CONTACT:
Gillian Gibson, Ray White, mob 0272 770 770.
Vanessa Smith's striking urban warehouse conversion has transformed a relatively blank canvas with bold brushstrokes of industrial chic and unexpected luxury.
"I like fabulous," says Vanessa, who makes her living painstakingly restoring apartments.
"I wanted to make it beautiful. It deserved to be, in this fabulous location and potentially fabulous building."
She's owned an apartment upstairs from this for a decade. The circa 1920s Emily Place building started life as Paykels Building and reputedly encompassed warehousing. Historical photos show brick and solid concrete beam construction. However, when Vanessa bought this apartment 18 months ago, its interior largely hid that industrial heritage under surface plaster and bland carpet.
"I walked in and I could just see the potential. Character space this size is so hard to get. My primary aims were to put the character back into it and to make the living space as big as I could, because so many apartments have tiny living spaces."
She removed plaster to expose beautiful brickwork and impressive concrete pillars and lifted carpet to polish the concrete floors.
Emily Place is a relatively quiet urban street handy to Britomart, the harbour and the university. This first floor perch admires character buildings, trees and nearby Emily Place Reserve.
"I love old buildings and the location here is hard to beat. You can so easily ask yourself, 'What do I feel like eating tonight?' and just walk out into the city. And being on a really wide, open street you look out on the Carlisle Building and Emily Place Reserve without having neighbours right in your face."
Her predilection for drama and luxe is immediately apparent in a moody foyer sporting gorgeous lace-effect black wallpaper. "The moment you walk in I want you to feel good."
Wide, open-plan living unfurls under a high stud, accented by brick, concrete and original steel window joinery.
"Living here is a lot about the lifestyle; you have friends over, have drinks before you go out. And it's only a hop, skip and a jump to the waterfront."
Vanessa, who admits she's not particularly green-fingered, papered a wall by the dining area with a leafy green print. "I like the fact the apartment has a green outlook and I wanted to bring it inside as well -- without anyone having to do any work."
Two small ambient bio-ethanol fireplaces nestle into a ledge near the main lounging area. There's also a timber-shelved library where squab seating encircles a vertical concrete beam.
The sleek kitchen offers bar seating along a nearly 3m-long island topped in black granite, with black and brick-coloured cabinetry on legs.
"This is my absolute favourite thing in the kitchen," exclaims detail-oriented Vanessa, revealing a permanent draining rack concealed in a cupboard.
Two separate spaces are partitioned off within sliding steel joinery which can be partially opened for ventilation. One is the bedroom, including a textural brick wall interspersed with concrete, shelving and a walk-in wardrobe. The other is a separate carpeted study with a wall of bookshelf wallpaper.
Vanessa has cleverly integrated storage where possible and ensured the separate laundry's big enough to house an always ready ironing board.
Drama's ladled on in the bathroom. A dark charcoal-tiled double shower oozes attitude, offset by a shocking pink feature wall. An inset shelf beside the freestanding bath is the perfect height for a glass of wine.
Vanessa's treated herself by staying in this apartment recently while it's been completed. She knows its transformation packs punch as she's had so many non-apartment dwellers walk in and say "Wow, I could live here."
