CONTACT:
Amanda Morrison 021 174 5928 or Frank Peng 022 195 9929.
*3-bed apartments come with a single or double (tandem) car park; 2-bed come with a single space. 1-bed apartment owners may be able to buy a car park.
Hossain Reyhani knows what it takes to create a successful product -- he's the person who came up with, among other things, the classic design for Spark's public phone booths.
The former commercial product designer has since moved on to property development but applies the same principles of product designto creating homes people want to live in. There are three key elements, says Hossain.
"First is good looks, second is good function and third is good price," he says. "It is the combination of the three that makes a successful product."
He's confident he has been able to achieve each of those elements when it comes to his latest project, a new apartment block to be built in Upper Queen St.
Called The Eight, the block of 62 luxury apartments have not only been designed to look striking and sophisticated but are also extremely practical, with a lot of thought put into what it will actually be like to live there.
And for luxury apartments close to plenty of the central city's best attractions, the price should attract many people, believes Hossain, who is the managing director of Core City Group.
"We only build apartments that we would be happy to live in ourselves," he says.
Quality is a word Hossain mentions frequently when he talks about The Eight. It will be a top quality build from top to bottom, he promises.
For example,the carpets will be top of the range and be laid over extra underlay, so they feel incredibly soft to walk on.
The kitchens include scratch-proof stone benchtops -- and they really are very difficult to damage, says Core City's marketing director, Laura Counsell.
Image 1 of 4: Upper Queen St development is the latest in colourful area's regeneration. Artist Illustrations / supplied
"I took a key to the benchtop in the display suite the other day but it didn't leave a mark," she says.
When it came to the design of the building, Hossain called in award-winning Melbourne company Plus Architecture, which has a reputation for top class builds. One of the features they incorporated into The Eight is a rooftop garden that will be available to all residents for use.
"It will get all day sun, but because it is not on the very top floor of the building it will not be windy," Hossain says.
Another feature of the units in The Eight is the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living areas and some of the bedrooms that will flood the apartments with light and provide great views of the city.
Other factors that were given careful consideration include space -- apartments are a generous size and the stud is 2.7m. As well as plenty of cupboards, each apartment also has a separate storage room on the same floor.
"That makes life easier -- you don't have to take things in the lift down to the basement to store them. The storage room is just down the hall," says Laura.
Every single kitchen will be custom-made by Poggenpohl and include top quality appliances and fittings, such as the goose-neck tapware. They will also be decent-sized to suit Kiwi living.
But if residents would rather eat out, they will be spoilt for choice. There are lots of great eateries just a quick stroll away from The Eight in Queen St, Karangahape Rd and Symonds St, and plenty more an easy car or taxi trip away in Newmarket, Ponsonby and Parnell.
The K Rd neighbourhood has traditionally been a colourful one. Up until the middle of last century, it was one of Auckland's premier shopping streets, with department stores including George Courts. It is great to see regeneration in the neighbourhood, say Hossain and Laura.
"We feel like pioneers in the redevelopment of the area, which is exciting," says Laura.
