A stroll along Macleay St reveals an array of eye-catching sights. Local fashionistas dressed to the nines. Resident luminaries making their daily rounds. Familiar colourful characters lending some requisite urban grit to the scene. Then there’s the streetscape itself, the vibrant cafes and standard-bearer boutiques that make the strip the landmark destination it has become, buzzing with clientele and conversation.

And one such boutique undeniably catches the eye. The flagship Greg Natale design and homewares store, on the corner of Macleay and Orwell Streets, draws passersby in with its sublime Deco and Modernist-infused aesthetic, a space that feels perfectly at home in the architectural language of Potts Point.

Commanding a proud position at the base of the famed Deco icon Gowrie Gate, the store reflects not only the style of its address, but the wider design philosophy of internationally acclaimed interior designer Greg Natale himself. Rich with curves, geometry, pattern and texture, the space was conceived as an immersion into the Greg Natale world, with elements of the original shopfront reinstated to remain true to the character of the building.

On a buzzing weekday morning, it is the smiling face of Filomena Morelli which welcomes customers inside. A longtime friend of Greg’s dating back to their high school days together, she has watched his remarkable rise from close range.

“We met in art class at school and bonded over creative ideas and our alternative personalities,” she says. “Greg’s been one of my closest friends for decades, so to now work with him here is something I’m really proud of.”

“Even back then, when we were just kids, he always had this bigger vision. He’s influenced by everything from the TV show Dynasty to the Italian Renaissance masters, music, fashion and architecture. It all feeds into his world.”

That vision has evolved into one of Australia’s most celebrated design brands. Natale’s richly layered interiors and distinctive aesthetic have earned international acclaim, with his work featured in Architectural Digest, Vogue Living, Belle and Vanity Fair, among many others. He has also been named one of the World’s Most Influential Designers by AD Mexico and a Design Visionary by Harper’s Bazaar Interiors Middle East.

Beyond the interior design practice itself, the Greg Natale brand has expanded into furniture, bedding, rugs, tiles and homewares, with products stocked internationally and across leading Australian retailers. Yet despite the global reach, the Potts Point store remains an important flagship.

“Greg and his team design everything themselves,” Filomena says. “The pieces are made all over the world and he’s stocked in lots of places now, but this is the flagship store.”

The store itself feels reflective of Potts Point in many ways – elegant and refined but also layered with personality and history. And for Filomena, the neighbourhood connection runs deep.

“When Greg and I first started going out together at 17 or 18, we were coming into Potts Point to clubs like Site and Tender Trap, and all the old Kellett Street cafes,” she says. “To now see him with a flagship store right here in the middle of the neighbourhood feels pretty special.”

Sydney may have changed dramatically since those heady Kings Cross years, but the area still hums with its own unique energy. Amid the cafes, conversation and constant movement of Macleay St, the Greg Natale store feels both timeless and contemporary – a curated space of beauty, character and design sitting perfectly within the streetscape around it.

More info:

Greg Natale flagship store

Shop 2, 115 Macleay Street

Potts Point NSW 2011

Australia

https://www.gregnatale.com/

Phone:

02 9188 8716

By Adam Gibson 

Photo by Simone McAullay