Why the ability to customise is a crucial offering in the off the plan apartment market
One of the most attractive aspects of buying off the plan property is the ability to customize. Walls can be moved (within reason), storage and joinery can become customisable, while outdoor kitchens, appliance additions/upgrades, and fireplaces are just a few of the more common upgrades that buyers can choose to incorporate.
Local Melbourne developer SMA Projects takes customization seriously and understands its importance, particularly where other developers may not.
They’ve been working with a buyer—incidentally, an architect—who was immediately attracted to SMA’s newest inner-city apartment development, The Regent in Fitzroy, after seeing the interior images on the hoarding at the Fitzroy Street site.
The prospective buyer loved the interiors by Studio Tate, but given her and her husband's preferences, they weren’t interested in either the two-bedroom or one-bedroom apartments on offer. They wanted a blend of both—and no, not a three-bedroom apartment.
They’re currently working with Studio Tate to create an oversized one-bedroom apartment, taking the floorplan and size of a two-bedroom apartment and combining it with a one-bedroom design that includes a large master bedroom and an expanded kitchen, living, and dining area, as they love to entertain.
Downsizing from a family home in the area, the prospective buyer had visited several of the new developments in Fitzroy over the last year since deciding to downsize. However, for what she envisioned, she felt like she’d fallen into the “too hard” bucket when it came to customization with other developers.
The philosophy at SMA has always been: “If you haven’t found it, let’s create it for you.”
SMA Projects Sales Executive Emily Shaddick says it’s important in the development industry to encourage creativity and, more importantly, to respond to what people want for their future homes.
“SMA has always put together floorplans that cater to a wide variety of purchasers, but they also understand some buyers have bespoke tastes. They work closely with those buyers to come up with a solution that makes them feel comfortable purchasing,” Shaddick says.
In a unique approach to development, because the prospective buyer is opting for one bathroom instead of the two that were part of the original configuration, the developer has given the buyer a credit for the bathroom—a part of the build they no longer need to fit out.
“I don’t know any developer who does that,” Shaddick says, adding that the buyer can now use that credit to change or upgrade various other parts of the apartment, whether it’s appliances or specific finishes like flooring or kitchen benchtops.
Having completed a string of inner-city apartment developments over the last two decades, SMA recently launched The Regent, named after the site’s origins as the Regent Theatre back in the 1980s.
The Regent, designed by award-winning architecture firm Hayball, will comprise just 64 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments aimed solely at the owner-occupier.
To give buyers further customization, there are two different colour palettes on offer as standard: the light and airy Classic Collection, influenced by Nordic minimalism, and the Fitzroy-esque, more dramatic Arthouse Collection.
The Regent sits in an ideal pocket just off Johnston Street, giving future residents direct access to Fitzroy’s thriving hospitality scene as well as Melbourne’s extensive tram network.
Future residents will also have access to several amenities within the building, including a rooftop with extensive views of Melbourne and a bookable guest suite, an uncommon feature of a building which ultimately encouraged the recent prospective buyer to remove one of their bedrooms, as any of their guests who want to come and stay with them, can utilize the extra hotel suite-style room.
