Meet our Interior Designer

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Let us introduce you to Waterbrook Bowral’s
Head Interior Designer – Lorena Gaxiola!

 

Lorena Gaxiola is an award-winning designer with works expanding the globe. Some of the guiding principles of the Mexican American designer is the art of creating value, quality and beauty. Her Sydney-based creative agency manages work of varying scales, combining the disciplines of conceptual architecture, interior design, product development and branding for her international clientele.

About the Design

When Waterbrook Retirement Resorts retained my services, I was immediately enamoured by the Team’s incredible passion and in-depth market knowledge of their target demographic, the Luxury Retirement market. They wanted the interior architecture to represent the resident’s lifestyle whilst honouring the original charm of Bowral – A relaxed yet sophisticated country town.

The design focuses on celebrating a lively group of seniors and incorporating their lifestyle into every corner of the Retirement Resort. We understand that the residents are global travellers, they are family oriented and actively social. They enjoy fine dining, staying fit and incorporating wellness into their daily routine.  Once we established the basics, we focused our attention to the materials, textures, finishes and bespoke design aesthetic of the Resort by taking inspiration from the area’s native flora and fauna.  The colour palette needed to be elegant and timeless, so we steered away from trend-based solutions and turned our attention to something that would be long lasting and gentle enough to be enjoyed by many whilst still retaining a sense of surprise.

Without a doubt the standout is the space planning. It is easy to access, it is welcoming, it is sophisticated without being uber luxurious or intimating. The materials and products we specified are both durable and warm to the touch. We focused on displaying the artful essence of the community’s countryside and we made sure the large open spaces could feel cosy enough for a small party but able to open up to fit large crowds when needed. It is about the entertainment possibilities.

How are you trying to rethink senior living via a design lens?

The baby-boomers are the ones who invented pop culture as we see it today, they were the ones who innovated technology and they are the ones who gave us many of our cultural freedoms.

I am inspired by retirees who are young at heart, looking to live in comfort and in a place where luxury comes to them. Travel is exhausting and living in this resort-like-community gives them a top service experience within walking distance, where meals can be catered and serviced to their door. They can have their hair and nails done with people they trust whenever they want. They can have private personal trainers to help their fitness and can socialise at any one of the lounges, bars and restaurants whenever they like.

I have been designing in the residential sector for over 20 years and the 6-Star resort-living, especially for retirement living, is a fast-growing sector where we combine residential development and hospitality. The Waterbrook team is on the frontline of this sector and their devotion to pleasing their market is incredibly inspiring.

Community Open Day

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Wow!  What a wonderful Community Open Day!

Perfect weather, not a cloud in the sky, not a breath of wind and just the right amount of sunshine!  We had hundreds of the local community enjoy our Open Day.  A chance for the community to see the original buildings and gardens in their current state before we start our refurbishment program early next year.

We toured groups and individuals all day, showing off the original dormitories, classrooms and bathrooms (we refer to them as Harry Potter bathrooms, the most amazing circular basins are still in pristine condition).  Locals were delighted to know that we are restoring, NOT demolishing most of the spaces, preserving the history and memories of so many.  Our Harry Potter bathroom will be converted to an incredible art space for many different modalities. It is important to us that anything worth restoring is, an exciting project for the Waterbrook Development Team.

Coffee, Cake, Gelato and Frank Sinatra tunes were had and taken under one of the beautiful oak trees.  A chance for the community to relax and take in the still beautiful gardens.

We loved meeting so many of the community that have had many lovely connections with the College, from fruit suppliers to children (now adults) who played on the oval.  A number of old boys told some funny stories about their time at the College and it was great for us to find out more about how the College and its occupants lived, worked and interacted with the community.

We would like to thank so many of the local community for providing us with photographs and memorabilia to furnish the historic section in our new library.

Lastly, thank you to all those who attended, we hope you will all be proud of the transformation that will take place very soon!

Highland Skies

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Highland Skies

Upon entering our display space in Station Street, Bowral, your eye will immediately be drawn to the two magnificent artworks that are now hanging on our walls. The large canvases, capturing the atmospheric skies of the Southern Highlands, are the work of local Bundanoon artist, Del Cooley.

Del obtained her degree in Fine Arts from RMIT University in Melbourne. Twenty years ago, Del and her husband moved to the Southern Highlands, where she has continued to create and exhibit her stunning artworks. Her style has evolved over the years, but the core of Del’s talent lies in her abstract scapes. Del says exhibiting has always been first and foremost for her, and the painterly abstract qualities of all work has meant many successful showings in Sydney and Melbourne.  Del also has a love of teaching and has inspired many students locally.

Del says she is inspired by a “feeling” rather than something she sees. She starts with blocks of colour and then the painting just takes on a life of its own. The process takes a long time, sometimes months, as when Del finishes a painting, she’s happy at first, but as time passes, can’t resist adding some finishing touches.

We love to host visitors in our display to enjoy Del’s work as much as we do! Her works, Infinity and Highland Sky await or visit Del’s website, www.delcooley.com.

Retirement Bowral – Is it for you?

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Retirement Bowral – is it for you?

Whether it is retirement Bowral or elsewhere there are usually several questions that require some thought.

Firstly, deciding where you would like to live.  For most people it takes a special retirement living development to entice them from their current home.

Then there are questions, such as:

Do you want to stay in your local community or move closer to family or friends?

If you would like to move to a different community or to a quieter place like the country, do you research and perhaps plan an extended trip to enable you to explore all of the advantages and disadvantages of living in a new community and a different area.

Is your home maintenance getting a bit much for you or would you just prefer to spend more time on leisurely pursuits?

Retirement villages can offer you that freedom, with a large team of staff to take these responsibilities away.

Are you feeling as though you just want life to be easier?

Retirement communities offer easy connections to social activities and leisurely pursuits, most of these are on site and they may also offer transport locally.  Most retirement villages also help with care or medical support, coordination of these services is usually provided by the retirement village.  In short, your social life and enjoyment of life start to ramp up!

Do you feel that having someone to look out for you would be beneficial?

Retirement villages provide staff to oversee the running of the retirement village and to provide a helping hand when needed for residents.  Emergency call facilities provide peace of mind in case of a medical or security incident.

Will I still have my privacy?

Retirement villages provide choices for residents, you can be social at times or private, it is completely up to the individual.  Most communities are very respectful regarding each resident’s preferences.

Can I remain independent in a retirement village?

Absolutely! Retirement villages assist in ensuring you remain independent as long as possible, providing a number of services that you would not be easily attainable in your family home.  Social interaction also keeps you mentally active and is beneficial for your long-term wellbeing – some call it the village effect!

Will I save money by selling the family home and moving into a retirement village?

Usually the sale of the family home will provide more funds than (usually) smaller retirement village residence would cost.  The usual transaction is the funds from the sale of the family home will provide for the retirement village residence and additional funds for your lifestyle.

Please visit a retirement village that seems worth exploring and perhaps that will help you to  make the best move for your future.