How Naldham House’s dramatic redesign became Brisbane’s hottest hew dining destination

“I don’t think I’ve used the word ‘juxtaposition’ so much my life,” says Andrew Baturo, co-owner of DAP & Co – the hospitality supergroup behind Brisbane’s recently reopened Naldham House. Baturo is struggling for synonyms to describe the 150-year-old building’s dramatic redesign.

When the team – known for old-school cocktail den The Gresham Bar and mid-century steakhouse Walter’s – announced it would open three venues inside heritage-listed Naldham House, Brisbanites were expecting speakeasy-style interiors: dark wood and leather wingback chairs.

But Baturo, along with DAP & Co co-owners Paul Piticco and Denis Sheahan, had other ideas. “People might expect to see something along those lines because we’ve done it before to great success, but we really wanted to elevate and change and surprise our guests,” Baturo says.

The building’s remarkable transformation is a departure from its buttoned-up history. Built in 1866, Naldham House began life as the Brisbane office of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company. By 1989, it had a new role: clubhouse of the Brisbane Polo Club. Formed that same year, the exclusive members-only club quickly established a reputation for both opulence and equality, becoming the first private club in Brisbane to offer full membership to women.

After the club shut down in 2015, Naldham House stood empty for almost a decade until DAP & Co came on board. They tapped interior designer Anna Spiro to spearhead the renovation. “Anna’s design is really colourful, really bright and dynamic”, which is juxtaposed sharply with the building’s classic white facade, Baturo says.

“When we went and had a look at it, everything had been stripped out since the Polo Club,” he explains. New owner Dexus had pared back the interior to prepare for a full restoration. The grand old double staircase was reduced to a single and moved beside the main entrance, its original cedarwood joinery restored.

Heritage rules placed restrictions on paint and wallpaper, but that didn’t interfere with the design plans. To create a contrasting, colourful look, Spiro turned to artworks, furniture and fabric. “For the most part, the things that were really heritage specific were things we didn’t want to cover up anyway,” Baturo says. That includes the feature windows, the ornate ceiling roses and the wood panelling.

Each floor houses a different venue that feels distinct but connected. On the ground-floor, The Brasserie and The Terrace feature statement red curtains, a carefully restored marble fireplace and a sleek new marble bar to match. Upstairs, cocktail bar Club Felix leans more into blue tones. The backbar showcases restored silky oak panels from Naldham House’s 1914 renovation.

On the top floor, modern Cantonese restaurant The Fifty Six nods to mid-century Hong Kong cafes with pink and teal highlights, while a dramatically lit sculpture casts shadows on the wall.

In its transformation from private club into hospitality hotspot, Naldham House has become one of the city’s biggest openings in the past 12 months. “We were really conscious of this being something that Brisbane could be really proud of,” says Baturo. “It’s got a timelessness about it … I think it’s only going to feel more comfortable and more relevant as the years go by.”