Adelaide has no shortage of luxurious apartments. They float above the skyline in polished towers, quietly boasting open-plan kitchens, rare stone finishes and views that ooze success. But every now and then, a property comes along that doesn’t just whisper luxury. It sings it, pours a glass of champagne and invites you into a bathroom that may haunt your dreams forever.
Welcome to Level 34, 19 Frome Street, currently on the market with a multimillion-dollar price tag.
From the moment you enter this sprawling 400-square-metre sub-penthouse, it’s clear this isn’t your average city pad. There’s Italian verde marble underfoot, smoky bronze mirrors, and a vaulted ceiling that drops a 1.6-metre-long tap into a glamorous powder room. But even with all that drama, the unexpected showstopper is the wallpaper.
And once you’ve seen it, you won’t forget it.
Designed by Maggi, a former New York fashion designer and co-owner of the apartment, the wallpaper is part art piece, part conversation starter, and entirely wild.
Set within a bathroom that already feels like a scene from a very stylish fever dream, the wallpaper features a strange, wide-eyed man surrounded by surrealist imagery.
That man? It’s Gary, Maggi’s partner. An absurdist fiction writer and now, the reluctant face of one of Adelaide’s most unforgettable loos.
“We wanted to create a folly in the apartment to intrigue and amuse guests,” Maggi says.
“An unexpected surprise that both challenges and blends the edgy design elements of the interior.”
“I wanted to create something unique that would speak to and challenge the viewer’s perception,” she adds.
“I always intended to do it with wallpaper, which I find creates an intimacy, even claustrophobia, in a small space.”
Instead of matching the surreal Mooi wallpaper in the entry hall, Maggi pushed further.
“I wanted to take it to the next level and create a truly unique and challenging viewer experience, which in a small way reflects our anarchist natures. A great talking point at our dinner parties at least.”
As for the figure himself, the answer is both literal and symbolic.
“All of the above,” she laughs. “Inspired by the surrealist elements of Piero Fornasetti, I wanted something original that would be both controversial and amusing.”
At the time, Gary was writing his second novel, What Will Happen To You?, and seemed a fitting choice.
“Why look elsewhere? For me, his image was purely a design motif. It could have been Dali or Elizabeth Taylor or the plumber. While Gary and I see his image as anonymous from a design perspective, I would find it even more amusing if it were a stranger’s image. It works either way.”
The concept was entirely Maggi’s. She has worked as the interior designer on several projects over the years and knows how to make bold decisions.
“Of course, my controversial concept needed to be understood and accepted by Gary, as both of us would be confronted and answerable to various reactions. Fortunately, Gary got it.”
“Still, there were nerves. It was hugely risky. But in any creative field, one has to be brave. Push on and trust in one’s creativity. And hope it works out in the end. If not, one can always paint over it… or rewrite it.”
Reactions from guests have been wonderfully mixed.
“There’s nothing more satisfying to us than to hear raucous laughter from a visitor. We then know we’ve succeeded in entertaining, stimulating, and provoking thought,” Maggi says.
“But not everyone takes it so lightly. Occasionally someone misses the point and may think it’s narcissistic, or even get angry. Either way, it achieves its intended purpose. It creates an engaging talking point.”
The surreal experience is capped off by a glowing neon phrase drawn from Gary’s book, What Will Happen To You?, superimposed over the wallpaper. Visitors are left to contemplate their fate while an unexpected soundtrack plays softly in the background. Depending on the day, you might hear music from Pulp Fiction or Casablanca drifting through the space.
And if the wallpaper could speak?
“Get the hell out of here… or stay awhile and contemplate What Will Happen To You?, over the customised soundtrack, just for you.”
Outside the bathroom, the apartment continues shine with confidence.
There are four bedrooms, multiple living zones, an expansive main bedroom suite with a dressing room, and floor-to-ceiling windows that capture the city from every angle. The palette is rich and contemporary, the materials are luxurious, and the design is fearless.
With an asking price in the multimillions, this Frome Street sky-home delivers the wow factor. It’s about personality. Imagination. And a bathroom that dares to ask the kind of existential question you never thought you’d face between hand towels and scented soap.
Because anyone with the right bank balance can live in a penthouse. But only the brave will stare themselves down, neon-lit, and wonder: What will happen to you?
3401/19 Frome Street, Adelaide
For more information, click here.
To find out more about Gary’s books, click here.
