Perfect for now and for the future
The Pavilion by AMA Homes in Inverleith showcases the views – but doesn’t stint on the interiors, with many ultra-modern touches
Some homes look smart, while others are smart. AMA Homes’ new Pavilion building in Edinburgh has homes that are both. The Inverleith development is located towards the end of Kinnear Road – a wide cul-de-sac made up of private homes, exclusive apartment buildings and the Consulate General of Poland.
The location is key. Not only is it a relatively short walk from the city centre, but it’s also a short stroll from both Inverleith Park and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. You don’t have to trouble yourself with the city centre at all, as you also have Edinburgh’s famous “village in a city”, Stockbridge, mere minutes away.
However, you suspect this deceptively quiet site has been chosen with one overriding factor in mind: the view. All apartments from the ground level up have fully-glazed patio doors that open to wide, private, south-facing terraces that look out over Edinburgh Accies Cricket Club, affording them stunning views of the capital skyline all the way to Arthur’s Seat.
The terraces are staggered, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the sun. And while the two garden-level main-door flats may not enjoy the same views as their upstairs neighbours, they have the added benefit of glazed doors that open up on to private patios and classically elegant landscaped gardens, which have been “terraced” rather like a paddy field but without the rice.
This attention to detail is perhaps no surprise as AMA Homes has been at the forefront of residential development in Edinburgh for more than 35 years and has a slew of awards to show for it. Established as a family business in 1983, it remains so with the four brothers – Ali, Mike, Behzad and Behnam – being very much involved in the entire process from site purchase to home sales.
Pavilion has been designed by the internationally-renowned Richard Murphy Architects, a practice with 24 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awards to its name.
From the first Maggie’s Centre in Edinburgh – nominated for the prestigious Stirling Prize in 1997 – to Richard Murphy’s own iconic New Town home on Hart Street, which won RIBA House of the Year in 2016, the architect’s exceptional portfolio has been enhanced by the addition of Pavilion.
The apartment interiors continue Murphy’s tradition of elegant innovation. The living, dining and kitchen areas are presented in a large open-plan space which is flooded with natural light from the fully-glazed south-facing patio doors. These can be opened on to a large terrace, expanding the area even more.
Each kitchen is individually designed with all the fullyintegrated appliances you would expect and some you might not – such as a warming drawer for plates, instant boiling water tap and a fully automatic, bean-to-cup coffee machine.
A smart induction hob is complemented by an integrated extractor hood, which is connected to the outside via a concealed vent due to the unique tiered nature of the high ceilings.
The tiering also conceals a built-in sound system, which you can pair with your chosen smart device, and runs throughout the home – even in the bathroom.
This space has ensuites and shower rooms, which are fully tiled and fitted with the highest quality sanitary ware with integrated fittings.
All the public areas are floored with large porcelain tiles designed to make optimum use of the apartments’ under-floor heating.
Double glazing and smart control room-by-room temperature control mean that all Pavilion’s apartments are energy efficient. With this in mind, the development will feature a photovoltaic solar system mounted on the roof to generate renewable electricity.
The principal bedrooms – which are luxuriously carpeted
– are served by an ensuite, and all bedrooms have large integrated wardrobes with rails, drawers, open shelving and internal lighting.
In fact, all rooms have been finished to the highest possible standard and attention has been paid to “future-proof ” the apartments throughout – for example, there are provisions for charging points in the basement garage area.
The future is never quite truly set but the state-of-the-art design of Pavilion appears very much the shape of things to come.
Meanwhile, AMA Homes is looking still further ahead, with three more developments in the pipeline. Springwell, a collection of 48 homes on the site of the Victorian Springwell Hospital off Gorgie Road, is on course to be the first to be completed, by the end of this year.
Elsewhere, the Torwood House development in Murrayfield will consist of two pavilion-style contemporary blocks as well as the restoration and remodelling of an existing Victorian house.
Further down the line, Ravelston III will be a unique futuristic development of three large detached properties within the boundaries of Ravelston Dykes Quarry, set in an idyllic woodland setting.
For more information, see amahomes.co.uk
AMA Homes has been at the forefront of residential development in Edinburgh for more than 35 years and has a slew of awards