Sydney’s Double Bay is being rejuventated
Double Bay was once the most glamorous suburb of Sydney but it fell out of fashion. Now, it’s set to return to its glorious past with Millennials flocking to the pricey suburb in the city’s east to spend.
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Take a walk down the beating heart of Double Bay’s Knox Street and it’s clear there’s an electricity in the air.
It’s buzzing with influencers getting a quick blow dry at Cole Hair before picking up their latest Saint Laurent shoes over the road at Cosmopolitan Shoes, Millennials doing their spin classes and real estate agents bumping into hi-viz-vested tradies working on the soon-to-be-completed 1788 Residences on Cross Street.
The mums across the main artery of New South Head Road popping into Cali Press for their vegan-collagen, astragalus-root, plant-protein green smoothie feel it, just like the Hungarian and Jewish grandparents taking their grandchildren for a quick matzo ball soup at 60-year old institution Twenty One, before dropping them to their maths tutoring classes, do.
There’s a vibe and an energy in the air that reminds locals of the days when Jerry Seinfeld would be spotted in the foyer of The Ritz Carlton, or when John Laws’ golden tonsils could be heard at The Cosmopolitan cafe, or when the late stockbroker Rene Rivkin would reverse park his Hummer out the front, being people-watched by billionaires such Kerry Packer, bikini babes such as Jodhi Meares and politicians such as Graham Richardson.
“It’s a renaissance,” says Alex Zabotto-Bentley, the interior designer who has been tasked with the revamp of the entire block-long The Cosmopolitan Centre – which has 23 retail stores now underway.
The Oroton signs are up for its launch in a few weeks, the Mecca Max store has expanded into the entire end of the block and there are whispers of luxury car brand Porsche or Maserati and other high end brands arriving. Names such as Celine and Dior are being bandied about. A new breed of Millennials has opened stores there, spotting the rise of the suburb.
Zabotto-Bentley recently completed the refurb of The Cosmopolitan cafe, owned by John Duncan and Anthony Prior, turning it into a luxurious lounge, whiskey bar and restaurant, returning it to the chic destination it once was.
“Double Bay is being rejuvenated and the spotlight is back on it. It’s the best location in Sydney — it still has that European village feel. There aren’t high-rises, the buildings haven’t been gutted, it’s retained its original look. People are rediscovering the multiple venues that are supremely beautiful and delicious. It’s about paying a lot of respect which, in its heyday was revered as the place to be.”
Zabotto-Bentley says the appeal of Double Bay is simple: it’s a destination.
“There’s a provenance here. A history and it’s in its DNA. There’s quality, high taste, people who travel, people who love the fresh organic fruit and flowers in the marketplace, it’s Millennials, established families, retirees. They all have one thing in common and that’s good taste and they want to be part of the hub and community of a village. There’s good Feng Shui here, it’s always spick and span, there’s no traffic jams, it’s just a really lovely energy.”
And there’s no doubt she’s starting to shine like the gem she has always been.
Property developer Eduard Litver, the man behind the revival of The Cosmopolitan Centre, which he bought for $40m, agrees. “Now is an important moment in time,” he says. “The community, the council and private developers need to band together and get it right.”
His dream is for a Rodeo Drive on Knox Street, which would be partially pedestrianised, with beautified laneways and al fresco dining.
Zabotto-Bentley describes the vision as “like the Via Condotti, the central hub in Rome, meeting Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills; it’s a hybrid of luxury premium in a really beautiful, elevated, relaxed environment.”
“Double Bay is in a critical position and it needs a direction,” says Litver. “We are fortunate we have a positive, proactive new mayor who is very dynamic with a great vision. There needs to be a conversation and an interaction between the tenants and the community, between private enterprise and the council. It’s definitely coming back.”
Litver hopes to create a magnificent precinct. “If Brisbane can have James Street and Noosa has Hastings Street, Knox Street is an unbelievable asset. And this is a great time for Double Bay to resurrect itself.
“These are exciting times. There are incredible things happening — it can be phenomenal. The uniqueness of Double Bay is that it is a completely different experience to anywhere else in Australia and people will come back.
“But we have to unlock a few other things. The council have to work closely with the community and retailers and most importantly with developers and private enterprise. It needs infrastructure, beautiful streets and to push forward a real investment of time and money which private enterprise is willing to do – there are a lot of property developers prepared to invest, but we need to do this jointly.”
Currently there is a divide in Double Bay between Kiaora Lane, which the council developed in 2014, which includes the Woolworths and Woollahra Library side of New South Head Road and the other side, which has felt neglected.
“There are two sections of Double Bay. It’s been divided and it needs to be united. Creating the connect between the two will ultimately unite Double Bay and make it better for everybody,” says Litver.
The council agrees. There was recently a motion put forward to rehash an old plan to partially pedestrianise Knox Street, make it one-way traffic with more walkways and outdoor seating and fix the surrounding laneways.
While there is no official comment, the council is currently looking into the feasibility of pedestrianising streets and laneways and says it is always looking for ways to improve the vibrancy and vitality of the area. The new cinema to replace the old Cross Street car park is the next major project, says Mayor Susan Wynne.
“The closure of the old Double Bay cinema in 2004 was a huge loss to the Woollahra Community and particularly Double Bay. It is really exciting that we are now in a position to bring to life a unique opportunity which will not only replace an outdated car park with a new one, deliver a retail and community space and residential apartments but, most importantly, will incorporate a new cinema complex,” she says.
She believes the revitalisation began with the Kiaora Lane redevelopment in 2014, which included an open-air dining precinct, a smart new Woolworths and a new library.
While the one hour free parking on the other side of New South Head Rd has been a boon for the Kiaora Lane precinct, Rose Ghosn Saleh, owner of Cosmopolitan Shoes for 23 years, believes the Knox St side of the Bay is still suffering.
“Woollahra council has given them [the new development] free parking while they’re slugging $5 an hour here for parking because they want to drag people over there,” she says.
“Even though it’s just across the road, the foot traffic here isn’t great and the rents are way too high. I’d like to see more designer boutiques here, more known restaurants and free parking again.
“We’ve survived because we have a very A-list clientele, but it’s been a struggle.”
The opening of Westfield’s Bondi Junction in 2003 has oft been blamed for Double Bay’s demise, but Katherine O’Regan, chair of Sydney East Business Chamber (SEBC), says it was a confluence of three factors — big shopping malls where you could get everything in one place, an economic downturn and online shopping.
To turn it around, the SEBC partnered with Woollahra Council in 2008 to develop the Double Bay Place Plan to lure retailers, and customers, back to the area.
More green shoots appeared in 2013 when Royal Hotels bought the former Sir Stamford Hotel, which had lain empty for five years, for a reported $60m. The site had become infamous for the death of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence in 1997, when it was The Ritz Carlton. It stood empty for so long, its presence haunted the suburb just as surely as Westfield overshadowed it.
In 2014, Sydney’s lockout laws also played their part. Double Bay was just outside the exclusion zone.
Elliot Solomon, 30, director of Solotel which runs the pub The Golden Sheaf, says the lockout laws plus the Kiaora Lane redevelopment made “a massive difference.”
“Post Bondi Junction, the perception was the area wasn’t vibrant like in the good old days and now that conversation has really changed. The area is loved again.”
A reinvigorated food scene includes pizza at Matteo, Portuguese wine bar Bibo and Lebanese hot spot Bedouin Restaurant, Bar and Lounge around the corner from longtime favourite, Mrs Sippy.
Bay Street is now home to boutique shopping experience at Coco & Lola, just down from Opsis Designs for luxe homewares or specialised gifts at long-time favourite, Adrienne and The Misses Bonney (where Tom Cruise shopped for Isabella’s nursery and The Duchess of Cambridge ordered a playsuit for Prince George).
The Royal Family’s perfumer, Creed, opened next door to established jeweller Jan Logan, the Thursday markets thrive, and the famous hair and beauty salons, not to mention the city’s best cosmetic surgeons, discreetly perfect celebrities and socialites alike.
One of the young new retailers, Juliet Schiff, 35, from The Monogram Mode, sells tasteful monogrammed apparel, and offers distinct in-store experiences. “There’s a lounge room where mothers can have a juice with friends, we’ve had mum’s groups come in and there’s a children’s drawing table to keep them entertained,” she says.
The new generation of Millennial mothers and young families is one of the big reasons the area has changed, according to brow queen, Kristin Fisher.
“It’s cool, central and really easy. It’s why people like Phoebe Burgess come up from Bowral to get their brows done, because they can do everything else they need to do here. It’s a mecca.”
Ben Mills, is co-founder of gym Shelter, which opened in December 2018. It’s now become a fitness hub with KX pilates and he’s since opened a second studio, Shelter Box and Sculpt.
Over on Transvaal Ave, another of the young entrepreneurs helping reinvigorate Double Bay is Josh Penn who, with Ben Palmer, owns interior design store Palmer and Penn. He has bought into one of the Bay’s most iconic fashion retailers, Belinda, which has just been completely refurbished.
“(Double Bay) is a fashion and interior design hub, especially when it comes to customers who want high end international labels. ”
No one knows the highs and lows and the secret to success in Double Bay better than Marilyn Koch. She opened her salon in 1985 with business partner and celebrity snipper Joh Bailey. Joh famously did Princess Diana’s hair here in 1996. The salon expanded and underwent a huge refurbishment last year.
“I liken Double Bay to Rodeo Drive in LA. It’s about understanding the market,” she says. “People look for excellence and they also are demanding of efficiency and if you can’t provide that, then you’re probably not for Double Bay.
“It’s street shopping as opposed to mall shopping, where you can go to a nice cafe, walk the streets, get your blow dry, get your nails done, go to a lovely place for lunch and have a wonderful day. It’s about the luxury experience.”
For Zabotto-Bentley, it’s that very essence he plans to preserve for the next generation.
“We want to do an homage to its history. It’s European style, it’s plush, it’s bespoke and it’s about recreating the DNA of the village square. It’s about gently moving forward.”