The Big Glow in the Tower
How lighting designer Troy Merchant of Allera lit the bedrooms inside a 146-year-old water tower, and why the answer was a wool lamp made in Victoria.
The walls of the 1880 Tower are stone and brick, its ironwork is exposed, and the bedrooms inside have tall ceilings with exposed timber beams.
Troy Merchant, director of Allera, designed the lighting across The Vantage in collaboration with interior design firm Black Rabbit Architecture and Interiors. He started with considering the building's age and materials.
I had to pay respect to the heritage of the building, and I felt we had to capture the rustic undertone of the building materials, rugged stone and brick, exposed iron. It gives the space a wonderful unique quality that is quite mysterious for a residence, sort of like a magnificent villain's lair in a James Bond movie.
His principle for the whole project was restraint.
I want the architecture to sing. Smart use of lighting complements the design; just adding a whole lot of downlights in the ceiling ruins the mood. Being subtle is the key.
The bedrooms raised a particular problem. Ceiling height that suits a heritage structure can leave a bedroom feeling cavernous at night, and small fittings disappear in it. Midway through the project, co-founder Michelle Simper and Troy agreed that each room needed a single piece of light at a scale the space could carry.
Despite all the beautiful lighting in the tower, mid-project [we] established that given the height of the ceilings in the bedrooms, a really significant piece of lighting was going to be required, and so the idea of these Australian-made wool lights was introduced.
Troy's choice was the Big Glow, designed by the Dutch studio Truly Truly and made by Rakumba. The shade is felted Australian wool, and Rakumba keeps the whole process in Victoria, from growing the wool to final assembly. Each fitting holds two light sources on separate controls: one lights the felt from within, the other is a downlight set into the base, so the same lamp can work as a soft room light or throw light straight down.
The Big Glow was my first choice for this space. We needed something with scale, but also a softness and warmth that would make the space feel intimate and luxurious. In hospitality, it's about creating spaces that feel good — places you instantly feel at home. Crafted in Australia by Rakumba using Victorian wool, the Big Glow has a warmth and tactility that beautifully complements the raw materiality and unique character of The Vantage.
By day the shades read as pale felt hanging under the timber boards. When they are switched on they turn amber, and the seams between the panels show as fine lines of brighter light, laid out like the lines on a globe.
The Vantage opens in Semaphore in December 2026.
Now accepting reservations for stays after 1 December 2026.
Credits
- Creative direction: Michelle Simper
- Lighting design: Troy Merchant, Allera
- Luminaire: Big Glow, Rakumba
- Designed by: Studio Truly Truly
- Interior design: Black Rabbit Architecture and Interiors
- Photography: Brad Gaylard
