Gurner buys St Kilda’s Cushion salon and files plans for first Club Maison project

Melbourne-based property developer GURNERTM has secured St Kilda’s famed Cushion Lounge and filed $35 million plans to create what will be the first in a series of new concept hotels under the Club Maison brand.

Club Maison will provide ultra-luxury boutique accommodation for short and long stays.

Gurner, who paid $2.25 million for the building at 99 Fitzroy Street, commissioned Sydney Warren and Mahoney Architects’ head office to draw up plans for the first concept hotel, with 25 rooms on six levels. There will be hotel facilities such as a swimming pool and outdoor dining area.

From Fitzroy Street, where there will be commercial space facing the street, it will appear that the building has only three levels.

The design takes inspiration from the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana in Rome and the Mondadori building in Milan, with huge arched windows lining the facade, while exposed concrete, brick and steel in repeated curvilinear shapes pay homage to the iconic buildings on Fitzroy Street including The George, Brooklawn Mansion and the nearby terraced houses of St Kilda.

GURNERTM Founder and Director Tim Gurner said the Club Maison concept would become an exciting path for our brand, carving out a niche for itself in an asset class that is not strictly residential.

“When you look at the successful business model of Soho House in London and New York, we want to take a similar approach and apply it locally.

“Our Club Maison buildings will offer discerning Australians a private club experience with long and short stays, private and public amenities and a very strong focus on world-class hospitality offerings.

“These projects will become long-term investments for us as we seek to strategically hold more assets in our portfolio going forward,” he said.

The developer confirmed that it has adopted an aggressive acquisition mindset throughout 2020 and plans to acquire 12-15 scalable sites across the country over the next 12-18 months.

“We are actively looking for other locations as the business continues to diversify and grow,” Gurner said.

The site is located just meters from the developer’s historic first project in St Kilda, Saint Moritz, which secured a record penthouse sale last year.

“Saint Moritz has really reinvigorated my love for St Kilda – we are excited about the opportunities here and I believe St Kilda is really only at the start of a once-in-a-generation transformation.”