Apartments are on the up, and a stylish new addition to Parnell presents a luxurious vision for living. Emma Gleason reviewed One Saint Stephens for Viva Magazine—click here to read the original article.
With its peripheral urban locale, varied assortment of buildings, array of stores and eateries, and verdant plantings, Parnell has long enjoyed a consistent kind of appeal.
While many think of heritage homes and villas as its defining character — to use what’s lately become a rather loaded term — I’ve always found the surprising number of apartments to be its real strength.
Unlike fellow city-fringe suburbs of Ponsonby, Grey Lynn and Kingsland, Parnell has always had a remarkable amount of density, with plenty of character and charm.
There are the sun-drenched flats across from Fraser Park on Parnell Rise, while a couple of blocks up the street you’ll find the handsome brick Mayfair, built in 1929.
Further still, there’s the dashingly 1960s Parnell Terraces. On the bottom of Saint Stephens Ave, there’s the relatively young — a teenager compared to these dames — White Heron apartments. In backstreets, you’ll find terrace houses, Art Deco units and clever conversions.
They’re all soon to be joined by some luxurious new neighbours, including the development One Saint Stephens; a sophisticated example of apartment dwelling and a timely addition to the cityscape as Tāmaki Makaurau and its inhabitants welcome increased density and a more metropolitan lifestyle.
It is the latest in a swathe of fresh additions to Parnell in recent years, as the suburb moves with the times, benefiting from its proximity to the city and eclectic heritage.
Luxury department store Faradays set up shop in the historic textile centre building in lower Parnell last year, near popular joints like Barulho, Red Rabbit Coffee, Cibo.
Further up the strip, restaurants like Cornelia, Non Solo Pizza, Bandung and the visionary Pasture and Boxer are destination dining.
Continue up the sloping Parnell Rise and that’s where, come late 2024, you’ll find One Saint Stephens.
The handsome European limestone cladding of the front is an ode to the nearby museum with deeply recessed balconies and lush planting offering a private, shaded place for outdoor living that we don’t see enough in Tāmaki Makaurau.
The dashing black terracotta-clad rear half of the building is sympathetic to the distinctive look of the cathedral next door.
“The detailed articulation of the façade elements, employing enduring materials and highly resolved junctions, provides a calm, sophisticated architecture and a positive legacy to the community. Carefully planned, efficiently designed spaces promote a sense of wellbeing and enjoyment of free time,” explains architect Simon Elvidge, director of +MAP Architects (the Ōtautahi-based practice is a partnership between Simon and Huia Reriti).
“The exterior form of the building was sculptured and modelled in direct response to the evolving interior arrangement. This ‘form follows function’ approach ensured the internal arrangement of apartments was never compromised,” he tells Viva.
“Every apartment ‘type’ was carefully described in conceptual form, the layouts then designed and painstakingly considered, then thoroughly interrogated.”
This build is the fourth undertaken with Experiences by Coopers, while the architecture firm has worked with co-developers Clearwater Construction for a decade — relationships he describes as extremely collaborative, benefiting from years of trust, expertise and experience.
In an average of 195sq m with a high stud and generous rooms, the interior features hardwood floors, oak-veneer cabinetry and stone countertops (with two kitchen colourways to choose from). All the homes are at least dual aspect, allowing cross-flow breeze.
The public amenities are impressive too; there’s a pool, luxury carpark with a detailing bay, bar and a private dining room complete with a chef’s kitchen — the team worked with Des Harris of Clooney fame, who, like the room, can also be booked for events.
One Saint Stephens is an admirable example of high-end, living-focused design in an existing suburb, and it joins myriad new apartment buildings cropping up around Auckland.
