Barefoot Luxury Meets Retro Chic: Inside 'The Palma' Byron Bay

We sit down with the lead interior designer to discuss blending coastal relaxation with 70s Mediterranean nostalgia, the architectural play of lobby breezeblocks, and how an innovative, anti-slip porcelain finish created a seamless indoor-outdoor sanctuary.

Byron Bay’s newest boutique destination to be, 'The Palma,' is a masterclass in spatial flow and atmospheric design. Moving away from the stark, bohemian whites that have long dominated the region, the hotel embraces a warmer, highly tactile aesthetic. The property effortlessly transitions from a sun-drenched lobby, filtered through terracotta breezeblocks, into a lush, retro-inspired pool club.

Unifying these distinct zones is a rigorous and highly disciplined approach to materiality. By prioritizing sweeping sightlines, curved architectural motifs, and continuous surfaces, the design team managed to transform a traditional hotel layout into an immersive, sensory landscape. We spoke with the project's lead designer, Chloe Vance, to uncover how they achieved this striking balance between European resort nostalgia and Australian coastal safety, and how carefully selected finishes brought the vision to life.

Q: The immediate feeling upon entering The Palma is oneof incredible warmth and nostalgia. What was the interior strategy for thearrival experience?

Designer: Byron Bay has a very specific
"barefoot luxury" ethos, but we wanted to elevate that by introducing the romantic, retro energy of a 1970s Mediterranean resort. The interior architecture relies heavily on curves and light play. As you enter the lobby, you are greeted by extensive terracotta breezeblock walls. They act as architectural screens, allowing the coastal breeze to flow through while
casting beautiful, shifting geometric shadows across the floor.

Because we were using these textured breezeblocks alongside warm, earthy tones—sands, ochres, and lush palm greens—the foundational surface needed to ground the space without competing for attention. We specified your Bergstone Cream large format porcelain. The soft, sandy tones absorb the natural light beautifully, providing a quiet, continuous foundation that lets the arched architecture and breezeblock details take centre stage.

Q: The visual flow from that lobby straight out to thepoolside is incredibly striking. The spaces just seem to bleed into one anotherwithout interruption.

Designer: That uninterrupted sightline is the absolute key to modern resort design, but it usually comes with a massive technical hurdle. Historically, transitioning from an interior lobby to a wet pool deck meant breaking the visual flow to switch to a rough, gritty outdoor tile for safety.

This is where the Bergstone Cream in the Softouch P4 finish completely changed the game for us. We were able to run the exact same tile from the lobby, down the guest corridors, and straight out onto the poolside pathways and steps.

Q: The Softouch P4 is a very specific engineering feat. How has it impacted the guest experience?

Designer: It’s the definition of barefoot luxury. When guests walk out of their rooms, the floor feels incredibly smooth and velvety to the touch—it feels like a premium interior stone. Yet, the moment it gets wet, that P4 rating means it acts as a highly anti-slip surface. We didn't have to compromise the sleek, continuous aesthetic of the hotel for safety. With those the line between indoor sanctuary and outdoor oasis completely dissolves.

Q: Moving out to the pool club, the energy shifts. Itfeels vibrant and highly social. How did you anchor this outdoor space?

Designer: The pool area was designed to be a highly tactile, immersive experience. We surrounded the water with mature palms to create natural canopies, but the true focal point is the retro pool bar.

In luxury hospitality design, the bar acts just like a custom vanity in a high-end bathroom—it is the architectural anchor. We designed the entire curved bar block to be a substantial, monolithic form that commands the poolside setting. By framing the bold, retro curves of the bar against the ultra-minimalist, continuous expanse of the Bergstone Cream flooring, the bar elevates into a piece of functional sculpture. It perfectly marries Mediterranean drama with coastal restraint, inviting guests to pull up a stool, order a spritz, and completely surrender to the environment.