G O U R M E T T R AV E L L E R
The Cabinet of Curiosities features an oddball mix of knickknacks, which includes Bowie-printed dinner plates, old medical prescriptions and film cameras.
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER The building where Ovolo Inchcolm now stands used to be the symbol of Queensland’s foray into specialist medicine. Formerly the doctor’s surgery of Dr. John Thomson, it now offers a whimsical blend of antiquity and modernity in Brisbane. By Jessica Chan
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tanding before the staid façade of Ovolo Inchcolm, you’d hardly expect the beguiling interiors of floral murals, bold artworks and Art Deco-inspired terrazzo that’ll make the eccentric Alice (of Lewis Carroll’s famed novel) feel right at home. Ironically, its peculiar history as a medical practice for surgeon and founder of Australia’s St John Ambulance, Dr. John Thomson, in the twenties, not to mention its location in Wickham Terrace, Brisbane’s perennial precinct for private medical specialists since the interwar period, was what inspired this study in contrasts. Hassell Studio’s design lead Shelley Gabriel, Ovolo Hotels’ art curator Lisa Fehily and stylist Anna Roberts formed the dream team that undertook the massive refurbishment of the 50-room boutique
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The interiors plays on the concept of new versus old by juxtaposing contemporary furnishings against the building’s original silky panels.