Introducing Miss Midgley’s: A playfully eclectic luxury hotel in the heart of designer Brisbane. Owner Lisa White has transformed one of the city’s oldest heritage homes into a boutique hotel for discerning travellers and style connoisseurs. Just three years old, the hotel is already one of the city’s most popular stays for travellers seeking a private hotel centred on design and artful interiors. Miss Midgley’s is just minutes from chic boutiques, world-class designers and lauded restaurants on fashionable James Street.
Miss Midgley’s has been created from a 160-year-old heritage building, transformed into a tranquil and luxurious stay with five self-contained hotel suites. Four of the apartments have two bedrooms, and the fifth is a glamorous one-bedroom studio. Each has a large outdoor private area, designer bathrooms, and a fully equipped kitchen for home cooking, making it perfect for longer stays as a ‘home away from home.’ Miss Midgley’s guests can book a single apartment or the entire property, accommodating up to 18 guests for exclusive use.
Miss M’s central feature is a sparkling emerald pool framed by lush tropical foliage and fringed umbrellas. This makes it a perfect stay when visiting Brisbane over the summer. Not famous, yet known, it is arguably the best-kept secret among Brisbane hotels. But not for long. The hotel’s distinctive rose-colour palette and timeless elegance have seen it dubbed the ‘prettiest stay in Brisbane.’ It is perfect for jet setters seeking the privacy of a neighbourhood hotel, minutes from the city’s vibrant creative centre.
The ground floor apartments are centred on leafy courtyards, which are also perfect for furry friends. The leafy outdoor area makes a far more practical option than traditional hotels, so four-legged friends are always welcome. The second-floor suites also feature large balconies with breathtaking valley views, and the hotel’s lush garden and pool provide a heavenly place to relax and recharge, basking in the glow of summer.
Miss Midgley’s is well known among locals for its daring but tasteful palette of pink, mauve, red and terracotta. The architectural approach to the project’s colour and material palette references the famous Brisbane stone – rusts, pinks and browns amplifying the stone’s pastel colours. Boldly filling the interiors of each luxury apartment, the tones emanate warmth to welcome travellers. Clever additions to the exterior give the building a civic presence; the much-talked-about and admired corten front fence has added to the eclectic suburb’s architectural diversity while maintaining the stone as the hero feature.
The design-forward hotel was styled by mother-daughter duo and owners, Lisa and Isabella White. Together, their creative vision brought the hotel to life. They are both Master’s of Architecture graduates. Their appreciation of heritage meant they went to extraordinary lengths to preserve and celebrate the eccentricity and historical details of the building, while also introducing contemporary functionality and modern aesthetics.
The building has had a rich and colourful history. Its journey began 160 years ago as a private home under the name of Cairncross House; a rare example of colonial architecture built from Brisbane’s heritage tuff. By the 1860s, the Sisters of Mercy had converted it into an orphanage, but 20 years later, a former Qld Premier reclaimed it as his home with a new name: ‘St Clair’. Later, it was used as a private hospital in the 1890s before the Midgley family bought it in 1903. Their daughter, Annie, converted her family home into a private school. Annie was a vibrant character, a renowned artist and a teacher. A century after her school opened, owners Lisa and Isabella White transformed the building into the luxury hotel it is today.
Miss Midgley’s is also on a mission to be the most sustainable boutique accommodation in Brisbane. Their largest energy saver: the reuse of a heritage building as a case study in sustainable development. For the restoration, they restored windows and doors to encourage passive ventilation and reduce air conditioning use. The pool deck and rear balconies are built from recycled plastic decking and tiles are 100% recycled product. Solar panels have been installed and low-energy appliances. These steps and many more reflect their commitment to creating a sustainable hotel in the heart of urban Brisbane.
