Italian Glamour in Perth
An immersive and sensorial experience designed by Nickolas Gurtler, the newest Youth Lab location is an ode to the ritual of beauty and wellness
For the opening of their third location, the owners of medical cosmetic clinic Youth Lab once again called on Nickolas Gurtler, principal and creative director of Nickolas Gurtler Interior Design. ‘We’ve been working a lot in the luxury beauty and wellness space over the last few years, it’s a sector we fell into but have found ourselves quite at home,’ Gurtler says.
Youth Lab’s new single-storey space is in Joondalup, a leafy suburb in north Perth. ‘We’ve developed an aesthetic language for the brand that is used as the basis for each design,’ Gurtler says. ‘This language allows each clinic to feel connected yet remarkably different.’ At the new space, visitors arrive at an open-plan entry and reception area, where a custom pendant made from interlocking aged brass and cream glass by Lost Profile Studio hangs over a monolithic desk made from custom Venetian plaster, Arabescato marble and polished aluminium. Adorned with a fragmented mirror installation, aged brass canister lights and a large artwork by Dina Broadhurst, the inviting waiting room features curvaceous furniture in velvet, shearling and woven Belgian cloth, all atop a 1970s green silk carpet. Down the hallway, the treatment rooms are gently illuminated by custom-made wall lights.
Throughout the project, the objective was to create an atmosphere that is luxurious, invigorating and calming all at once. ‘We took inspiration from the glamorous Florentine and Milanese nightclubs from the 1970s, having experienced some of these original fit-outs on a previous trip to the Italian cities,’ Gurtler explains. ‘This led us to select olive grey, dark walnut, pale cream and soft grey for the core colour palette.’
For the material palette, Gurtler and his team opted for marble, mixed silver and gold metal, Venetian plaster, velvet and mirrors (as in the existing Youth Lab clinics), while introducing lime-washed paint for a slightly earthier touch. Facing supply chain issues due to the pandemic and closed borders, the team had to redesign several elements. The reception counter, for example, was originally intended to be made in different kinds of marble and had to be reimagined. But despite any challenges, the result is perfectly balanced. A sense of glamour and playfulness characterises every corner of this elegant and peaceful space. ‘The interior design of Youth Lab 3.0 is focused around the ritual of beauty and wellness, creating an immersive and sensorial experience,’ Gurtler says.
Text / Karine Monié
Images / Timothy Kaye
