106 FETEPRESS.COM.AU / ISSUE NO.26
away from home with /LYNDA GARDENER of THE APARTMENT ST KILDA
WHERE IS THE APARTMENT ST KILDA
LOCATED?
St Kilda in Melbourne.WHAT ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
ARE AVAILABLE?
It's a one bedroom, one couple or single
guest stay!PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
AND YOUR ROLE THERE...
My role includes a little bit of everything,
running four properties is a full time job
and sometimes a 24 hour-a-day on-call
role. I look after the first email that arrives
for a potential booking, through to
booking guests in and making sure all
their requests and needs are met. I have
amazing staff that look after the styling
and housekeeping for each and every
guest before they arrive.
I am an interior decorator and work
outside of running these businesses
with my partner, Belle Hemming, on
our business, Inside Story, which also
is a large part of the week as most of
our clients are interstate!
I have to say I love working hard on
different projects and in many roles
wearing many hats, it's something I have
done since working in my first role –
styling and merchandising stores for
Levi Strauss. I have also been working in
collaboration with Bauwerk Paints on my
own paint range made completely from
natural ingredients.
To top it off, my partner, Mark and I have
just taken over an old bank in the heart of
Trentham (country Victoria), where the
Estate Trentham is located – very exciting
news, as we are opening a café and retail
store, Trentham General.
Previously I owned Empire in Albert Park
for 24 years so now another new exciting
chapter begins.PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT
THE APARTMENT ST KILDA...
I purchased this incredibly beautiful Art
Deco apartment around 18 or so years ago
and always had it on the rental market...
when my last tenant left after many, many
years, I decided to do a full make-over
and add it to my mini collection of other
accommodation properties – The White
House Dayelsford, The Estate Trentham
(which I own with my partner, Mark Smith)
and The White Room Melbourne –
believing this one would perfectly fit into
the mix because it was not like the others.
We are so fortunate that our guests feel
the same and often will book all four
places for a week long stay (making sure
they stay in each property). They are very
different from one another, however, they
all have my signature style and collections
woven through them.
The Apartment St Kilda itself is on
the top floor (third floor) entered by
a sweeping grand Art Deco staircase.
The space and rooms overlook a private
communal garden which are so rare in
inner city developments because most
opt for car parking. Being a gorgeous old
Deco building, the ceilings are extremely
high, the rooms are large and scale
is exaggerated – it's a very special place
for so many reasons.
I took over the space with an all-white
attitude and had it painted just that, white
floors, walls and ceilings to create my base,
except for the kitchen which I left as is,
raw concrete walls which over the years
had been painted but had become very
worn and aged, which was perfect! Once
I had the base, I created a light, airy,
lofty space fitted with a mix of old and
new, lots of texture and layering as I am
always prone to do.