Boutique hotel Miss Midgley’s celebrates fourth birthday

Photo Credit David Chatfield

Brisbane boutique hotel Miss Midgley’s has celebrated its fourth birthday, marking an exciting next chapter in the building’s rich history.

Nestled in New Farm, close to the vibrant James Street precinct, the hotel was designed by owners and mother-daughter team, Lisa and Isabella White. The duo are both graduates of Masters of Architecture at the University of Queensland.

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Lisa said that in designing the layout of each hotel room, she thought about the type of travel experience she and her husband enjoy. “When we’re away, we like to have the space to cook a meal and eat at our apartment, and wash our clothes if we want to. I want space to put my vanity bag in the bathroom, and enough room to open two big suitcases in the bedroom.

“There are hotels like that in Spain and Morrocco, but there isn’t much like that in Brisbane.”

Each of the five luxury, self-contained apartments feature generous kitchens with Belfast sinks, large showers, and spacious living areas. The ground floor apartments are pet friendly.

Lisa and Isabella were keen to preserve the heritage details and the building’s historic features, and homages to the building’s history are littered throughout the property. 

In the Drawing Room apartment, remnants of 160-year-old, hand-painted wallpaper are preserved as a feature in the kitchen; the Refectory features a secret archway in one beam that was discovered during construction; many of the apartments boast ornate ceilings, dating back to the 1940s.

In the Principal’s Office, Lisa and her team chipped old render off the walls to reveal decades old stone. “The history of the building really is written in the walls,” Lisa said.

The interior colour palette was inspired by the red tin roofs of Brisbane. Earthy tones from the exposed brick and wooden details are paired with rich mauves and gold accents. The femininity of the room is balanced with Brazilian granite benchtops in a more masculine colour palette.

Lisa said they wanted to design spaces that were cosy but not coy. “It’s a deliberate break from minimalism and that pared back aesthetic you see in big hotel chains,” she said.

The building’s exterior has been left untouched, meaning it blends effortlessly with its neighbours and does not interrupt the suburban landscape.

Throughout the renovation process and beyond, sustainability has been important at Miss Midgely’s. “One of the most sustainable things you can do is repurpose a building, rather than knocking it down and build something new,” Lisa said.

Operable windows and doors have been restored to encourage passive ventilation and reduce reliance on air conditioning. The one-metre-thick stone walls provide thermal efficiency and the existing ceiling spaces have been insulated to reduce energy consumption.

The pool deck and rear balconies are built from recycled plastic decking and the tiles around the pool are made from 100 percent recycled product. In the bathrooms, organic fair-trade products are featured with recyclable packaging and refillable bottles. Recycled paper is used for toilet rolls, and the coffee pods are biodegradable.

Miss Midgley’s has had many lives. Originally constructed 160 years ago and a rare example of colonial architecture, the building was a private home under the name of Cairncross House. By the late 1860s, the nuns from Sisters of Mercy had converted it into an orphanage.

In 1903, the property was sold to the Midgely family, including daughter Annie. An artist and a teacher, Annie Midgley converted her family home into a private school to aid the overcrowding at New Farm State School across the road. She called it Miss Midgley’s Educational Establishment.

Throughout the building, plaques and notes on the walls reveal this rich history to guests. Where features of the room were not able to be uncovered or restored, their existence has been literally written on the walls.

While the renovations are complete for now, Lisa does have future plan for Miss Midgley’s. “We’re really proud of what we’ve done here, and I think we’ve helped contribute to the mix of accommodation in this area. People have a choice, and can find the accommodation experience that suits them best.

“We like to say at Miss Midgley’s, we’re not famous, but known.”