LOFTY IDEALS
These stylish units on Auckland’s North Shore bring a slice of Big Apple urban chic to a prime beachside location, writes MARIA HOYLE, One Roof, New Zealand Herald.
How great would it be to have a Modern New York style apartment, all industrial chic and urban sophistication……but with a stunning beach just a five minute walk away? Thats what the designers of Lake Road Lofts clearly thought when they planned a selection of three and four bedroom homes on this prime piece of North Shore real estate.
“Its quite an exciting one for Takapuna: rather than your standard terraced home thats plastered and gibbed and painted you’ve got quite a point of difference here,” says Ray White agent Ross Hawkins. That “point of difference” is a number of sizeable units to be built by designer Chris Tate (who designed All Blacks great Sir John Kirwan’s Waihi Bach)
These homes, currently being sold off the plans, wont just pay lip service to the Manhattan style living but embrace it in every detail. Details like the steel joinery in the full height windows. These elegant frames exude an authenticity that comes with a price, but longevity and quality were front of mind here. “We could have got a couple of more units on, gone for more density and and lower quality. But we wanted to build good homes that would stand the test of time, that people will appreciate living in,” says developer Simon Thomson of Optimum Projects.
On an elevated crest at the top of Clifton Road, just a short stroll to the golden stretch of Takapuna Beach, the apartments open out to balconies with an eminently Kiwi view: Auckland City and the metallic curved spine of the Harbour Bridge. For downsizers and young professionals, these stylish units - measuring 220sqm for the four bedroom and just under 120sqm for the three bed - offer a sizeable and stylish alternative to life in an apartment block. Inside, materials like steel, raw concrete and chequer plate for the stairs all add up to an aesthetic that is softened by distressed timber flooring and sheer curtains.
Interior Designer Rachel Butt of LUXE DESIGN - who lived in Manhattan for four years - can take a lot of the credit for the authentic detail. “New York lofts tend to have a edgy industrial feel, but you also want a balance: steel and concrete slabs alongside nice clean lines for a tasteful contemporary result, to give that feeling of living well”, says Rachel. The kitchens and bathrooms she says - which will feature warm, natural materials like timber cabinetry - are where you can best see this dichotomy: and industrial style that is at the same time classy and timeless”.
And art lovers have their perfect canvas: the units open plan spaces lend themselves perfectly to displaying artwork and sculpture. The apartments certainly have privacy here, but this is Auckland after all, not the Big Apple, and so factoring in time spent al fresco was a key consideration, says Thomson.
No expense has been spared in creating a space that seamlessly links indoors with outdoors, where bespoke gardens and louvred canopies provide sun and shelter. The shared outdoor area, with its native planting and a fire, makes for a welcoming space to mix and mingle or simply chill out. Perhaps over a Manhattan or two.
