The art is part of that.”
Lachie Gibson, founder and CEO of Melbourne developer ANGLE, agrees. His outfit prides itself on providing a holistic package of high quality location, architecture, landscape and interiors — and he sees art as a “crucially important” extension of that. ANGLE champions Australian creatives, partnering with emerging talent (including furniture designer Thomas Lentini, before he broke into the big league) and local heroes such as Dinosaur Designs, design firm Flack Studio, commercial galleries and Artbank, to create distinctive interiors for their high-end residential developments, including the multi-award-winning Fenwick, in Kew.
“We’ve had success over the yearsselling off the plan, but at the end of a project you might have a $6 million penthouse [not yet sold] and so you’re styling it for sale — and the difference between the kind of generic property stylist that the real estate companies use and partnering with someone like Artbank, is huge,” Gibson says.
Even when apartments are sold off the plan, ANGLE typically brokers relationships between buyers and interior designers, who will then do a full furniture and art fit out. “Obviously it’s awesome for the client — it elevates their space and makes it feel incredible. But also for us as a developer, the photographs of those completed spaces become almost our number one marketing tool,” Gibson says.
“It’s pretty easy to go and render something up, but having a built space that’s got amazing artwork is hugely advantageous to us.”
For their latest development, Fenhurst, ANGLE is partnering with Artbank to select hero pieces for the common areas, and with Melbourne gallery Daine Singer for apartment artworks — which will be shown in marketing renders, but available to see in the flesh (and purchase) from the developer’s Harold Street Gallery: a multi-purpose space in Camberwell that was designed by Fleur Sutherland and showcases ANGLE’s regular collaborators alongside a rotating selection of pieces from Artbank and Craft Victoria.
It’s not just developers harnessing art for a competitive edge. When Simon Hakim, CEO of creative agency Hunter, and his wife decided to put their stunning home “Rail House” in Melbourne’s Northcote on the market, they knew they needed art for the massive walls in their central living area.
“Over the years, we’d been talking about putting artwork up there, and had a built-in rail installed specifically for art [but] we couldn’t ever decide on what we liked,” he says. Then a neighbour introduced Hakim to Artbank, which has short and long-term and annual leasing plans that range from $165 to $5500 per annum.
“It was a really good way to test out the art wall — and to see massive works that we were able to display [on the rail] but couldn’t afford,” Hakim says.
In the end, they leased a series ofprints by photographer Bill Henson.
“It filled an empty void; it made a huge impact on the house. [And] we had a lot of comments about the work [from prospective buyers],” says Hakim.
Sydney property agent Georgia Cleary, of McGrath Paddington, says there’s an increased appreciation of art across the market these days, and in the prestige end of the market in particular: “People will pay tens of thousands of dollars to style their properties, and you can’t put prints into those homes.”
McGrath generally asks stylists not to put art on the walls, and instead partners with local artists and galleries to select high-end pieces. “We’ve found that the market responds really well to original works [rather than reproductions or prints],” says Cleary. “It elevates the perception of the property as ‘prestige’.”
Article originally published on Kanebridge News Australia
Following the successful launch of its Palais Collection, MAISON de SABRÉ has unveiled a new modular handbag system offering more than 720 styling combinations.
Automobili Lamborghini and Babolat have expanded their collaboration with five new colourways for the ultra-exclusive BL.001 racket, limited to just 50 pieces worldwide.
The Matildas captain has joined one of the world’s most exclusive luxury watch brands, sharing candid insights into the sacrifices required to succeed at the highest level of world football.
3 min
Australian football superstar and Matildas captain Sam Kerr has joined one of the world’s most exclusive luxury watch brands, reflecting on the sacrifices behind a career at the pinnacle of professional sport and revealing she only signed with her new club last week.
As Richard Mille’s first and only Australian partner, Kerr has joined an elite group of global athletes, artists and innovators associated with one of the world’s most prestigious watchmakers.
Speaking in Sydney, the 32-year-old reflected on her next chapter, the extraordinary growth of women’s football and the personal sacrifices required to reach the top of the game.
Founded in 2001, Richard Mille has built a reputation for producing some of the world’s most technically advanced and exclusive timepieces. The Swiss watchmaker is renowned for its use of ultra-lightweight materials, Formula One-inspired engineering and limited-production watches that often sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars and, in some cases, more than $1 million.
Its ambassadors include tennis great Rafael Nadal, Formula One stars Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, actress Michelle Yeoh and sprint champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
During the Sydney event, Kerr wore the Richard Mille RM 07-04 Automatic Sport, a lightweight model featuring a pink case, blue strap and skeletonised movement. Designed for active lifestyles, the watch reflects the brand’s philosophy of combining high-performance engineering with luxury craftsmanship.
For Kerr, becoming the brand’s first Australian partner is a source of considerable pride.
“Of course, being the only Australian is incredible to me,” she said. “I am very proud to be Australian and I like to put Australia on the map.”
The announcement comes as Kerr prepares for the next stage of her football career following her departure from Chelsea after six-and-a-half years.
While speculation around her future has been mounting for months, Kerr revealed a decision was only finalised recently.
“Everyone thinks that it was decided and I’ve known that (it was) reported that I’d signed somewhere in April, but honestly, I only signed my contract on Wednesday last week,” she said.
“I really hadn’t decided what I was going to do until last week.”
Kerr said she expects details of her new club to be announced around the beginning of July once her Chelsea contract officially concludes.
Despite her excitement about what lies ahead, she admitted leaving one of the world’s biggest football clubs has been emotional.
“I am really sad about it,” she said. “It’s been my home for 6.5 years. I have so many good memories there. I have so many amazing teammates. I’m sad to leave.
“It sucks to leave such a big club like Chelsea too, but it comes to an end to everything, right?”
The 32-year-old also reflected on the transformation of women’s football during her career, describing the Matildas’ rise from relative obscurity to household-name status as one of her proudest achievements.
“What the Matildas have done over the last four or five years has been incredible,” she said.
“The most important thing for me is that you leave the game in a better place.”
Kerr noted that when she began playing, there were few professional pathways for women, limited sponsorship opportunities and crowds that bore little resemblance to those regularly attending matches today.
“We are a part of that generation that still knows what it was like when there was no one in the crowd,” she said.
Today, she said, crowds of tens of thousands remain something the team never takes for granted.
“Even last night we had 20,000 on a Tuesday night nearly. That’s special to us,” she said.
“We feel very lucky that people come out and spend their money and come to a game and watch us.”
Yet behind the accolades, sponsorships and sold-out stadiums, Kerr said there have been significant personal sacrifices.
“I’ve been living out of home since I was 17 years old. I’ve missed a lot of my family’s life,” she said.
“I’ve missed a lot of weddings. I’ve missed funerals. I’ve missed so many things that people don’t see.”
Kerr revealed she was unable to return home for her grandmother’s funeral last year because of football commitments.
“You have to love what you’re doing. You have to want to sacrifice,” she said.
“Everyone makes sacrifices, of course, and what I do is a massive privilege, but there comes a lot of sacrifice with it.”
Away from football, Kerr said Australia remains central to her identity despite spending much of her adult life overseas.
“I think we take for granted in Australia the beaches, the ocean, the open spaces,” she said.
As she prepares for a new club, a new season and a new role with Richard Mille, Kerr said she remains motivated by the same passion that first drew her to the game as a teenager.
“It was really organic,” she said of her relationship with the luxury watchmaker.
“It’s a real family brand.”
