Halse Lodge in Noosa Heads on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is everything Australia’s beach, surfing and coastal lifestyle if not represents, feels like it should be. Renovated, refurbished and reimagined by local designer Chloe Tozer, founder of Clo Studios, Halse Lodge eschews the stereotypical white, ecru and beige of so many coastal properties, and tints and colours the guest house with signature pop and a genuine affinity for the building and community.
On the right day at the Noosa Heads Main Beach, perfect waves will peel off the far end of Noosa National Park and make their way to the shore with flawless uniformity. Wave after wave, the line of swell will stretch as far as the eye can see. Surfers will chase the breaking crest, looking for momentum where they can, finding speed further up their boards while looking for that ideal spot that will keep the thrill alive. On these ‘right’ days, one can ride from the point and practically step off at the shore. It’s then easier to walk back around than it is to paddle out. These are the days that memories are made. Conversations in the carpark - tailgate open with salt drying on your face - are taken back to the deck of Halse Lodge where an extra flourish and a little embellishment never hurt anyone.
The newly renovated and reopened Halse Lodge was originally built in the 1880s as The Bayview. In the 20s it was renamed Hillcrest Guest House, before the Anglican Church purchased the property in 1959 before it was renamed, once again, as Halse Lodge. Initially run for church groups and programs, by the 90s it became the kind of place a local or backpacker could get a reasonably priced drink. A place that locals could call their own yet welcomed all; particularly refreshing in a tourist town pushing luxury to outsiders.
As a backpackers and guesthouse Halse Lodge is synonymous with Noosa and held in high regard by the locals, but following Covid it rapidly fell into disrepair. And when Clo Studios undertoook the project the eyes of an entire town were squarely on them. “Everyone in town has a story of House Lodge; meeting a partner there, having their first drink or working there,” explains Tozer.
“I think everyone's just so happy that it's back open and the fact we've upgraded the amenities, like adding air conditioning,” laughs Tozer.
The new and improved Halse lodge has 14 dorms, 12 double suites and 2 private suites. Alongside the new rooms, there’s a fully restored bar and restaurant, but keeping the Lodge as a place for everyone was paramount.
“I think that's so important,” says Tozer, “and it was at the forefront of our thinking, ‘how do we get the locals back?’ So, we engaged local trades, we sourced locally where we could, and we wanted to make sure everything was affordable because I guess every town needs a watering hole. And, obviously Hastings Street is more for tourism, we didn't want to compete with that. Let stay authentic and celebrate the essence of a good Australian pub.”
The new Halse Lodge is a never-ending display of colour, but rather than being an explosion, it feels more like a memory, like the colours of an old family photo. There’s nostalgia, of course - how could there not be - but in between the vintage surf movie influences and coastal vibes, there’s a deft hand and a feeling of control where the best design is the design you don’t see at all.
“Why would you do white, if you could do colour?”, asks Tozer. “Queensland is typically very colourful, and a nice aspect of embracing Queensland architecture is that it just lends itself so nicely to colour. For each building, we chose a different [interior] palette, so one building is yellow, another ochre, and (opening soon) green. We really lent into 70s colours that we felt suited and worked well with all the finishes that we chose.”
One of those finishes is Laminex Pale Honey, something Chloe and her team have used repeatedly throughout the space. It pops up in the desks and shelving of the rooms giving the right vintage feel to the spaces. It is reinforced by similar tones in the glass, tiles and painted beams. In the guesthouse kitchens, Laminex Burnt Ochre achieves similar results, catapulting guests to simpler times and blessing housekeeping with easy maintenance.
“We love using Laminex for interior design projects. It's amazing quality, but the colour range is what really stood out to us for this project. We were just so inspired by the colours Laminex has, and they worked so well with the concept. We actually built around the range before choosing the tiles, paint colours, everything,” remembers Tozer.
Like the poster synonymous with the classic surf film Endless Summer, the rooms at Halse Lodge shift through a palette of sunset warm tones and colours. Reds and rusts, fade and move into ochres and oranges, ending up in buttery and sunshine yellows. Chrome and stainless-steel fixtures and benchtops - both practical and polished - elevate the guestrooms and kitchens into something more. Where natural textures have been applied, Clo studios opted for Laminex Raw Birchply, which feels just right for projects with a vintage tilt. Stretch a little further and you could draw lines to skateboarding and its parallels to surfing and coast culture. Either way, its pale finish is an apt match to Laminex Pale Honey its influence throughout.
It's easy to romanticise Halse Lodge and Noosa Heads. For so many of us, it represents school holidays and easier, slower times. It embodies a kind of laid-back nostalgia and collective memory we have built around places like Noosa and the Australian beach. Halse Lodge is a recollection made real. It’s a raspberry lemonade and a bowl of chips. It’s boardshorts and bathers, sunscreen and zinc and it’s ready to welcome you back.
Credits:
Architect: Clo Studio
Builder: T Casa Projects
Interior Styling: Emma Bestek
Photography: Tim Sailsbury
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