city living – The Interiors Addict

A look inside this luxurious bespoke Melbourne penthouse

Atop one of Melbourne’s CBD apartment blocks sits a meticulously designed penthouse, almost entirely customised by its new residents. It is home to Joan and Wes, who purchased the entire top floor of Hawksburn Place Residences before the building even hit the market. Starting from an empty shell, they worked closely with the building’s developer to customise the floor plan to their specific desires.

“Joan and Wes’s situation was really unique in that they were able to purchase this
penthouse as a shell and work not just with us as the developer, but the project’s interior designer to create a completely bespoke home,” said developer Tim Gurner. “Every room, every material, every piece of marble chosen reflects their specific tastes – it’s very rare that a penthouse can be customised like this.”

The expansive home spans 345sqm of internal area and another 461sqm of external terrace. It includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a library and a marble-clad kitchen. The wraparound terrace boasts phenomenal 360-degree views of the CBD and a 12.5m plunge pool.

Working with esteemed designer David Hicks, they created a unique interior, with custom cabinetry and raised ceilings showcasing priceless antiques and art the couple have collected from around the world. These antiques include the penthouse’s feature chandeliers, which the couple sourced from Paris.

“The antiques speak for themselves so we provided a dramatic backdrop for them to sit seamlessly. Introducing specific places for each piece with strategic lighting was also key.” said David.

The bold departure from the white-on-white design trend results in a sumptuous mix of chocolate parquetry, smoky walls, and rattan armchairs. The darker, more moody interior palette absorbs and offsets the abundance of natural light afforded by the surrounding floor-to-ceiling windows.

The penthouse is fitted with plentiful luxury hotel style details, such as private access lifts, access to the on site seven-day-a-week concierge, and a six-car garage.

The project team was led by luxury developer GURNER, alongside David Hicks, Cox Architecture and landscape architect Paul Bangay.

Photography: Mark Roper

The revolutionary one-bedroom convertible apartment

Featuring moveable walls, pull down beds, Scandinavian-inspired finishes and integrated joinery, the soon to be released Convertible Spaces apartments, will give residents the ability to transform their living area into a larger space, perfect for entertaining or simply spreading out.

Designed by developer Hamton and architecture and interior design firm ROTHELOWMAN, the highly innovative one-bedroom apartment model will feature in the luxury Sanctuary on the River development in Abbotsford, Melbourne.

The Convertible Spaces apartments are designed so that bedroom space can be incorporated into living space as required, and functional areas like corridors become usable in living and bedroom areas without compromising on access through the apartment. By including a fold-down bed and moveable wall, several metres have been added to the apartment, offering residents an enormous amount of flexibility. When the bed is hidden away and the wall moved across into the bedroom area, the result is a 70% increase in living area.

A wall of integrated joinery comprises a TV unit, kitchen with integrated fridge, bedroom robes with integrated bedside tables and a pull-down queen sized bed. The movable wall that transforms the apartment is itself a beautiful joinery unit continuing the Scandinavian theme whilst importantly providing useful functionality with a pull out pantry, soft close drawers and ample storage accessible from both sides.

Sanctuary on the River will be the first to feature the Convertible Spaces apartments, with prices ranging from $415,000 to $455,000. Completion is expected for spring 2015. For more information.