Built in 1915 on Sydney Harbor, Hotel Palisade has a storied history: In a former life it housed a pub for harbor workers and leased rooms to harbor engineers. Following several reinventions, it reopened in its 100th anniversary year as an eight-room hotel with a fresh take on seaside style, courtesy of Sibella Court, Aussie queen of vintage cool. Join us for a tour.
Photography by Chris Court, courtesy of the Society Inc.
The Linnean Room
Above: The private Linnean room on the hotel’s fourth floor has inky blue interiors.
Above: The room has an eclectic vibe, with a mix of vintage and new pieces.
Above: The bar has a glamorous look.
Above: Almost everything in the Henry Deane is custom-made or a found object, including hand-painted marble wallpaper and light fixtures.
Above: An outdoor lounge area.
The Parlor
Above: In the ground-floor pub, Court used materials that might have been used a hundred years ago, including steel, leather, canvas, copper, and wood. Painter Neil Mallard created the distressed-finish walls by layering on four coats of paint.
Above: The decor of the ground-floor restaurant is “a harp back to the time of oyster bars and the staple that the sea offered.” The oil painting by artist Paul Ryan echoes the guest room murals.
The Rooms
Above: Each room has a sea-inspired mural painted by Sydney artist Neil Mallard.
Above: The tiled bathrooms have brass fixtures and fittings.
Above: Wall paints are from Court’s own Society Inc. Paints collection for Murobond.
Above: Marble-tiled “jewel box” bathrooms feature toiletries from Aesop and vintage-inspired fixtures.
Above: The beds have linen sheets, Tasmanian-milled wool blankets, and upholstered linen headboards.
Above: Each room is named for a character from the Sydney Harbor, including ancestors of the hotel’s current owners. Rooms are decked out with artwork by Australian artists.
The Rooftop Lounge
Above: In stark contrast to the pub, the Henry Deane lounge and restaurant on the building’s top floor is contemporary, outfitted in Court’s “own take on present-day Australia.” It features custom hand-dyed curtains, pink leather sofas, and brass lighting.
Hotel Palisade and the Henry Deane lounge are located at 35 Bettington St., Millers Point, in Sydney, Australia.
For more from the designer, see A New Book from Sibella Court, Australia’s Bowerbird and Paradise Found: A Library Where They Serve Cocktails.
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