Perhaps the answer is that the hotel was never really designed to be a blank canvas. Sitting on the edge of Surry Hills and Redfern, The EVE has been created as a reflection of the neighbourhoods around it, with architecture by SJB and interiors shaped alongside creatives, including George Livissianis. The building leans into curves, natural materials, greenery and Australian design, pulling the outside world in rather than creating a sealed-off luxury fantasy.

Splashes along their curved white walls carry textures that reminded me of Athens in a way that felt uniquely Australian. There are arches, terrazzo, stone, timber, soft upholstery and a kind of sincerity that makes the hotel feel less like a trend and more like somewhere that is going to age well. Even the rooftop garden, designed by Daniel Baffsky of 360 Degrees, acts as an extension to this philosophy: a little wild, a little romantic, and deeply connected to the history of the site.

The hotel prides itself on bringing Australian artists to the forefront, and that has never been more evident than with Art House’s inaugural artist, Louise Olsen.

The Bronte local, who is also the creative director of Dinosaur Designs, the handmade resin and metallic tableware studio I first encountered while sipping sparkling water at Ben Shewry’s Attica in Ripponlea, is an ideal fit for The EVE. Her work has always lived between art and the everyday, taking objects we interact with constantly and turning them into something worthy of inspection.

Olsen’s relationship with the hotel began before Art House, with pieces already woven throughout the building. Her Barrisol ceiling artwork Still Life at Bar Julius is a glowing, textured landscape floating above the room, taking a Negroni and their adorned burger and making them feel a little more magnificent. The Met won’t let you drink one inside their galleries, and yet here we are, given the opportunity. Her hand-knotted Tibetan wool and silk work Dream Garden is another example of this relationship between art and place.

For Art House, Olsen has extended that conversation further with eight new works created specifically for the program. The new pieces continue her fascination with the natural world, exploring the meeting point between landscape, atmosphere and the elements. They do not replace what is already there; they build upon it, adding another layer to a hotel that is slowly creating its own visual history.

“With these new works being installed at The EVE, I’m exploring the relationship between nature, landscape and atmosphere, and the vibrations that happen where they touch,” says Louise. “There’s a sense of the elements being simultaneously empty and full, where the space around the forms pulse and become just as important as the marks themselves.”

General Manager, Ben Mellor, believes the hotel and its art are inextricably linked, particularly in the case of Louise whose influence was already contained within the building, long before she was commissioned for the program.

“From the beginning, art has never felt like something added onto The EVE, it’s always been part of the hotel’s identity and atmosphere,” says Ben Mellor, General Manager. “Louise felt like the natural inaugural artist for Art House because her work is already woven into the fabric of the building. This season is about deepening that relationship and creating a hotel experience that feels immersive, cultural and distinctly Australian.”