SpencewearsBottegaVenetashirt,
$610,frommatchesfashion.com;
Venroyshorts,$75;SpringCourt
shoes,$235.RichardswearsKhaite
dress,$1815,frommytheresa.com;
ChristopherEsbershoes,$675;
DinosaurDesignsearrings,$205;
herowncuffs(wornthroughout).
Below:thepoolterrace,cladin
travertine and arabescato marble.WHEADINGupa 10-strong
sign firmresponsible forsome
the most exciting bricks-and-
ortar happenings in the state,
gridRichardsandAdrianSpence
etasarchitectureundergradsat
e Universityof Queensland.It
rslater thatthey crossedpaths
DanceCompanyperformancein
theirhometownofBrisbane.Bothdancebuffs,they
later competed in a dancing competition together.
“Therewasa lift.Wewon,”Spencesays.
Theyeachpractisedwithlargearchitecturefirmsfor
abouta decade,beforetheycametogethertoestablish
the eponymous firm Richards & Spence in 2008.
Havingnowbeenpartnersinbothworkandlifefor
morethan 10 years,they’rehighlyattuned,creatively.
“Nothingleavestheofficewithoutoursharedendorse-
ment,”Spencesays.“Ifeitherofusis nothappywith
thedesignthenit’snottherightanswer.”Theysaytheir
passionforwhattheydoleavesthemwithnoreasonto
trytoseparatethepersonalfromtheprofessional.“We
haveonlyonerule,”headds.“Noworkchatinbed.”
It’sa directivethat’sservedthemwell.Theircompany
hasa burgeoningportfolio,largelyprojectsthat,while
privatecommissions,areintendedtobereadilyutilised
bythepublic.“We felt therewas anopportunityto
improve the public realm,” Richards explains. This
tendencytowards democratising good design has manifestedin
severalbuzzyretailandrestaurantopenings,butalsoanelevated
take on Brisbane Airport’s International Terminal, a Catholic
primaryschoolandevena localsportsground.Thelatter,Wests
rugbyclub,hasbeendubbed“theColosseumof Toowong”bylocals
fortheRoman-inspiredbrickarchwaysthatnowtoweroverit.
“Australiansarenotverygoodat sharing,”Spencemuses,refer-
ringtotheinsularnatureof thegreatAustraliandream:a detached
homewitha privatebackyard.Thepairbelievewe’ddowellto
learnfrominternationalcitieswhereoutdoorspaceis a common
resource,somethingtheychampionintheirpractice,insisting“the
sharedexperience canbebetter thanthe individual”. Resisting
thepullof a biggercity,theseBrisbanitesarenowpropelledin part
by“theselfishideaofmakingbuildingswecoulduse”.Inarguably
thefirm’spiècederésistance,TheCalileHotelopenedlatelastyear,
becomingthebeatingheartof theJamesStreetprecinctin thecity’s
FortitudeValley.Theresort-stylepropertyhas 175 guestrooms,
tworestaurants,severalretailstores,a spa,functionspacesandan
entertainingterrace(it’snotuncommontolookoutofa window
andwitnessa yogaclassora weddingtakingplaceacrosstheway).
Oh,anda 27-metrepoolflankedbya mutedstoneterracewith
tealandwhiteloungesandumbrellasforultimateinstagramma-
bility.Thehotelhasbecomea callingcardforRichards&Spence,
butthey’rehumbleaboutitspopularity,merelyhappytheycould
bringa doseof“hot-weathercivility”totheirhomecity.
Whenit cameto envisagingtheirownhome,situateda five-
minutedrivefromTheCalileonthefringeofthecity,Spencesays
thepairwantedtocreatea “buildingthatcouldevolveovertime”.
As such, the layout is open and intentionally nonprescriptive,
A FashionableLIFE