APARTMENT LIVING
Renovation has added to studio’s character, writes Donna McIntyre
Karlie Fisher thinks apartments are a great compromise for people who cannot afford a home with a backyard. “Like me, they yearn for a space to really live in, not just a space to sleep.” Karlie bought her studio apartment at Lorne St Lofts from friends in early 2017, renting it before taking over ownership.
“The apartment needed a bit of TLC after years of various tenants. I joked over a coffee that they should sell the place to me instead of spending the money on upkeep, and it just snowballed.
“A few months later it was mine. The apartment had so much potential. I loved the light, and I knew if I was careful with a renovation I could do it justice.
“I’ve always felt that you can’t go wrong with a character apartment; there are only so many buildings in the city like this.”
She loves how the sun filters into her west-facing apartment. “It slips in and out from behind buildings. We get morning sun around 10, and then it ducks away before coming back around midday. In the summer you get this lovely sun in the evening.”
For the renovation, she sought out advice from friends who were architects. “I chewed their ears off to gather ideas and rough sketches as I started to tackle the design and layout.
“I don’t think there are many studio apartments out there that would have such a high-quality renovation.”
The space was gutted and a new kitchen and a new bathroom were installed. Walls and ceilings were re-plastered, floors were sanded, and every light fitting and plug came out.
Colours she chose create a feeling of a peaceful corner in a busy urban environment. “The city can be intense and assaulting at times, I wanted the apartment to feel serene, calm, and soft. One wall is plaster, and the paint we chose is Aalto Powdered Wig.
“It has this amazing ability to take on the warmth and colours of the light in the apartment.
“At times it’s a soft white, and others it’s slightly blush white. I adore it.”
For the kitchen benchtop and bathroom vanity she chose white Corian. Bathroom flooring is a soft almond-coloured travertine, with underfloor heating.
She thinks her renovation proves that a functional, soothing home can be created in a small space. “I’m sure some of my friends think I am crazy living in an open plan apartment.
“But, while renovating, we house-sat for my aunt, and were thrown through a loop at how much wasted space there was in the house.
“And I couldn’t walk out the door and get my coffee. Suburban life! The city has everything I need on my doorstep.”
Karlie says she is selling because “my partner is perhaps not so in love with inner city living as I am, so we are compromising with a city fringe apartment”.