Publicity for Auckland apartments often refers to them as “New York style lofts” but Harry, who owns this corner apartment in the George Courts building in K Rd, Auckland, gets his lead from the apartments of Paris.
“Everyone says New York but I think the French have better taste.”
He bought three corner units in the building two decades ago turning one into what was Starbucks cafe, and this one into an apartment measuring 378sq m.
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“We got a change of consent from the council that permitted us to use it as office residential.” That was back around 2014, they started the conversion in 2015, finishing it in 2016.
“I have a team of people who do in-house architecture and construction, but primarily I am an investor and I tend to keep everything a long time. I am selling this only because another opportunity has come along and I have had to sell one of my apartments.”
His ground level apartment is on the south-west corner of the building. “It was empty space when I bought it and I asked the people at Barfoot and Thompson what was in demand in this market sector.
“They said buyers wanted open plan, lock-and-leave and zero maintenance. Plenty of light.
“It’s a modern, minimalist look, as I hate clutter.
“It is a very quiet apartment; and gets the sun from midday on. I paid attention to the lighting. No light is in your face, it’s all hidden.”
Jarrah beams came out of a Thames warehouse and oak imported from France was used for the wall panelling. The rimu for the kitchen bench came from an old house in Eltham in Taranaki.
“The stud in the main area is 5.2m high, it’s awe-inspiring. And I have paid attention to using non-toxic natural materials.
The versatile layout is presented as five super king-sized bedrooms, two with en suites, downstairs with the huge living space, office, study and storage, another bathroom and laundry. Upstairs are living, kitchen and dining.
The kitchen has big panels that can be shut to hide it away. “You could use this upstairs space as a boardroom,” says Harry.
He says George Courts appealed because of character and history.
“Heritage buildings are something we always stick to, and I have decorated it with a mix of modern and old. I can see creative people here, or a businessperson wanting a big office space.
“People are selling their quarter-acre sections and big gardens and they want to live in a big, light apartment with zero maintenance. We put 24 Cat 5 internet portals around the wall too, so you can have a main server if you want and plug in 24 desks for an office. It has air conditioning and all the facilities required for modern city lifestyle.
“There are plenty of car parks nearby you can lease, it is more affordable than in the CBD.”
Harry reckons K Rd is five or 10 years away from being “the coolest area in Auckland”.
“It is the only place in central Auckland where you have a whole line of heritage buildings and that will make it a star. It will have an amazing future; it will be a high-density area, especially when the underground rail is finished and you can get anywhere in the city within minutes.”
