Garden State Hotel & Tippy Tay

Behind a grand Victorian façade, Garden State Hotel unfolds as a contemporary garden conservatory—iron and glass framing provide a luminous stage for greenery that softens architectural lines and elevates the hospitality experience. This is a greenhouse reimagined for the urban rhythm: a place to live and breathe among plants that defy Melbourne’s diverse climate, where biophilic design meets bold hospitality.

The palm court whispers old-world stateliness with a nod to upwardly mobile Victorian society, before yielding to a courtyard anchored by three sculptural Ficus hillii—gnarled, whimsical, and full of character. Mediterranean planters and pergolas draped in vibrant foliage weave a layered narrative of refuge and revelry. Here nature is not a backdrop but the protagonist—an immersive botanical retreat for city dwellers and design-conscious hospitality seekers alike.

Beyond the courtyard, Tippy Tay brings a playful Italian spirit to the scene. Eclectic terracotta pots and rustic vessels cluster in joyful abundance, layered with Mediterranean plant varieties that evoke sunlit terraces and coastal gardens. This is greenery as theatre—vivid, abundant, and deeply sensory. A modern homage to Italian warmth and connection, where plants are not decoration but the soul of the experience.

Together these spaces celebrate the transformative power of planting design—a dialogue between heritage and escape, rooted in stately elegance and carefree Mediterranean charm.