Cosmetic physician Dr Joseph Hkeik’s clientele includes supermodels, singers and socialites but the latest patient to experience his powers of transformation is a sprawling 145-year-old Victorian villa on Sydney’s North Shore.
The former home, library and restaurant Boronia House has been transformed into a temple of self-improvement with the same level of care that Hkeik’s staff at his All Saints clinics exercise to treat the faces of Elle Macpherson, Miranda Kerr, Rita Ora and Eva Mendes.
“I was looking for a smaller version of All Saints in Double Bay,” says Hkeik, referring to his Eastern Suburbs flagship which has become part of the itinerary for international celebrities passing through Sydney. There are also outposts in North Parramatta and Balmain.
“I came to look at something in this area, walked by, and it was love at first sight.”
Hkeik is used to dealing with before photos, and so he could see the building’s beauty was lurking beneath years of disrepair. A different kind of filler than the one used in his clinics was required, so an urgent phone call was placed to frequent collaborator interior architect Blainey North who has shaped the homes of A-list Australian clients including Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and the Packer and Pratt families.
The building’s refresh took longer than the average two-hour visit to All Saints.
“It has been nearly four years since I first saw it,” Hkeik says. “I don’t rush because I think that when you rush, you make compromises.”
With Le Petit Saint in Mayfair, London, which opened in 2020, Hkeik has built an empire around a specific approach to beauty that is the antithesis of the exaggerated lips, frozen foreheads and overly sculpted cheeks of corner shop competitors.
When the baronial doors of Boronia house open, Hkeik is not expecting clients to rush inside from their Range Rovers clutching pictures of Kris Jenner for inspiration.
“From when I started 27 years ago to now, you’ve seen these people go through the high cheekbones, the big lips, the big everything, that exaggerated look,” Hkeik says. “And now everyone’s just actually begging for that natural look.
“We’ve always stuck to the same philosophy and I think this is why we’re still standing.
“In the beginning I became unpopular because people were saying, ‘I look better, but no one can tell I’ve done some work’. I couldn’t understand that. Why would you want people to know?
“You should look as if this is how you wake up. This is how you always looked.”
While injectables constitute the largest portion of the All Saints business in Double Bay, the new Mosman premises will include more services tapping into a holistic approach to looking and feeling good.
On arrival, guests can drown sorrows with wellness elixirs from a tonic bar in the waiting room. For Hkeik, the first treatment is the building itself.
“We know that when you’re in love, your skin’s in much better condition. This was made with love.”
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