It's all about the curves - yeah, baby! Photo / supplied
It's all about the curves - yeah, baby! Photo / supplied
It’s curvy, with a touch of Austin Powers - but it’s not cheap, baby.
A record $22.5 million is being sought for an under-construction Auckland penthouse, priced at 23.5 times the average New Zealand house value.
The lounge fireplace has a 60s vibe, the cabinets have curved fronts from theflower power era and the whole place is 539sq m with a wine room, powder room, art gallery and six oversized basement car parks, each 2.7m compared to the standard 2.5m.
The penthouse at One Saint Stephens is being developed in Parnell beside the Anglican Cathedral by developer Martin Cooper of Experiences by Coopers and builder Mike Sullivan of Countrywide Residences.
They said Clooney chef Des Harris had worked on the design of two kitchens, the place has four bedrooms each with walk-in wardrobes and ensuites, as well as a winter garden outdoor terrace. Christchurch-based +Map Architects designed the upmarket apartments.
The price is 23.5 times higher than an average house, based on the latest CoreLogic data.
One Saint Stephens has been under construction for some months and the developer and builder are “inviting inquiries” at $22.5m “before customisation”. That is a reference to potentially paying more for fit-out requirements.
How the scullery might look at the new penthouse apartment. Photo / Supplied
Cooper and Sullivan have a track record of getting top dollar.
They sold New Zealand’s most expensive apartment for $16.5m in Remuera’s Elm block - a project by the same joint venture businesses. Nick Goodall, CoreLogic research head, said that penthouse sale in one of the city’s most expensive suburbs set a new benchmark and a valuation record, put at $19 million in the project where 13 apartments sold for a collective $57m. Elm is at 18 Ōrākei Rd and people have been living there for some months.
Plans for the master bedroom's elegant and enormous dressing room. Photo / Supplied
An artist's impression of how the master bedroom ensuite could look. Photo / Supplied
In 2018, the penthouse of Auckland’s The Pacifica was for sale for $35m, setting a record asking price. That level-57 place never sold and has since been split into smaller spaces.
In May, OneRoof reported the top floor of the Victoria Lane apartments on the Remuera Rd/Victoria Ave corner went for $17m but only a deposit was paid last year on that place and the full $17m sale is yet to settle hence it doesn’t appear in records CoreLogic’s Goodall accesses showing finalised sales and money fully paid. CMP is not due to finish the 23-unit $50m building till March next year.
As for the Parnell project, Cooper and Sullivan are developing 27 apartments on the former site of two old wooden houses between Brighton Rd and St Stephens Ave.
By August when marketing had begun, deposits had been paid on 12 apartments, averaging $5m each. Cooper said back then that sales agreements had been struck from $2.5m to $10m.
But now, he says deposits have been taken on more than $100m of sales in less than 15 weeks.
So it’s a good time to release the penthouse, being marketed as The One.
“At this very high end, the market is evolving. People once perceived $10m to be the pinnacle, but that is quickly becoming $20m or more,” Cooper said.
The penthouse buyer will get the benefits of a lock-out lift, meaning that they will have exclusive use. No one else will be inside the quiet and private space.
