About the Design

Meli Studio was brought onto the project to drive the design of the facility. Constriction Documentation was completed by Morrison Design Partnership Architects (MDP). Project Management by CYRE.

Meli Studio designed both the typical bedrooms for the ILU's and the community centre. I will only be showing elements from the community center due to the facility still being in the construction stage.

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Building 1 - The Community Center

The community center has been designed to feel like a high end modern resort offering the residence a place to come together and socialize. Overall the materialities has been kept dark and moody with grey tones, creams, black and touches of brass. Pops of colour have been added in feature tiles and carpet inserts.

The space is comprised of a modern reception area with the feature Corian curved desk with a feature brass strip to add a touch of elegance. Behind the desk is the feature screen which has been used in a few ares on the building giving the spaces separation while allowing light to pass through into the spaces behind.

The Domestic Kitchen and Bar area have been designed to give a high end restaurant feel. The aim of this was to give the residence a space that they wanted to use and enjoy. The front bench has a similar design to the reception desk to keep consistency in the design. The Metal hanging shelves give allows for more above counter storage while keeping the area open. The cabinets have a modern shaker profile adding a touch of elegance while also giving the space a touch of nostalgia. 

The bar area flows off the Domestic Kitchen with a change in materials to give the area its own identity. The front of the bar has dark wood paneling and a grey and white marble bench top. The brass detailing has been continued into this space. A pop of colour has bee added with a emerald green feature tile being used on the main wall of the bar area.

A billiard room is located off the the right of the bar area. This space has lots of cupboard space to hold games and a boutique library area with casual seating giving the residence a choice of entertainment. 

The dining space sit in-front of the bar area and has a custom banquette seat set between two columns. A planter box sits above the backrest which helps soften the space and brings the outdoors in. Residence can enjoy the garden while sitting on the banquette seat looking out through the bi-fold doors. The tables are all square or rectangle, allowing them to be pushed together for parties or functions.

The cafe sits off the the side and is a self service cafe. The cafe has two lockable bar fridges that can be set at different temperatures. One fridge will be used for cakes and the other will be used for drinks. A space has also been allocated for a push button operated coffee machine. A small sink has been included with a zip tap to allow residents to get cold filtered water.

A doubled sided enclosed fireplace separates the cafe and domestic kitchen area. It sits in a dividing wall with artwork on both sides, giving the residence a casual seating area where they can relax and have a catch up over tea or coffee.

The cinema rooms sits off to the left of the reception area. The brief for this area was an old school cinema with big red curtains. I worked this brief into the rest of the modern design by creating a black wood laminate frame with brass trim to hold the heavy red curtains. The whole room has carpet to help absorb the sound and to add a luxe feel to the room. Round wall lights illuminate the space and red cinema chairs fill the room.

Next to the cinema room is the restrooms and the facility pool and spa. The pool finishes selected are cream wall and floor tiles with a classic blue pool tile.

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Building 2 - ILU Independent Living Units 

Meli studio designed two colour pallets to be offered to residence.

Colour pallet A is a light pallet of warm wood flooring and cabinets, creams, beige & white with brass feature lights. Colour pallet B is a dark colour pallet with a variations of white and a variety of grey's for contrast with custom mid tone grey hardwood flooring and smoke glass pendants.

As these units are independent living, they are equip with full kitchens with built in ovens, stove, dishwasher and an island with eat in space. Each unit has a open plan with the living room coming off the kitchen / dining space. Each unit has a laundry and 1-2 bedrooms, a bathroom and ensuite depending on the size of the unit. We designed both a standard bathroom and an accessible bathroom. As this is an aged care facility, extra support for a shower seat has been built into the wall of each unit, giving the resident the option of having a seat installed at a later date if needed.