What was the initial inspiration for the interior design at 35 Spring Street
Jeff Copolov: The starting point is always the site. From an interiors perspective you are always looking at optimising that opportunity, and in this location within the city grid, I believe Spring Street is the ultimate residential address in Melbourne.
Grant Filipoff: The corner of Spring Street and Flinders Lane is probably one of the best corners in the city. There are so many amenities in close proximity to the building. Flinders Lane is home to numerous bars and restaurants and then there’s also the nearby cinemas.
Jeff Copolov: With this project we spent a lot of time studying and maximising view corridors. This is particularly important when designing high-rise living in a dense environment. We were conscious of visually connecting with the icons of Melbourne from the MCG through to the Fitzroy Gardens. Outlook is also the defining element when planning apartments; what you place where, and how you maximise the views for each and every residence.
Carolyn White: The view is also one of the first things that buyers are wanting to understand.
How did the building’s unique façade influence the design?
Jeff Copolov: The design is very much about the interior and architecture crafting each other. For instance on the ground floor lobby we deliberately used the grid pattern of the façade and extended it into the interior spaces, therefore letting the building’s exterior become the building’s interior. We also reproduced the grid again on a micro scale with the introduction of screens as an ornamental device.
How important are the amenities in a development such as 35 Spring Street?
Kendra Pinkus: The lounge has proven to be so successful. We recently visited the building and spoke with the concierge. He said that it is so active and that residents often just pop downstairs and sit in the lounge to read a book. The residents’ private dining room and barbecue are also always booked out. They are both really popular and successful.
Jeff Copolov: I actually thought the lobby lounge would be a more ornamental place where people would spend limited time waiting for guests or for an Uber, but it’s become so much more. Lobbies are generally busy places, so to create a place where people wanted to sit, we deliberately divided the space into two separate areas. There’s a harder, active part of the lobby with the concierge and a circulation route through to the lift lobbies, and then we treated the lounge as a softer place, with a fireplace and more sumptuous personalised furnishings.
Kendra Pinkus: People really use it and there are people in there the entire time. It provides a space for residents in the building to meet. They are coming and going, walking their dogs. It creates a community and a place where people can meet their neighbours.
Jeff Copolov: We fought hard to convince everyone that this amenity should located on the ground floor, on the corner of Flinders Lane and Spring Street. Originally there was some discussion that the space should be given to more active hospitality and retail facilities. However, we wanted to prioritise the experience for the residents.
Kendra Pinkus: It’s a sophisticated space and it’s about creating an ambience, a place where people want to be. It feels like a hotel.
Which elements distinguished the design of the apartment interiors at 35 Spring Street?
Carolyn White: The client (Cbus Property) wanted to produce a high quality product and there was a great deal of integrity when making decisions. That meant that the bedroom sizes, living room and the scale of the kitchen bench was more generous than some of the other apartment developments being built at the same time.
Grant Filipoff: It was the only residential tower at that time of that quality. It was a benchmark.
Carolyn White: Understanding the market was important to the success of the sales campaign. The development sold 100% off the plan, and all of the 3-bedroom apartments sold quickly.
Jeff Copolov: It was marketed to owner-occupiers, and it was about knowing what the purchasers wanted.
Kendra Pinkus: For many residents, it’s a complete lifestyle change.
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