The history of Spicers Potts Point
July 24, 2020
Following the success of the Balfour Hotel in Brisbane offering an inner-city “springboard” to the Spicers country properties along the Scenic Rim, Spicers Founder Jude Turner believed it would be a good idea to open a similar property in Sydney to complement the Vineyards Estate property that had now run for a number of years in the Hunter Valley. In 2014, Jude initially purchased two Sydney Terraces in Kings Cross that had previously operated as lodges. And then additionally purchased the third terrace right next door. The entire property holding was a convenient walkable distance into the city centre, but away from the main action.
Jude worked closely with architect and designer Rowena Cornwall from Coop Creative to renovate the heritage-listed Potts Point properties to suit the Spicers style, giving the art-deco buildings a fresh, contemporary feel. The work commenced in 2015, continued throughout 2016 and was completed in early 2017. There were some challenges as the three terraces originally presented inconsistently: the third terrace had been made into smart apartments, however the other two terraces, that had once operated as lodges, had been haphazardly updated over the decades and featured particularly tiny bathrooms. The properties were opened up as needed, the interior spaces reconfigured to suit the movement and flow of Spicers’ guests and staff, and finished with a clean, earthy palette of whites, greyish blues and light browns.
Some before and after shots of Spicers Potts Point
Art at Potts Point
The art at Potts Point is centred around the theme of water, initiated by the idea of bringing the Sydney Harbour up to Potts Point. There are a number of water-inspired paintings by local contemporary artists Martine Emdur and Keith Burt on display for guests to ‘soak up’.
