Taking into account the Verrocchi’s Italian background and love for a leisurely Mediterranean pace of life, we helped develop a suite of uses for the unique parcel of land that borrowed from the European traditions of agriturismo and seaside wellbeing: a working winery with productive gardens, osteria and guest villa. Collectively, these uses would be known as Sunnyside – a Meditterannean escape, less than an hour from Melbourne.

Our design team took visual cues from piazzas, marketplaces and the beach to develop the brand concepts that would become Sunnyside. To truly reflect the terrain and spirit of this unique place, we commissioned local photographer Nicholas Wilkins to capture the ephemeral quality of the heritage buildings, before any major structural work commenced, and these images have played a central role in our positioning of the precinct. The logomark denotes a masthead for the new precinct along with the future sub-brands that will exist within it.

While many of these sub-brands – such as dining establishments and wine labels will emerge with the precinct, we decided that in order to find the best operator for Sunnyside’s accommodation component it was in the Verrocchi’s interests to set the tone up front.

Villa Sol will provide boutique accommodation with luxury amenity, including wellness amenity to help visitors to the Mornington Peninsula uncomplicate themselves. We crafted an Information Memorandum that balances aspiration and feasibility to appeal to Australia’s top-tier hoteliers, capable of responding to the needs of the holidaymakers who make the Mornington Peninsula their second home for long weekends and long summers. Still life photography captured on site by Nicholas is set within elliptical frames, evoking family albums that transport us to the holidays of summers gone by.

It’s old-meets new, it’s Sorrento Campania by way of Sorrento Victoria. It’s Sunnyside.