INVITE THE LIGHT IN
Boutique apartments will bring a dash of affordable luxury to an emerging corner of Auckland, writes ERIN REILLY
Beautiful homes and luxurious lifestyles make suburbs like Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Mt Eden and Kingsland some of the most sought-after in Ta¯ maki Makaurau. But another nearby neighbourhood is becoming one of the city’s most promising upand-comers.
The commercial, urban spaces of Eden Terrace are fast evolving into popular residential destinations. Take Randolph St, for example. Work on Proxima Residences, a development of 69 boutique apartments, is set to start in the first quarter of this year. Comprised of roomy one-, twoand three-bedroom homes, Proxima Residences will bring a dash of affordable luxury to a part of Auckland that’s set to boom over the coming years.
Developer Vanessa Tam says one of her main design focuses has been to maximise sunlight.
“Each apartment has been configured in a way that invites the light in and gets rid of dark corners,” she says. “Aucklanders love getting outside so the balconies are generous and run across the apartments rather than simply coming off the living area, which will be great for indoor/ outdoor flow.”
Barfoot & Thompson agent Aaron Cook, who, along with Holly Huang, is marketing the property says the north-facing positioning of the development will give residents a unique aspect that they won’t find anywhere else this close to the city centre.
“Proxima Residences faces north, which means many of our apartments have beautiful views overlooking the cityscape,” he says. “This is a unique outlook compared to other parts of Auckland which might have views of the city but don’t enjoy that same warm, sunny outlook.”
Each apartment is surprisingly spacious. The smallest one-bedroom apartment sits at 63sq m while the smallest three-bedroom apartment is 150sq m. For a little more space without the extra price tag, there’s also a tworoom flexi option with one bedroom and an additional space which could be used as a study, media room or storage room.
“These apartments are ideal for owner-occupiers who want the convenience of apartment living so close to the city but don’t want to compromise on space,” says Cook.
Proxima Residences is petfriendly.
“Many body corps choose not to allow pets at all, but we understand that having pets is important for many Aucklanders,” says Tam. “Our body corp rules will let responsible pet owners and their well-behaved furry friends move in, and with parks nearby it will make living with animals easy.”
One reason why Eden Terrace is so up-and-coming is its proximity to the best bits of Auckland — and its disconnect from the bad bits.
“Things are at your doorstep and you’re just a short Uber away from anywhere, but you’re far enough away that you don’t get caught up in traffic,” says Tam. “A new train station will be opening just up the road in a few years’ time too which will make this part of town even easier to get to.”
Tam says that Proxima Residences will reinvigorate a part of town that’s on the up and up. “We’ve designed something that we’d like to live in ourselves, in an area that’s set to boom, and we hope the new residents will love it as much as we do.”
For Sale: One-bed starts at $634,000; two-room flexi $690,000; two-bed $998,000; three-bed $1.662m; extra parking for 2- and 3-bed apartments additional. Contact: Aaron Cook, Barfoot & Thompson, 021 612 642; Holly Huang, 021 190 8088.