The Isla was founded by a group of friends, and designed for friends. Casita is the latest addition by the group, bringing a holiday home for groups and families away from home.
We caught up with Yanna, director of Clay Interiors (and wife of one of the owners), to discuss the restoration of these wonderful motels.
Photography by Anson Smart and Ryan Linnegar.
"We want our guests to relax and explore our beautiful untouched Australian coastal landscape on the NSW South Coast by leaning back into the idea of long, slow summer road trips."
How did you discover The Isla Hotel?
The beaches of the NSW South Coast have long been our go to family holidays since we were small children, much like most Canberrans. As young adults, we stopped venturing there and instead chose to travel to new beach towns and overseas for our holidays as the NSW South Coast had lost its charm for us.
With the onset of COVID and travel restrictions, partnered with having our own small children and families, we began to focus our travel back into our own backyard and when we came across the former Abel Tasman Motel, we saw a great opportunity to bring some new life and inspiration to the Batemans Bay area in the form of a beautiful hotel we renamed and The Isla.
We engaged Those Architects who did a really incredible job of harnessing the 1970s structural design of the former motel, and made some creative design decisions which helped nail our design brief of creating a beautiful European aesthetic with a nod to Australian beach days gone by.
And Casita came later?
About 12 months after we had opened the doors to The Isla, we decided we would love to also acquire the old motel site next door which was an eye sore from the beautiful balcony walkway along the upstairs of The Isla. We also found that we were unable to cater to bigger groups and families as often at The Isla, having only 2 two bedroom suites available which often book out early over holiday periods.
We saw this as a good opportunity to provide that alternative to our guests in the motel site next door. We had a more restrained budget than that of The Isla, so we really had to get creative with the design. Clay Interiors did the design for Casita, having been inspired by the design of Those Architects next door at The Isla. Whilst keeping the bones of the existing motel structure, we incorporated bold colour and soft choices of furnishings to enhance the design and create darker and moodier tones to create The Isla’s little cousin motel.
How did you come up with the names for each Motel?
With the owners all coming from mixed European heritage, we wanted a name that spoke to these European roots, much like the inspiration for the design. The Isla was named to invoke a nostalgic heralding to this by referring to ‘island’ in Spanish, but also Isla being a beautiful feminine name gives our hotel its own persona. In sticking with the Spanish theme, we came up with the name Casita for the next door property. Casita means small house in Spanish, and being a collection of 7 small houses/ apartments, this seemed like a perfect fit! We also wanted Casita to be a home away from home or in other words your beach home.
What were some of the key sources of inspiration for the properties?
We drew inspiration from our beautiful Australian coastal landscape but also from our European heritage. Having travelled a lot collectively, we drew inspiration from the crawling Bougainvillea of the porticos of hotels in the Greek Islands, and the arches of European architecture but also leaning into the native flora and rugged coastal landscape of our Australian beaches. By focusing on a key theme colour in each property, this helped create the story that then informed the character of each hotel. We wanted to create a sense of familiarity and comfort but also fun by leaning into earthy colour tones that are reminiscent of days gone by.
And the selection of objects or products for the space?
We selected Australian designed furniture where possible, with furniture pieces throughout The Isla from the amazing team at DesignbyThem, Chub Stools by Fearon, select pieces from Coco Republic and Harbour Outdoor and soft furnishing from L&M Home. When it came to selecting our amenities partner we felt that LEIF aligned perfectly with our ethos and our property, being a design-led home grown Australian company which creates aesthetically pleasing products that also invoke nostalgia through crafting scents of Australian florals and botanicals. In opening the doors to Casita, we wanted to continue to provide these luxurious amenities to our guests next door despite the lower nightly price point. Sustainability was also a consideration for us in renovating the motels and LEIF provides great sustainable options in their large refillable bottles and no single use plastics.
What feelings do you wish visitors to experience when they visit?
We created The Isla and Casita with a desire to provide a luxury escape in a reimagined Australian motel model. We want to provide our guests with all the modern creature comforts but still bring a fun personality to their stay by focusing on the small details.
How does the use of colour contribute to the overall experience at the properties?
We have utilised bold colours to create a feeling and mood, but also to completely transform the former motels. Both properties feel nostalgic yet modern with the choices of colour we have selected, and both invoke Australian coastal themes without harnessing your typical blue and whites.
Working with Those Architects really taught me to not be afraid to use colour boldly and loudly in projects, especially in hotels as you want to feel a sense of warmth and interest when you walk into a hotel room and colour is one of the best ways to do that!
1. What are you currently reading/listening to?
I have just re-read Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, which is the third installation of the Fourth Wing series. Seriously hooked.
2. What colour are you currently drawn to and why?
Claret/Merlot – still obsessed post Casita renovation! It's deep and moody but also instils a feeling of warmth and calm.
3. What gets you out of bed every morning?
Usually my 2 year old calling out for me.
4. Items you just can't live without?
Coffee and chocolate.
5. What would be your dream design project?
To visit, in Palm Springs. To create our own, in Yamba.
