Nothing cookie cutter in Luxe Listing star Gavin Rubinstein’s new Rose Bay office

The Rubinstein Group says its new $5m headquarters in Rose Bay will be the city’s best. And there’s even a unit on top for sale.

Luxury homes real estate agent Gavin Rubinstein outside his new Rose Bay office. Pictured Left is Oliver Lavers and right is Cae Thomas. Picture – Chris Pavlich for The Australian

There will be nothing “cookie cutter” about the design of The Rubinstein Group’s new headquarters in Sydney’s well-heeled Rose Bay.

The new site, set to open between August and September, will receive the full luxe treatment with a fit-out similar to the multimillion-dollar homes TRG sells, says Gavin Rubinstein, founder of the group.

The starstruck real estate agent has given Mansion a first look into the new office, a two-storey development he purchased as part of $5m package deal last year.

TRG is combining two overhead units, about 120sq m in size, with the downstairs 150sq m office to create what Mr Rubinstein describes as one of, if not Sydney’s most, luxurious and technologically advanced real estate powerhouses.

Inside the new space, which will take its finishing touches with inspiration from the Mediterranean, will be “a few certain repeated finishes that were present in Woollahra”, Mr Rubinstein said. Those include “terrazzo top to bottom and whole natural stone”, arches and a quartzite island bench in the kitchen.

The Opus penthouse above TRG’s new headquarters in Rose Bay.

The tech side will include 75 inch screens which drop from the ceiling to hold presentations, three boardrooms which can be rotated into an auction space, Sub-Zero fridges and amenities much like those in the multimillion-dollar mansions TRG sells.

“Downstairs we want to create something special,” he said. “We want clients to feel like they’re in a great space and at home, and that the brand that is representing their home understands the product they’re selling.”

The new space comprises a total of 270sq m across two floors which are connected by an internal staircase.

While downstairs will have a variety of rooms, upstairs will mostly be offices. The ground floor will primarily be used to host clients, to hold in-house auctions and to entertain guests. “Downstairs, that’s where a lot of the action will happen, with auctions exclusively held by Damian Cooley,” he said.

Customers who come to buy will be greeted with branded water, trucker hats and umbrellas. “My staff are trained around making sure they get what they need, coffee, water, pretty much anything,” Mr Rubinstein said. And for something stronger, “downstairs we’ve got a small version of a bar, not for the staff but for the clients,” he said. “There’s actually going to be a custom-made champagne bucket which we have a prototype for which we ripped off a Ralph Lauren, I’m happy to say.”

Luxury homes real estate agent Gavin Rubinstein outside his new Rose Bay office. Pictured Left is Oliver Lavers and right is Cae Thomas. Picture - Chris Pavlich for The Australian

While preferring to keep quiet about the full fit-out cost, Mr Rubinstein said: “The going rate per square metre for a luxury top-tier home at the moment will cost you anywhere between $8000 to $10,000 a metre and we’re building it out to that standard. I can tell you (the fit-out) falls within that range so you can do the math.”

It’s a big step up from the last space which Mr Rubinstein said he “had to really get creative with” to add new desks for staff.

Sticking with what he knows, the new office has been designed by Esoteriko, the architect behind the original Woollahra office, the builder is Forma Projects and the landscaping was handled by Wyer and Co.

“In Woollahra I was working within the constraints of a heritage building and there’s certain things you can and can’t do with ceiling heights and past design. It’s always a little bit limited,” he said.

“Rose Bay is a more evolved version of the brand. It’s a little bit more neutral and it’s super exciting in terms of the sort of tech that we’re putting in. (This evolution comes down to) the fact that we’ve been able to work with a new envelope of a brand-new building.”

While TRG has just 30 staff for now, the Rose Bay office can host up to 50 people, bringing the capacity to 75 across both offices.

Like most developments during the pandemic, the build has been hit with a hiccups involving positive Covid cases and supply chain issues.

“The design is extremely detailed so every kind of step needs to be managed with complete finesse and care,” he said. “It’s not just a straightforward kind of cookie-cutter design and the builders have definitely said, because of the level of detail, it’s definitely put the timing out further than anticipated.”

The New South Head Rd investment was purchased personally by Mr Rubinstein.

“Of course, you know, while it is building a personal investment of mine, that’s the secondary kind of benefit. The primary benefit is creating an environment that our clients can relate to, get excited by,” he said.

The investment appears to already be paying off, with Mr Rubinstein selling the penthouse upstairs for $11m late last year. The three-bedroom home will have unobstructed views of the city and Sydney Harbour Bridge from its jacuzzi on the rooftop terrace.

Anyone chasing a slice of Rose Bay and a piece of what’s expected to be multimillion-dollar action might find it in the last remaining three-bedroom apartment above the office, which is listed for sale by TRG on realestate.com.au.

Mr Rubinstein said TRG had received interest in the high $3m mark but wouldn’t sell for anything under $4m.

The purchase of the TRG headquarters will also form part of the third season of Luxe Listings Sydney, which Amazon Prime’s talent manager promises will air in the fourth quarter this year.

A lot has changed since season 2 aired. Mr Rubinstein’s skin cancer scare cleared after a visit with a specialist, and the hot water with co-star agent Simon Cohen over a deal gone wrong appears to have cooled.