week 4
Miles of style
Developing our city \ When design and development blend, the results can impress, writes LIZ McLACHLAN
I Winning partnership: (main image) Lounge in three-bedroom Lux & Modern townhouse; (above) Mim Design principal Miriam Fanning. (SUPPLIED)
nterior designer Miriam Fanning says it’s a joy to work with a developer that truly values design. Fanning, the principal of design practice Mim Design, appreciates the philosophies her company – and industry – share with Little Projects. “As designers, we know how design can change lives by creating positive environments for people to live and work in,” she says. Fanning and her team have been working on their fourth multiresidential collaboration with Little Projects, known for its superior lifestyle developments in some of Melbourne’s most sought-after locations, including South Yarra, Port Melbourne, Brunswick East and Kew East. “Attention to detail is really important because it’s not just about building; it’s about creating a project that has personality, reason and purpose. This is why we love working with Little Projects,” Fanning says. “They’re open and honest, fabulous at listening to new ideas; they make sure they know what their buyers want from living spaces and amenities and where they want to live. “It really does help when a developer has a strong vision. Little Projects values their future residents and wants them to live well. For Little Projects, it’s not just about fitting bedrooms, bathrooms and living within four walls. They want to give people a whole lot more. Design excellence is important to them because of the difference it makes in creating positive living environments that are valued by buyers and the surrounding community.” Little Projects managing director Michael Fox says great design is the fundamental part of the company’s development business. “The interiors are critical to how people live and work in their apartments. People love and enjoy Miriam’s
luxury hotel treatment using stone and timber detailing. creativity,” he says. “She has been integral in taking our Fanning has used stairways as an opportunity to latest developments to another level.” introduce more light to both levels of the townhouses. Little Projects’ latest development, Lux & Modern, “It was as important to have a living space that felt is on the corner of Strathalbyn Street and Strathwyn cosy in winter and light and airy in summer,” she says. Place in Kew East. It comprises a group of 12 deluxe Mim Design’s first collaboration with Little Projects, two-storey townhouses with prices ranging from at Ilk, in South Yarra, was recently shortlisted in the $739,000 to $1.15 million and is due to be finished late residential decoration award category of this year’s next year. Australian Interior Design Awards. For Lux & Modern, the Mim Design team designed Delighted with the Ilk work, Little Projects holistic interiors that covered everything from asked Mim Design to create the interiors for layouts to finishes and colour palettes to joinery. penthouses at Central South Yarra, due for Lux & Modern has been created for “… it’s not completion in August next year. Fanning says savvy Kew home-buyers who appreciate these designs have a focus on contemporary craftsmanship and value exceptional design. just about design with timeless appeal. Fanning says the idea was to create a beautiful building” Work on the interiors of the Rye Lofts in townhouse development that embodied the Little Projects’ $215 million transformation of joy of living in a well-designed space. the historic Tip Top precinct in Brunswick East “Lux & Modern is a group of townhouses that followed. These apartments sold out months before required individual personality – they had to appeal their expected completion next month. to young families as well as to people who wanted to Fanning says design must, above all, work and be downsize, and to young professionals,” she says. practical, otherwise it is difficult to live well. She and “We brought in modern elements that also her team recognise that people need to use their homes, encompassed a luxurious nature, particularly in their whatever shape or size, for far more than just eating texture and finish. All our joinery has customised and sleeping. handles and beautifully routed timber line work.” “It is really important that your space feels like home,” Key considerations included finding a balance she says. \ between classic and contemporary design and creating lmclachlan@theweeklyreview.com.au environments that inspired owners to place their personal stamp on their home. » Lux & Modern Kew East \ luxandmodern.com.au Fanning selected a neutral palette of layered greys, oatmeal tones and deep charcoals to create a » Little Projects \ littleprojects.com.au sophisticated interior with clean architectural lines. instagram.com/littleprojects Premium materials and finishes were chosen for their texture and form. They include natural stone in the » Mim Design \ www.mimdesign.com.au kitchens and bathrooms and blonde timber flooring and instagram.com/mimdesignstudio panelling. The main bedroom and en suite were given MAY 28, 2014 \ The weekly review 35
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