Refined Apartment Living with Mim Design

The Sussex Street Apartments were born out of an esteemed collaboration between Melbourne interior design studio Mim Design and architecture practice Powell & Glenn. Bowing down to their Brighton bayside views, the apartments are a study in how top-quality details afford sophistication on every level. We caught up with Mim Design principal Miriam Fanning to talk about how the team brought their consistently polished aesthetic to each space and how the heart of the home captures the authentic, inspiring living environment the team sought to create. 

Produced in partnership with Gaggenau

Powell & Glenn used designers of the 1930s and 1960s as well as artists Alexander Calder and John Coburn as a springboard for conceptualising the sculptural apartments. Each zone is defined by curves that encourage connection and movement, accentuated by the water stone plaster. With floor-to-ceiling blackened steel windows, natural light and views of both the cityscape and bay are actively brought within. 

The Mim Design team layered each space with a soothing, understated material palette of CDK Stone Saviour Limestone, Apex Stone Tundra Grey, timber veneer and wide pale oak boards. “I do have a deep love for stone and the very raw, sculptural quality that it brings to a home,” Miriam Fanning says. “For the kitchen at Sussex Street we specified Tundra Grey Apex Stone combined with timber veneer to create a solid and timeless material palette that benefits from the flood of natural light.”

Grey hues in subtle tonal variation are a consistent theme throughout the apartment, wrapping spaces such as the master bedroom in a sense of calm and composure. Playing to the apartment’s sense of subtle grandeur are the inlaid brass, nickel and blackened bronze fittings, all custom made for the project. Further accentuating the artisanal approach, bespoke pendants by Reduxr in collaboration with Mim Design feature in the kitchen and dining areas. This laser-sharp focus on the interior details also reveals itself in the earthy textures and colours that emanate from the Halycon Lake rugs and leather furnishings.

As in all of Mim Design’s projects, the kitchen folds together timeless design with modern livability. Miriam says the design intent for the kitchen stemmed from the sculptural form of the building envelope.”Practicality, form and function aligning with proportion, shape and the sense of sculpture play an important part in the design of this home,” she says. “The bayside location also informed our design choices to ensure a timeless quality of relaxed living for our client,” she adds.

For Miriam, integration and visual appeal are key in the kitchen. This informed Mim Design’s selection of appliances; aligning with the design of the Gaggenau 400 series stainless steel pyrolytic oven and combi-steam oven that become an extension of the design itself. “Gaggenau kitchen appliances were the perfect choice to complement the luxurious material palette chosen for Sussex Street,” Miriam maintains.  

As one of the world’s oldest kitchen appliance manufacturers and a steadfast innovator, Gaggenau brings exciting new technology to the Sussex Street Apartments. The sleek design of the Gaggenau 400 series comes down to clever details such as the handle-free doors opened by the intuitive TFT touch display. The Gaggenau 400 series range includes ovens and cooktops, as well as combi-steam ovens, combi-microwaves, warming and vacuuming drawers, a built-in dishwasher and a fully automatic espresso machine. It also spans a superior cooling range.

The Gaggenau 400 series oven chosen for the Sussex Street Apartments was inspired by the needs of a chef, extending itself to 17 heating methods, with a core temperature probe and rotisserie spit. The first manufacturer to offer the combi-steam oven to the domestic kitchen, the Gaggenau 400 series combi-steam oven in the Sussex Street Apartments masters health-conscious culinary style with four humidity levels and full surface grill. While it may be well-known for its steaming, the Gaggenau 400 series combi-steam oven lends itself perfectly to braising, baking, browning, grilling, gratinating, sous-vide cooking and juice extracting. 

Miriam says Gaggenau kitchen appliances were integral to ensuring the Sussex Street Apartments epitomised a stylish and modern lifestyle. “Aligning with Mim Design’s ethos of creating quality, timeless and high-end residences, Gaggenau appliances are distinctive, trustworthy, performance-driven and built to last,” she says.

Explore five-star kitchen technology with the Gaggenau 400 series in the est Product Library here.