Comma by Duet and Eloise Fotheringham

A bespoke, moody and immersive space immediately comes to mind when envisioning a boutique bathhouse and spa. At Comma in Byron Bay, however, Duet and Eloise Fotheringham go beyond these cues.

Together, the team has conceived an ethereal space embedded in the holistic energy and golden hues of the Byron Bay region, a place where guests can escape while remaining fundamentally connected. To create an experience that feels different to Comma’s first iteration in Melbourne, interiors studio Duet was responsible for the reception, lounge area and bathrooms, while interior designer Fotheringham handled the treatment rooms, plunge pools and sauna. “Uplifting, inspiring and transportive was the overarching ambition,” says Shannon Shlom, director at Duet. The highly conceptualised bathhouse offers massage and bathing rituals from Japan, Denmark, Finland and Turkey, with two large tubs – a cold plunge and a magnesium hot tub – a traditional cedar Finnish sauna and intimate treatment rooms.

“Uplifting, inspiring and transportive was the overarching ambition,” says Shannon Shlom, director at Duet.

As well as offering calm respite, Comma beautifully responds to its location, largely informed by the first light mainland Australia receives at Cape Byron. “We discussed the idea and intensity of dawn: the light, the silence and the calm of that moment but also the anticipation and excitement for a new day,” says Shlom. “This conceptually allowed us to develop a design response that was brave and aspirationally bold.”

Upon arrival, the reception space immediately sets in motion Comma’s intention, one that sits in stark contrast to the traditionally pared-back, neutral designs of wellness spaces. A large custom banquette of salvaged timber artfully patchworked together and a jute- and leather-upholstered seat sits underneath a glowing neon artwork – commissioned from artist Ryan Hoffmann – inviting a vivid moment of stillness, the first of many.

“There is a transition from the deliberately stimulating and uplifting public spaces to the more relaxing treatment spaces,” says Dominique Brammah, director at Duet.

The space then narrows before opening to an intimate lounge opposite a custom rail, while hand-painted mirrored wall panelling wraps around the corner, creating an illusion as the striped lines play with reflection and solidity. Beyond this threshold are more intimate spaces, like the bathroom zone, which includes the bathhouse and stone plunge pools; treatment rooms are on the lower level.

“There is a transition from the deliberately stimulating and uplifting public spaces to the more relaxing treatment spaces,” says Dominique Brammah, director at Duet. In the reception area and treatment rooms, the colour palette is warm, saturated with rusty red, buttercup yellow, deep, cool-toned mustard and burnt orange tones anchored by earthy warm neutrals, chalk-like textures of untinted tadelakt and salvaged timbers. In contrast, the bathrooms are cooled by a mottled blue wall and ceiling paired with handmade ceramic tiles in a raw chocolate brown shade. Interestingly, there is almost no white to be seen at Comma.

In some ways, Comma appears to glow; gloss finishes and artfully placed lighting create a welcoming ambience, while a towering skylight allows the sun to penetrate the space and warm the natural stone.

The material palette is dominated by stone and marble, complemented by polished concrete flooring to imbue monastic, understated luxury. In some ways, Comma appears to glow; gloss finishes and artfully placed lighting create a welcoming ambience, while a towering skylight allows the sun to penetrate the space and warm the natural stone. “Everything is tinted, in the way the morning sun hits with such strength, to intentionally create the glow,” says Brammah. Detailing is considered, with brass accents, coloured stools and custom pieces such as daybeds from northern Spain manufactured entirely using solar energy.

The layering of textures and materials comes together harmoniously to create an immersive, lived-in atmosphere. Ultimately, the journey through the spaces at Comma is about taking one’s time. Duet and Eloise Fotheringham weave Comma’s relaxed ethos with mood, light and the energy of Byron Bay to create an experience that is euphoric, meditative and restorative.

Architecture by Eloise Fotheringham. Interior design by Duet and Eloise Fotheringham. Build by Kick Building.