It can’t have escaped anyone’s attention that the traditional hotel model is fast giving way to an intriguing new hybrid that is part hostel, part B+B, part club, part old-fashioned hotel, and – as Microluxe is showing us – part retail space.
Melbourne-based Studio Edwards has converted a small apartment in a fairly uninspiring residential block into an admirably compact bolthole in Melbourne’s buzzy Fitzroy neighbourhood.
Available for short stay rentals, the space is literally transformative. The entry unexpectedly morphs into a marble lined bathroom. A gold-mirrored wall pulls down into a queen-sized bed, and then folds back up into an art installation. A steel pivot door leads into a bijou courtyard.
Just about everything in the space – from the Created by Boys sheets, memory foam mattress and LC3 two-seater sofa to the Beoplay A9 speaker and Nablusi olive oil soap – is available for sale which should satisfy the aspirational urge just fine.
Of course, this particular hybrid of sleep and shop space is not new, but rarely has it been done with this degree of finesse. Already, the enterprising folks behind Microluxe are plotting to open another three, one by the Victorian coast, and two in Melbourne’s inner city precincts.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
201 Moor Street
-
Issey Miyake’s HaaT flagship in Kyoto transforms a former sugar store into a pink-hued havenRenovating a traditional timber building dating back over a century, the Issey Miyake offshoot’s new Kyoto store is a conversation between past and present
-
Wheels of the weird and wonderful: how the 2025 Japan Mobility Show met its briefWe bring you our selection of the ten most futuristic concepts and fascinating forthcoming machinery at Tokyo's Japan Mobility Show
-
Find solace in the forest at this expansive treehouse retreat in DorsetFor sale for the first time, a treehouse, Mallinson’s Woodland Retreat, is a tribute to the skill of designer and master craftsman Guy Mallinson
-
Has the ice cream parlour come of age?A global wave of architecture studios is treating the scoop as spectacle, turning parlours into immersive social spaces
-
The Calile Hotel is an urban resort reframing BrisbaneA seven-storey refuge in Fortitude Valley, The Calile Hotel bridges tropical retro with urban polish, elevating Brisbane’s hospitality landscape
-
Mondrian makes waves at Burleigh Heads with a striking Australian debutMondrian Gold Coast emerges as a sculptural new anchor for Burleigh Heads, pairing surf-side glamour with global polish
-
Rediscover a classic midcentury hotel in SydneyFK leads a major renovation of the landmark Sofitel Sydney Wentworth hotel, pairing 1960s modernism with an elevated, Australian-minded reset
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter: ‘a lush restaurant with rooms’In Sydney’s Paddington, chef Josh Niland opens the 14-bedroom luxury hotel alongside his pioneering restaurant
-
Book a brutalist one-room wonder Down Under, the Vipp Tunnel in TasmaniaThe Danish design brand's bookable showcases arrive in the southern hemisphere, thanks to the vision of Tasmanian architectural firm Room 11
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Eve Hotel Sydney: a lush urban escapeA new Sydney hotel makes a bold and biophilic addition to a buzzing neighbourhood that’s on the up
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Lo Scoglio: an Australian vacation rental with regenerative principlesTucked away in Byron Bay’s hinterland, an Italian-style farmhouse presents a sustainable approach to luxury
