The Limes Hotel adds a design flourish inside and out to the thriving nightlife hub that is its Brisbane location

Designer: Alexander Lothersztain

At the hub of Brisbane’s nightlife, with its trendy and exciting bars, cafes and clubs, Limes Hotel fits right in. Even from the outside, the arriving guest knows they are in for a design treat, with the facade of the building capped with a huge patterned stencil, giving a 3D effect.

With its modern aesthetic, hip interiors, fashionable bar and in-house designer cinema, the Limes Hotel is the latest work from award-winning Brisbane designer Alexander Lotersztain.

Located in the Fortitude Valley, just north-west of the city centre, the hotel gets its inspiration from the natural beauty of ‘The Valley’, with Lotersztain concentrating his artistic focus on the hotel’s essential elements and creating a modern yet warm atmosphere, unhindered by over-ornamentation. It is understated while remaining full of contemporary design energy.

In practice this means, for example, that in the guestrooms the wardrobe door is mirrored, which not only increases functionality but also helps add the feeling of air and space to the rooms. Mundane items such as rubbish bins and cables are minimized or completely hidden; again, the rooms look visually more appealing.

The colour scheme is a restrained and sophiscated affair of greys, black, white with natural woods and leathers.

Its 21 deluxe guestrooms have all the comforts and facilities one would expect from a luxury hotel, such as Ploh bed linens, toiletries by L’Occitane, free wireless and broadband internet connection, cable TV, mini bar, room safe and private kitchenette.

The selection of materials and surfaces was based on durability and ease of maintenance as well as appeal. A fine balance of sophisticated warmth and practicality has been struck, with the guestrooms featuring Corian kitchen benches and toilette vanity units, bed heads in Australian blackbutt hardwood, custom-made powder-coat aluminium door furniture, splashbacks and ‘floating’ bedside tables, and Luna Textiles curtains and bathroom tiles by Bisazza.

Each room also has an individually hand-painted feature wall, created by using a mineral coating technique, and are furnished with a Lerod barstool and lounger designed by Lotersztain’s Derlot studio and upholstered in New Zealand black sheepskin, Bolet lights, a Stump balcony stool also by Derlot, 45 bathroom hardware, and a limited-edition Twig table, exclusive to Limes.

The lobby area is warm and inviting in grey, while the inner-lit reception desk and natural wood cabinetry add bright notes. A distressed leather sofa and Derlot Lerod armchairs are joined by Lotersztain’s joyous sculptural seat Denim, an oversized rag-patch beanbag.

The roof-top bar, with spectacular views of the city skyline, features a central, underlit bar with casual, low-stool seating and underlit tables gathered around it. Long, low upholstered fitted sofas line one wall, with another featuring tented booths for more intimate roof-top meetings. A large TV screen allows the bar to act as an open-air cinema, weather permitting. As a result, The Limes Hotel is a stunning yet simple urban retreat.