Life at the highest level of sport rarely stands still. For Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas and Olympic cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, home was an opportunity to slow down. Set among six hectares of working vineyard in McLaren Vale, South Australia, The Vineyard Retreat became a place to gather, unwind and reconnect. Designed largely from afar, it marked the beginning of an ongoing partnership with BoConcept.
The Vineyard Retreat is more than a private home. It sits at the heart of Valtteri Bottas and Tiffany Cromwell's growing presence in South Australia's McLaren Vale, alongside IHANA Wines, O/\TH Gin and the RADL GRVL cycling event. Together, these ventures reflect their connection to the region and the lifestyle they have built beyond professional sport. The brief for the main residence was to create a home that felt calm, contemporary and welcoming. Designed for both everyday living and entertaining, it drew on their appreciation for Scandinavian design, already established in their Monaco home. Above all, it needed to feel like home.From the outset, the project was designed with future growth in mind. While the first phase focused on the private residence, the design principles established here were intended to extend across The Vineyard Retreat's future luxury accommodation, creating a consistent experience that reflects the estate's vision.
The relationship began not with a brief, but with a sofa. In late 2024, Bottas and Cromwell visited the Adelaide showroom to select upholstery for a Salamanca sofa destined for their Monaco home. When their purchase of The Vineyard Retreat was announced soon after, BoConcept Adelaide reached out, and a courtesy conversation grew into a complete interior design project. What followed was an exercise in distance. With the clients moving continuously between Formula 1 and international cycling commitments, in person meetings were rare. Layouts, materials and finishes all had to be approved across countries and time zones, against a tight schedule that left little room for compromise on the long term vision. Technology closed the gap. Using BoConcept's RoomPlanner, the clients reviewed interactive 3D room models, testing layouts together in real time. Material samples travelled between Adelaide and Dubai, allowing Bottas and Cromwell to see and touch selected fabrics in person while travelling in the UAE, proving that geography need not compromise a personalised design experience.
The surrounding landscape set the tone. McLaren Vale's vineyards, warm earth tones and unhurried pace of life shaped a palette of soft neutrals and tactile, natural materials, an interior designed not to compete with its setting, but to let it remain the hero. Danish design principles provided the underlying discipline: clean lines and honest materials, softened here with sculptural forms and warm timber finishes suited to a contemporary, well travelled sensibility. The Santiago collection became the project's anchor, resonating with Tiffany Cromwell from the first presentation, and from there the interior evolved through layered textures and carefully curated upholstery. One decision shaped the project. Rather than furnishing the home all at once, every piece was carefully selected, allowing the interior to evolve naturally into a home that feels considered and personal.
The result is a home that feels calm, contemporary and welcoming, designed for both everyday living and entertaining. Rooted in Scandinavian design and shaped by the character of McLaren Vale, it reflects both the clients and its surroundings. It also establishes the design direction for future accommodation across The Vineyard Retreat, creating a consistent experience as the estate evolves.