OCEAN COSMETICS
Interior Design
Client: Ocean Cosmetics
Build: Perth Citi Fitout
Photography: Timothy Kaye
Awards: Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2023, Design Institute of Australia Awards 2023, Dezeen Awards 2023
Press: Yellowtrace
Ocean Cosmetics is a doctor-led aesthetic clinic in Western Australia that expanded to a second site in Cottesloe. The brief asked for an elevated patient experience that surpassed sector norms while supporting cutting-edge treatments. Nickolas Gurtler Office developed a new design language that positioned the clinic closer to a luxury boutique than a clinical facility, creating an immersive environment that felt ethereal, precise and calm. The project won the 2023 IDEA Award for Institutional Design.
Inspiration for the spatial character drew from the faceted geometry of Thierry Mugler’s Angel bottle. Its angular forms, reflective details and sky-blue tonality informed a series of sleek rooms where proportion, reflection and shadow replaced overt ornament. To balance this, the studio interpreted the local oceanscape within a clinical context. Honest materials such as walnut, bronze, Belgian linen and travertine were set against Alpine quartzite, Carrara marble, terrazzo and velvet. The result read as luxurious yet grounded, with a palette that supported both care and craft.
Planning resolved an irregular tenancy through a concept derived from a nautilus shell. A circular vestibule formed the core, with rooms radiating from it to create intuitive circulation and privacy. Existing columns were absorbed into the composition rather than concealed, turning constraints into architectural features.
Arrival established the tone. Clients met a pair of monolithic triangular stone forms in Alpine quartzite and Carrara marble that acted as the reception desk, flanked by bronze wall lamps by Lost Profile Studio. A faceted mirror column bisected a waiting area formed in walnut and charcoal velvet. A polished stainless artwork by former Olympian turned artist Clementine Machonie anchored the space, alongside a monolithic angular coffee table in Alpine quartzite set on pale denim silk carpet.
Movement to treatment passed through the circular vestibule on Carrara marble tiles, enclosed by Belgian linen drapery and lit by a single stalactite-like bronze and white glass pendant. Treatment rooms varied in configuration and palette to suit the service. Spaces for relaxing procedures used warmer travertine and walnut with tailored joinery that concealed equipment. Injectable and medical rooms returned to powder-blue tones for a serene, clean atmosphere.
Ocean Cosmetics delivered a clinic that felt transportive and meticulously functional, proving that thoughtful interior design can advance clinical experience and brand presence in equal measure.
