Title No.3

WINTER 2015 edition THE VERY BEST OF ApartmenT living

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the very best of Apartment living

WINTER WONDERS SIZZLING NEW INTERIORS

WINTER 2015 edition

1000 ROOMS

WITH AN AMAZING VIEW

ISSUE THREE

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Contents title | the very best of apartment living | issue tHREE

29

47

Level one Interiors

Level TWO Lifestyle

71

Chocolate cake photography Lorrie Graham

Level THREE Strata Facts

Contact us and subscribe - Page 58 Front Cover Picture: Winter room by Minotti.

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TITLE| from the editor

Title - Bigger and better I am writing this in a trendy hotel in the middle of Glasgow, Scotland. My room is just large enough to accommodate a standard double bed, a desk and a side table. The bathroom is a glassed-off area in the corner – frosted glass, for modesty’s sake, I hasten to add.

OUR CREW Publisher and Editor: Jimmy Thomson Head Writer: Sue Williams Art Director: Scott Cassidy Photography: Lorrie Graham Sub-editor: Louise Whittle Contributors: Michael Murillo, Karen Daniels, Hamish McTavish, Toni Eatts, Chris Beck, Anna Washington, Tania Flack, Grant Hyde, Chris Hazell, Renee Cassidy Advertising Director: Marni Groves Distribution Manager: David Groves Office Cats: Mac and Pepper

In the Z Hotel, there are no cupboards, only hooks and hangers on timber panels on the wall. There’s just enough space under the bed to slide my suitcase. There’s a small stool under the desk which is exactly the right height. This room of less than 20 square metres works and in a strange way, it brings together many of the themes behind Title.

We love stylish interiors but we like our form to be functional and I can’t help thinking that there are thousands of students, young singles and even solo retirees who would gladly live simply in a space not much bigger than this if it was as affordable as it is compact and well-designed.

It would have to be better than sharing bunk bed space with half a dozen others. But, while there is an absolutely valid drive in our major cities to expunge the blight of overcrowded units, there is no determined push to provide accommodation for all the people who would be forced out of multi-occupancy flats.

Perhaps they could put an upper limit on the price of an apartment, once it drops below a certain size, although, like everything else in life, there is no “one size fits all” solution.

Of course, another link between my mini-room and this magazine is our ever-expanding travel section (10 pages in this edition). And I wonder how much the experience of fabulous hotel bathrooms has influenced the design of the smallest (but getting bigger) rooms in units.

This edition of Title also contains our first ever work of fiction in its entirety – a short story from an anthology compiled by Lawrence Block, one of my favourite crime writers. By the way, if you don’t “get” the pay-off to The Lady Upstairs, Google the item and all will be revealed (but no skipping to the end).

Apart from that, I’m proud to say this is our biggest-yet edition of the magazine. Enjoy.

Jimmy Thomson

Title is published by Titlemag Australia Pty Ltd, PO Box 958, Potts Point, NSW 1335

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TITLE | NEWS

The problem is … US! What is one of the biggest problems in apartment living today? When academics from Queensland’s Griffith University surveyed all sectors of the national strata title industry, they were startled by the answer: it’s apartment owners!

Owner apathy, dysfunctional executive committees, poor owner education ... owners were blasted from all directions. Even apartment-owners themselves named their third biggest challenge – after building defects and poor strata management – as “low quality executive committees”.

The survey was prepared for the biennial national conference, Strata and Community Title in Australia for the 21st Century, that starts on September 2.

“There are plenty of fabulous people in buildings, and excellent executive committees,” says the author of the survey and host of the conference, Professor Chris Guilding.

“But when you have apathy in a building, it’s very easy for

“Apathy, dysfunctional committees and poor education - owners were blasted from all sides.”

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inappropriately motivated people who don’t have good business judgement and are not community-minded to get elected and pursue their own personal agendas rather than the greater good of a building.” (See page 82 ‘Building bridges, not barriers’).

And with owners saying their number-one concern was building defects, if only we could get ourselves organised, involved and engaged, maybe we could do something about that.

Pre-built bathrooms slide in One of the perennial problems with new buildings and conversions alike is the quality control on the trickiest room in any dwelling – the bathroom.

With electricians, plumbers, joiners and tilers working on top of each other in a confined space, things are bound to go wrong sooner or later. And when things go awry in a bathroom that can quickly become an issue for the whole building. One expert told Title that faulty bathroom seals are still the most common complaint in new buildings.

That’s one reason Crown developers are making a virtue of necessity in their luxury Ashfield development (above and right), in part a factory conversion.

Crown are building their bathrooms elsewhere and they are then trucked to the site, slid into place on skateboard-

like devices then hooked up, plugged in and locked down.

It’s another step in the Lego-isation of apartment block building but it has so much going for it – not least that the bathrooms and apartment block can be built at the same time – don’t be surprised if every building is constructed like that in the near future.

Chip off the old block At the risk of blowing our own trumpets – but, hey, if we don’t do it, who else will? – Title makes a major breakthrough in this edition by printing a short story in its entirety in our Big Read section.

The story, “The Lady Upstairs” comes

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“New York - the city we point to when people say apartment-living isn’t cool.” from an anthology of short stories edited by Title’s favourite crime writer, Lawrence Block. The book, Dark City Lights, is a compilation of short stories of and about New York, the place we point to when anyone is stupid enough to say apartment-living isn’t cool.

This particular story was chosen simply because: a) it’s set in an apartment block and b) it’s very good. The fact that it was written by Lawrence Block’s daughter, Jill, is not a sign of nepotism … just creative genes.

Next issue, our Big Read is the opening chapter of possibly the best book ever written about apartments, JG Ballard’s High Rise.

Brainy people live in flats - official Apartment residents are some of the brightest, and most educated, people in the country, a new study has revealed.

Around 70% of owner-occupiers have a university degree or equivalent or

even higher qualifications, while that’s the same for 68% of people renting apartments. That’s even higher for apartment investors – 73% of those are highly educated – and 63% of people intending to move into apartments are similarly learned.

The results came from the Urban Taskforce Australia report Urban Ideas: Who Lives In Apartments? And does it surprise us at Title? No, not at all. We’ve always believed that apartment-living is the smartest choice of all!

Up where we belong The future of city living is all about apartments – and hopefully good ones, says top apartment architect Philip Thalis of Hill Thalis, a lead speaker at the Housing Futures conference in Melbourne in late July. Lauding attempts in Victoria to impose amenity standards on all new units, such as size, access to daylight and cross ventilation, and calling for NSW’s design standard SEPP 65 to be strengthened, he says better design is key.

“Apartment buildings need to be designed to last at least a century, so they are going to be lived in by a lot of people,” he says. “It’s our responsibility to future generations that they are as well designed and built as they can be. Good architects with good clients are doing good work, but

we should be lifting the standard of the mediocre middle to improve the character, sustainability and liveability of our cities.” At the same time, Thalis praised the ten apartments shortlisted in their category for the 2015 Houses Awards 2015. (See finalist Melbourne Residence by Elenberg Fraser above.)

“It’s great to see people reinventing small apartments with savvy design - we need this sort of skill extended across our built environment.” See the apartment finalists at www.gallery.housesawards.com.au

Darling Harbour sold out The $3.4 billion revitalisation of Sydney’s Darling Harbour is steaming ahead, with the brought-forward second stage launch of 581 apartments in Darling Square selling out in just five hours in late May. Prices ranged from $800,000 for a one bed to more than $10 million for four-bedroom penthouses, developed by Lend Lease with architecture by Alec Tzannes and interiors by Bates Smart. The area will eventually house 4,200 residents and 2,500 workers plus tourists and visitors. With the first stage of 538 units also selling out in a day last year, construction on the site has begun, with the third and final release set to take place within the next 18 months.

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View with

1000

rooms

With the advent of high-rise buildings in Melbourne, views of the city from above are now accessible to everyone. And none more so, as Chris Beck discovers, than the residents of MY80 with its spectacular viewing lounge.

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TITLE | ANATOMY OF A HIGHRISE

From far left: The MY80 towers above the Melbourne skyline; The clean lines of the modern lobby; Residents and their guests get to enjoy panoramic views of Greater Melbourne from the viewing deck on the 53rd Floor.

Meet some of the residents and workers at MY90 – Seated (from left): Andrew Holgate, Nay Baek, Joshua Khaw. Rear (left to right): Ravi Patel, Chi Yan Li, Jeffrey Mok.

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One of the most stunning features of Australia’s newest luxury high-rise apartment tower is a communal balcony on the 53rd level with sweeping 180-degree views over Greater Melbourne. For residents of the recently-completed MY80 building, it’s a favourite spot to check out the city, catch some fresh air and show friends the exclusive vantage point. And for apartment owner Chi Yan Li, it has even more special appeal.

One of her favourite pastimes is rustling up some snacks and spreading out with friends on the giant beanbags of the communal cinema on a lower floor to watch a movie on the big screen. And her favourite? Sleepless In Seattle, with its famously heart-warming ending … on the observation deck of New York’s Empire State Building. “I like romantic movies,” says office worker Chi, 25. “It’s good to watch them here. The people are friendly and it’s great to come home from work, have all the facilities in the building to use, and feel at home but not alone.”

Those facilities were a major selling point of the 54-storey MY80, designed by architects Hayball, for the city corner of Elizabeth and A’Beckett streets. With 487 homes in the building, which opened in September last year, there’s also a raft of lifestyle facilities. The ground floor is set up for new shops to move in, while Level One has a relaxation and entertainment area, with a 12-metre heated pool and sauna, a residents’ lounge with dining area, a business centre and the 20-seat cinema.

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Up on Level 53, there’s a sky lounge with European oak floors and ceilings, and minimalist cushioned bench seating lining the walls. There’s also a shared dining room with great views for entertaining, that’s serviced by a bright kitchen with abstract light fittings, a fireplace and a climate-controlled wine cellar.

Such ‘breakout areas’ allow residents to mix and mingle, and tend to encourage a strong sense of community. That friendly atmosphere is cherished by MY80’s residents, many of whom were born overseas, in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, before coming to Melbourne for work or study.

Resident building manager Jeffrey Mok sees it as part of his role to help younger residents, some of whom are living away from their home, and sometimes country, for the first time. After working for several years at the Grand Hyatt in Collin Street and the Docklands Sebel, he’s found that apartment buildings may have similar amenities to hotels, but there is a clear difference in the managerial roles.

“When I worked in hotels, I managed guests and travellers who booked out after one or two nights,” says Jeffrey, 29, who’s

The friendly atmosphere is cherished

by MY80 residents, many of whom were born overseas. lived in apartments all his adult life as he loves their practicality, cosiness, ease of living, and lack of lawns to mow.

“Now I build relationships with owners, residents and tenants as the face of the building and its community. There’s another difference too. There’s a saying about working in hotels, ‘The customer is always right’. But in a residential building the residents are not always right! There are always some rules for everyone.”

As a caretaker-manager with Essential Community Management, it’s also meant, for the first time in his career, that Jeffrey lives and works in the same place, which took a short while to adjust to. “I am always at work,” he says. “As soon as I walk downstairs there are people asking me questions. It’s like I’m famous but no-one asks me for an autograph!”

That easy warmth won over student and barista Luca Cislaghi Lanzi, who lived in Fairfield before moving into MY80 to be closer to his college and his job.

“It’s great, and the building’s also made me more popular with my friends because they come to my place for drinks before a night out in the city,” Luca, 21, says.

They can then all enjoy themselves at their choice of bars, cinemas and pubs in the vicinity without worrying about the scarcity of taxis or when the last train leaves from Flinders Street. “And I never tire of the night skyline from the window of my 30th floor apartment,” Luca says. “There is no comparison, no parallel.”

Joshua Kaw, 27, the chairman of the owners corporation, bought his apartment three years ago off the plan as the first home he’s ever purchased. Sometimes he misses the bird songs of suburbia at his family’s home in Mitcham, 21km away from the CBD, but he loves the excitement of city life.

In compensation, Joshua, who works at a nearby ASIC office, points out he has the pick of more than 470 hectares of parkland, including tennis courts, around the city to spend quality rest and recreation time at lunchtime, after work and at weekends. It also means he spends far less time travelling between work and home.

“One of the main advantages of living and working in the city is that I have more time to sleep,” he says.

That makes living in the city centre now extremely attractive for a huge cross-section of people, believes LJ Hooker City Residential real estate agent Nay Baek.

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TITLE | ANATOMY OF A HIGHRISE

Andrew Holgate “I get to see the storms rolling in over the bay, and everything is close by.”

Photography Chris Beck

Nay Baek “I wouldn’t live anywhere else but in the city.”

“I wouldn’t live anywhere else but in the city. For me, it means I don’t need a car,” says Nay, 30. “The demand for quality apartments is high in Melbourne. I’m now leasing out a two-bedroom corner apartment on Level 15, and they’re particularly sought after in MY80 because of the abundance of natural light.”

The tower’s position, close to Melbourne University, RMIT and city colleges, also makes it popular with academics and students alike. It’s quickly gained a reputation, too, for being very wellmaintained. That’s a matter of pride for Ravi Patel, 26, who has been scrubbing, dusting and vacuuming the MY80 Building on weekends since it opened. He relishes working there as part of the team keeping up appearances.

“We clean other buildings but people are very nice and friendly here,” he says. “They seem to trust us and have confidence in us. It’s a good experience.”

That’s echoed by Andrew Holgate, who’s just moved back to Melbourne after 20 years in Sydney where he recently sold his business. On the 46th floor of MY80, high above the rumble of city traffic, the audiologist enjoys a magnificent view of the wonders of nature instead.

“I get to see the storms rolling in over the bay,” he says.

“It’s also just a short walk to the Victoria Market.” A former trainer with St Kilda Football Club in the 1980s, “when we won five wooden spoons in a row”, Andrew, 58, regularly catches the free tram to Etihad Stadium on a Friday night to enjoy a game.

His plan was originally to rent in MY80 for a year, to have a break from the stress of running a business and think about what he wanted to do in the future.

Now, he says, the experience has been so enjoyable, he will probably sign on for another year, enjoy city living and look out at that amazing view – either from his own apartment or from that magnificent communal balcony above. T

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Clockwise from far left: The shared dining room on Level 53; The sky lounge with European oak floors and ceilings, and minimalist cushioned bench seating; Level One has a 12-metre heated pool and sauna.

Jeffrey Mok “I build relationships with owners, tenants and residents.”

Chi Yan Li “The people here are friendly [and] it’s great to feel at home but not alone.”

Ravi Patel “People here trust and have confidence in us.”

Joshua Khaw “Living and working in the city means I have more time to sleep.”

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Design: Sherwood Gutterz

Photog raphy: Lucas Allan

Title | APARTMENTS ON TV

Bev Houghton, played by actress Abigail, from the 1970s soap opera Number 96.

Before

the Block

There was a time when apartments on Australian TV were synonymous with sex and scandal dramas, rather than reality show renovations. Hamish McTavish takes us back to the glory days of one of the most notorious addresses in Australia, and some of its slightly less sensational successors.

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No one had ever suspected that apartment-living in Australia was such a den of sex, vice and pantyhose serial killing until the racy Number 96 TV soap exploded onto our TV screens nearly 45 years ago.

Set in an otherwise modest block of flats in Sydney’s Woollahra, the audience at first never quite knew what to make of it. And some were far more bewildered by its setting than others.

“The owners of the apartments agreed to let us use film of their building in the title sequence, but they never imagined what a fantastic success Number 96 would turn out to be,” says the show’s creator, David Sale. “I think they lived to regret it.

“The show became huge, and lots of the audience actually believed it was real. Every weekend, there’d be massive crowds outside the apartment building, waiting to see their favourite characters they thought lived there. And then there’d be more every time one of the characters signalled they’d be leaving the show.

We’d be inundated with applications to move into the building, with people arguing their life was interesting enough to warrant a tenancy... ” We’ve become a lot more sophisticated in our understanding of apartment-living since, but it still provides a rich vein of drama to be regularly mined for Australian TV. In 1998, we had the soap Breakers, set in a Bondi Beach block. The Secret Life of Us started in 2001 in a building in Melbourne’s St Kilda and, just last year, we were introduced to Wonderland, with its home a set

of apartments at Sydney’s Coogee. “Apartment-living is now a lot different to how it was in the 1970s when Number 96 began, and it was still a pretty new way of life,” says David, who’s just released his own book, Number 96, Mavis Bramston and Me. “Back then, people only lived in them because they had to, and in reality a lot of people in flats were lonely and didn’t know their neighbours.

“That’s one of the reasons that Number 96 was so appealing. We presented it as a vertical village, where everybody was cosy with each other and friendly and would chat on the stairs and come up for a cup of tea. People loved that!”

Our next major apartment drama came about after TV scriptwriter Jimmy Thomson (now the publisher and editor of Title magazine) was looking for an investment apartment to buy in Bondi. During the months of searching, he was inspired to write a drama woven around an apartment building on the beachfront’s Campbell Parade for light relief – which was then bought by producers Screentime who made more than 300 episodes for home and overseas.

“There’s a lot of drama in making people live cheekby-jowl with each other and, when there’s conflict, being unable to walk away,” he says. “We also had a cafe, a newspaper and a modelling agency in our building which, in truth, were down the road from our real ‘hero’ block.

“Those also gave us extra places for the action, and other characters coming in and out. But while you

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Title | APARTMENTS ON TV

“A lot of the stories came from our own experiences in apartments, like the person who comes to stay and won’t leave.” always do use incidents in your own lives and those of your friends, it was a teen soap, and our audience was always more concerned with who’d just kissed who, rather than someone getting a notice to comply for parking in the wrong space!”

As with Number 96, the Breakers’ building was just used for the titles, the occasional distance shot and for filming entrances and exits. It was the same for The Secret Life of Us which was filmed at two blocks – one on Acland Street and the rooftop of another on the Esplanade – and Wonderland with their building on Baden Road. Many of the actors have gone on to even bigger roles, like Breakers’ James Stewart who’s just starred in Hiding, Ada Nicodemou who went to Home and Away, and Secret Life’s Claudia Karvan who’s been in just about everything.

“I grew up in Perth and I used to dream of living in my own apartment,” says Amanda Higgs, the cocreator of Secret Life. “It felt so sexy and grown up.

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So we wanted to celebrate that time of life in your twenties when you first start living in apartments.

“A lot of the stories came from our own experiences in apartments, like the person who comes to stay and won’t leave, or the crazy flatmate, and that time in the pilot episode where Claudia’s character goes out drinking and falls asleep on the doorstep when she gets back. It’s all about living closely with other people and creating a lifestyle.”

After The Secret Life of Us, Channel 10 wanted something lighter and more escapist and set in Sydney, and so Wonderland, starring Brooke Satchwell, Michael Dorman and Jessica Tovey, was born. Needing a way to keep the characters together – especially since these days young people ring and text each other rather than meet up – co-creator Sarah Walker placed them in an apartment block too.

“You need everyone in the same place at the same time, so apartments are perfect,” she says. “And lots of the stories are drawn from our own experience of living in apartments.

“I remember sitting in my apartment, hearing people having very noisy sex next door, and yelling to a friend living below instead of phoning. They both made their way into the show.”

For, essentially, apartments mirror life, albeit in microcosm. “They’re all about intimacy and conflict,” says Sarah. “They’re so often a place where people just can’t hide from each other, which always guarantees good drama.” T

From far left: The cast of Wonderland; a scene from Number 96; three of the cast members of Breakers; The Secret Life of Us cast; The Secret Life of Us ran from 20012006, and starred Claudia Karvan, Samuel Johnson, Joel Edgerton and Deborah Mailman.

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tITLE | TV

Stream on...

Now you can have entertainment anywhere, on every device from smartphones to internet-linked TV screens, so what is the right choice for you? Karen Daniels examines today’s onscreen offerings.

After much advertising hype, early this year Australia welcomed in the brave new world of streaming television with the introduction of the US-owned Netflix, the Nine and Fairfax-owned Stan, and the Foxtel and Sevenowned Presto, which joined current players Ezyflix, Quickflix, Foxtel Play and BigPond Movies.

But what do these services offer and what will they cost you? And is this smorgasbord of online entertainment really worth grazing on?

As with any services, you get what you pay for, so while one service may seem cheaper than another, it might pay to check out its library content, see if it allows you to use more than one screen at a time or if it streams programs in high definition. For most people, the content will be the biggest pull. For Game of Thrones fans, Foxtel Play is offering the first run of the new season on its service for a base rate of $25 per month for its streamlined IPTV service. However, if you can wait, Quickflix will be streaming the series once it has been on TV.

Breaking Bad fans might like to try Stan, which has the original show and its spin-off Better Call Saul. Presto has exclusive streaming rights to Modern Family, and streaming rights to Sons of Anarchy, Homeland, and The Americans. Netflix offers exclusive rights to House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, and Quickflix has streaming rights to Orphan Black, True Blood and The West Wing. A lot of available content is “non-exclusive”, so if you just want to catch up on a series or fancy a second viewing it should be easy to enjoy shows like The Good Wife and Ray Donovan on any service.

“As with any services, you get what you pay for, so it pays to check out the librar y content.”

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tITLE | TV

For those who don’t want to gorge themselves on television blockbusters, but just feel like enjoying the odd special movie treat or even watch a full TV series from time to time, BigPond or Ezyflix offer pay-as-you-go options.

Telstra-owned BigPond Movies is a good choice for those already with Telstra, but it does not offer the most up-to-theminute content picks, whereas more popular movies and TV series can be found on Ezyflix, owned by Australian company Access Digital Entertainment.

All these services work on a range of devices, so you can catch up with favourites on your phone, your tablet, your computer or smart TV. With Stan, users can watch on up to three screens at the same time, so you can view with friends.

And some services are linked to ISPs offering unmetered data.

For example, Netflix is obtainable via Optus and iiNet and Presto via Telstra BigPond and Foxtel Broadband.

So what are you waiting for? Pick a service and tune in‌ T

Breaking Bad fans are sure to like its spin-off, Better Call Saul, on Stan.

Netflix

Stan

Presto

Quickflix

Ezyflix

Foxtel Play

BigPond Movies

How much will it cost me per month?

$8.99-$14.99

$10

$9.99-$14.99

$9.99, $5.99 pay-per-view for new releases

PAYG $2-99-$4.99 to rent

$25-$50

PAYG $1.99-$5.99 for movies and TV episodes

What content will I get?

Disney; Beyond Distribution; Warner Bros; BBC Worldwide; 20th Century Fox; NBC Universal; Village Roadshow; ABC Commercial

Sony Pictures; CBS Studios; MGM; Village Roadshow; NBC Universal; BBC Worldwide; ABC Commercial; SBS (including World Movies); Viacom Turner

HBO; Foxtel Productions; Seven Network; 20th Century Fox; Sony Pictures; Disney eOne; NBC Universal

Warner Bros; Sony Pictures; NBC Universal; MGM; Disney; Lionsgate; eOne; HBO; BBC Worldwide; ITV

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Interiors Level ONE

30 34 42 MODEL TURNS STYLIST

WINTER WONDERS

FLOORING: GREAT IDEAS, HARD FACTS

Rialto chest of drawers, made of timber from the canals of Venice. Stockist: Fanuli.

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STYLE Counsellor After a successful career as a top model in Europe, Katrin Conolly knows a thing or two about style. As Anna Washington finds, she’s now applying her flair to apartment interiors.

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TITLE | home makeover

AFTER

Portrait photography Lorrie Graham

BEFORE

When Katrin Conolly walks into someone’s home, she paces around, sits on the couch, stands up to view everything from a fresh angle, checks out the chairs, inspects the tables and runs a hand across the surfaces. She needs to get acquainted with the space, to let it talk to her. Then, suddenly, the ideas start flowing.

“I love creating amazing spaces out of challenging homes, particularly apartments, and making spaces work for daily living,” she says. “Nobody wants to live in a showroom, and too many apartments are being left blank, with little personality. A home should be cosy and practical yet still have lots of character.

“Walls, for example, can be partially decorated with items you’ve picked up during your travels so you’re reminded of happy times whenever you see them. Or maybe it’s unexpected pieces you’ve found at an antique auction. It’s fine to combine old and new, contemporary and antique – just as long as it ‘speaks’ to you.”

For Katrin, it’s this kind of passion that’s fast seeing her recognised as one of Australia’s top apartment and house stylists. She doesn’t believe in encouraging people to buy expensive pieces of furniture or the latest fashion accessories. She prefers to encourage people to de-clutter, then indulge their own tastes and sense of fun.

“I like to do magic with what people already have, although often they don’t realise the kind of treasures they need to properly showcase,” she says. “Owners often don’t recognise their homes after I’ve finished with them. But it makes me feel even more strongly that people should sort out their homes much more often, and certainly not just when they want to sell them!”

Top: Katrin knows how to add light to a space, and the importance of keeping just a few key items on display. Above: The same space before Katrin worked on it, is barely recognisable.

Opposite page: Katrin is a well sought-after decorator in Australia.

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TITLE | home makeover

AFTER BEFORE

“Fewer pieces in the right spot are far better than too many everywhere.

Less is definitely more.”

German-born Katrin, 48, started her business Home Dress Up, based in Sydney, just three years ago, after degrees in garment engineering and tailoring, and careers as a model and in fashion with some of Europe’s top designers.

After meeting her Australian husband while working in Vietnam – and getting engaged to him after just nine weeks – she settled here in 1994. Now she’s found her keen eye for style, experience in problem-solving and flair for real estate is paying huge dividends in her new career.

Common mistakes people make with their homes, she believes, include allowing too much clutter to accumulate and feeling obliged to put every family photo and gift on display. Everything then jostles for space and attention, and nothing looks good.

“Fewer pieces in the right spot are far better than too many everywhere,” she says. “Less is definitely more. Sell the pieces you don’t need, or store them until you can bear the thought of getting rid of them permanently.”

Old furniture can often be repurposed by painting with limewash to bring out even more character, while flowers always brighten up rooms, and every bedroom can be transformed by good quality linen. Be wary of too many clashing colours as well, or lots of different hues of wood. A coat of limewash on floorboards make apartments lighter and shows off other timbers.

“Precious items can often be moved from the lounge to the bedroom or into the kitchen to create completely different effects,” Katrin says. “People should have their homes changed much more often. It’s always such a fantastic moment when you can make a client so unexpectedly happy in their own home.” T www.homedressup.com.au.

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AFTER

BEFORE

Clockwise, from top left: Katrin started her business three years ago; A well-used dining room before Katrin fixed it up; The dining room with a fresh new look.

Opposite page, top: A kitchen gets a little TLC from Katrin. Below: The same space, before a loving revamp.

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Winter wonders Want to create a warm, welcoming space? Think soft fabrics, luxe wood finishings and mellow, laid-back lighting.

Go Grey

Give warmth to grey furnishings with soft brown accents and delicate, relaxed lighting.

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tITLE | WINTER ROOMS

Collar sofa by Minotti, $55,561; Benson coffee table by Minotti, $11,913; Glover armchair by Minotti, starting from $6182; Dibbets Tonneau Rug by Minotti, starting from $7337. Dedece, Ph (02) 9360 2722; www.dedece.com

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tITLE | WINTER ROOMS

All Natural Let the light into your spaces with natural tones that bring the relaxed mood of the outdoors inside.

Above: Jasper package 1 in premium King fabrics, from $10,388. King Living, www.kingliving.com Right: Riva 1920 Bam Bam bed by Terry Dawn, $10,900. Fanuli Furniture, www.fanuli.com.au Opposite: Riva 1920 Fur Nature sofa by Jamie Durie, from $18,900; Riva 1920 bookshelf by David Chipperfield, from $18,600; Riva 1920 Eco round table, $3995. Fanuli Furniture, www.fanuli.com.au

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tITLE | WINTER ROOMS

Geometry Class

Muted tones warm up with touches of gemstone colour splashes – think purple, magenta and turquoise – dotted around the room. Keep the rest chic and simple.

Above: The Natuzzi Italia Genny armchair starts from $3180 in leather, made in Italy. Visit www.natuzzi.com.au for further information and store locations. Right: Walter Knoll Jaan Living Sofa, from $16,000; Walter Knoll Oki T2 Side Table, $820; Walter Knoll Oki T3 Side Table, $915; Walter Knoll Joco T2 Coffee Table, $1425; Walter Knoll Joco Stone Coffee Table, from $4100; Walter Knoll Healey Lounge, from $4770.

Living Edge, Ph 1300 132 154; www.livingedge.com.au

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Boucheron-AU-Compo4RadiantWhite-216x279mm.indd 1

10/06/2015 11:55

S Y D N E Y : 12 C A S T L E R E A G H S T R E E T | 02 8069 2314 boucheron.com

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10/06/2015 11:56

Floored by choice

Above: Chamoisee Grande Eterno, $149 plus GST per sqm; Chamoisee Piccolo Eterno, $112 plus GST per sqm.

When selecting finishes for your apartment or renovation, it’s critical to get the flooring right, writes Toni Eatts.

Whether you’re buying an apartment off the plan, moving into one where the decisions have already been made or considering renovating, the right flooring is one of the most important features you’ll face.

In an apartment, your decision could unleash a veritable war with your neighbours – especially those who live below. With hard floors, for instance, they need to be soundproofed with a special underlay.

“As the popularity of timber floors has increased, the search for solutions to sound transference has increased,” explains Richard Karsay, managing director of Precision Flooring, which specialises in high-end wooden flooring. “There have also been advances in ‘engineered flooring’.”

Richard says around 80 per cent of the product they sell now is engineered. It offers the natural look of timber but is easier to install, more stable and has

no top nails, to leave a smooth, seamless finish. In warm climates, tiles remain popular in living areas but even they are getting a ‘timber’ look or following the current trend for a natural, nature-inspired ambience.

Meanwhile, as the population ages and downsizes into apartments, research has focussed on developing flooring designed to reduce injuries when falls occur.

Some canny Kiwi researchers have collaborated with Acma Industries of New Zealand to develop an innovative material that remains rigid when you walk or stand but is soft when you fall.

Rugs are a more accessible choice for softening living spaces. Lia Pielli, senior designer, Designer Rugs, says rugs add design and colour to an interior and define areas in open plan spaces. “They also help with sound proofing. Drop a rug onto a hard surface and it’ll reduce echoes and noise bouncing off the walls.”

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tITLE | FLOORING

Inset: Graupa Grande Eterno, $149 plus GST per sqm. Below: Chamoisee Parquet, $117 plus GST per sqm.

Precision Flooring, 188 Chalmers Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010.

Phone (02) 9690 099. www.precisionflooring.com.au

Top Timber

European, French and American Oak are by far the most popular timber choice with European Oak being the standout, according to Richard Karsay.

“It adapts to so many treatments and finishes,” he says.

“Chemical treatments will give you the greys which are popular while wire brushing the boards gives you a slightly textured look.”

The high gloss of polyurethane is out. Instead, finishes are natural oils or hard wax oils because they look great and allow the timber to breathe. The trend is also for wider boards, which is another reason for the increase in the popularity of engineered timber floors.

“An engineered floor gives the natural look but with less movement than comes with solid timber, which means we can use much wider floorboards, up to 260mm wide.”

Timber is also expanding beyond floors. “Now, we’re taking it vertically to walls and ceilings and into joinery.”

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tITLE | FLOORING Inset: Nero Marble Honed RRP $209m2; Bianco Carrara Honed RRP$275m2. Below: White Thassos, Bianco Carrara & Light Cinder Grey Marble Mosaic, RRP$495m2.

Bespoke Tile & Stone, 10 Albert Street, Richmond Victoria 3121.

Phone (03) 9429 9588 www.bespoketileandstone.

Tile Trends

When you talk tiles with Chris Simpson, creative director of Bespoke Tile and Stone, you enter a world of luxury and natural wonder. “You can’t go past marble in a highend apartment – it’s classic and on-trend all at once,” he says. The improvement in products that reduce noise transference means tiles have moved from wet spaces to living areas. Chris recommends using tiles to create statements. “Tiles are great for when you walk in off the street. Choose a style that reflects the pedigree of your building. Deco for that period; stone colours for a modern style.” Patterned tiles are making a comeback in chevron formations in muted tones, and the tiles can be large or small, depending on the impact you seek. “We’re seeing black and white patterns in marble as well. White marble is popular in foyers. There’s a choice of veining in greys, gold or pink.” Other options include timber looks, neutral colours in stone and a range of greys in porcelain tiles. www.bespoketileandstone.com

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Rug Up

The right rug in the right place can make a room sing. Lia Pielli of Designer Rugs recommends you decide what you want the rug to do. “If you want to inject colour and pattern into your space look for strong graphic designs in high contrast colours. To calm the space, chose textures and low contrast subtle designs in muted colours.” The trends are colour palettes in metallic gold and natural warm wood tones overlayed on creams and pale neutrals; stormy greys and strong deep blues in combination with creams and soft golds; and dappled popping brights on white washed base tones. Hot patterns include repeating geometrics, either strong and graphic or asymmetrical with almost a tribal feel. “Eroded traditional motifs overlayed with texture are also popular.”

Above: Skyscraper by Lia Pielli, 200 x 300cm New Zealand Wool + Bamboo, RRP$3900. Inset: Rio by Greg Natale, 240 x 300cm 100% Tibetan Wool, RRP$5580.

Designer Rugs Pty Ltd, 509 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt NSW 2040 Phone (02) 9550 9933 www.designerrugs.com.au

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tITLE | FLOORING

“The best floor covering by far, in terms of noise insulation, is quality carpet on quality underlay.”

Berlin by Bleux, 200 x 300cm 100% New Zealand wool, RRP$4950.

Hard Facts

ON FLOORING Timber is warm and natural, tiles are cool and clean and rugs offer infinite variety. However, as Jimmy Thomson explains, there are a few things you need to know before you rip up your carpet.

Before you even think about installing a new floor covering there are two things you need to remember.

Firstly, you live in an apartment and any decisions you make may have an impact on your neighbours and, as a result, have consequences for you.

The second is that the best floor covering by far, purely in terms of noise insulation, is quality carpet on quality underlay. This is such a truism that some owners corps’ by-laws simply won’t allow hard floors to be laid.

There are so many factors in the transmission of noise from one unit to another, both vertically and horizontally, that there is no simple formula for making sure your new hard floor – timber or

tiles – doesn’t drive your neighbours mad and, ultimately, have to be replaced at your own expense.

One thing for sure, though, the discount flooring salesman who tells you a 3mm sheet of plastic is enough to satisfy owners corporation rules is having you on. The same goes for strategically scattered rugs.

The main factors governing the transmission of noise in hard floors are the construction of the slab and walls, the quality of the flooring, the effectiveness of the insulating underlay, and the behaviour of the residents.

Now, that’s not to say that you can’t have timber or tile – but you do need to make sure there’s enough rubber between them and the concrete to dull the sound of the giant bass woofer on your sound system.

FYI, hard floors or not, turning down the bass usually means you can turn up the volume and not get a peep of protest out of your neighbours.

Oh, and don’t go by Australian Building Standards which were devised before surround sound was invented, and with half an eye on making it easy to build quickly and cheaply.

The standard hard floor insulation for many apartment blocks is 11.5mm Regupol. But some strata schemes won’t specify the type of insulation in case it doesn’t work and they are held responsible.

Others don’t even have by-laws about flooring but that doesn’t mean there are no rules. There is a provision in most states’ strata laws that entitles your neighbours to the peaceful enjoyment of their homes.

That’s the thing that will come back to bite you on the bum when you choose Krazee Kev’s Karpet Kapers over a reputable supplier and installer who will make sure you, your neighbours and your new floors enjoy many happy and peaceful years together. T

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Lifestyle Level TWO

48 52 54 59 60 64 BIG READ

perfect for pets

TRAVEL: VIETNAM

travel: gourmet weekends

TRAVEL: TASMANIA

TRAVEL: BEST CASE SCENARIO

66 68

Eating In, Dining Out

FITNESS: EXERCISE FOR YOUR AGE

69 70

Q Dining on Sydney's harbour (p66)

FAST BROADBAND IS HERE

HEALTH: LET THE SUNSHINE IN 47

P47 Lifestyle Opener.indd 47

11/06/15 6:11 PM

The Lady

Upstairs

By Jill D. Block

New York lawyer and writer Jill D. Block’s poignant short story The Lady Upstairs is published as part of the anthology Dark City Lights.

In this short story, we meet a young protagonist who gets more than she bargained for when she accepts a generous offer to live in an Upper East Side apartment, and ends up unsettled by a mysterious neighbour.

If I’d learned nothing else in my 27 years on this planet, I’d learned that when someone gives you something totally unexpected and undeserved, you don’t ask questions. Just smile, say thank you, and take it quick, before they change their mind. So, when the flight attendant leaned over and whispered discreetly that there was a seat for me in first class, I just smiled, said thank you, and followed her to the front of the plane.

I smiled at the old guy next to me as I sat down and told my new best friend yes, I would love a glass of champagne, thank you. Then I settled back to watch the safety demonstration. Oh yeah, the finer things. I could get used to this.

An hour or so into the flight, Old Guy Next to Me introduced himself as George Rothstein, and asked me if I was coming or going. I must have looked at him like a total moron, so he asked again, patiently, if California was home, or New York? Oh, right. I get it. I told him that I was on my

way home from my cousin’s kid’s bar mitzvah. He was also on his way home.

He had been in Los Angeles on business, real estate. He asked me what line of work I was in. I couldn’t come up with a glamorous lie, so I told the truth. Social work, autism study, art therapy. The truth was, I spent most of my days trying to connect with kids who wouldn’t look at me or speak to me. It was like babysitting for kids who hated me.

He seemed really interested in me, which was maybe a little creepy, but flattering. I assumed that, unlike me, he’d actually paid for his first class ticket. And he was wearing a nice suit, and I was pretty sure his big gold watch was real. So, I decided to go with the flow. Who knows, maybe he could be my sugar daddy.

He asked about my family, where I grew up, where I had gone to school.

When he asked me where I live, I told him about my apartment in Chelsea.

It was a tiny studio, a fifth floor walkup. The shower leaked and half of the outlets didn’t work. I left out the part about the scary black stuff growing in the corner of the bathroom. I told him it was an illegal sublet and I had to be invisible, so I couldn’t get anything fixed. Any day now, I was going to have to give up and find a new place.

He asked if I wouldn’t be happier in a larger place with a doorman. Well yeah, sure. He explained that he owned

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THE BIG READ | THE LADY UPSTAIRS

a building on 62nd Street, between Madison and Park. He said he only rented to his friends, something about keeping the apartments full so he could convert the building once it became empty. Which actually didn’t make any sense to me, but I figured he must know what he was doing. He asked me how much I was paying in rent and said that I could have a one-bedroom apartment in his building for what I was paying for my shithole.

P48-51 Big read.indd 49

Don’t ask questions. Just smile, say thank you, and take it quick, before they change their mind. I said yes.

So I called the number on the business card he’d given me, and a week later I met the lady from the management company. Three weeks after that, I moved in.

It was a great apartment, a grown-up apartment – a real one bedroom with a big living room, a separate dining room and a kitchen you could cook in,

if you were so inclined. And I had a real lease, with my name on it. But they also had me sign a letter that said that the landlord could relocate me to another apartment within the building at will, and could terminate the lease on 90 days’ notice, “for any reason or for no reason at all.” Sure, whatever.

I felt like I was too young and too broke to belong. It was a neighbourhood for rich people. Ladies who lunched, who got their hair done and wore

11/06/15 2:32 PM

stockings, even on the weekend.

Housekeepers in uniforms walking fussy dogs. Jamaican nannies pushing white babies in fancy strollers. Black cars with drivers idling on the street, waiting to pick up kids to take them to school in the morning. Then there was me, in jeans and a hoodie, stomping down 62nd Street in my Doc Martens.

And the building! It was weird enough that there was a guy opening the door for me and asking if I needed a taxi.

But an elevator man? That was just ridiculous. I was used to being invisible, and here I was, all of a sudden, living my life with an audience. These guys saw me coming and going. They were going to know every time I ordered in, if I didn’t leave my apartment all weekend, when I stumbled home late at night, or worse, early in the morning.

I felt self-conscious each time I went in or out. Did they wonder where I was going? Did they compare notes about me, talk among themselves? Did they notice how often I picked up a pizza on my way home, and did they know that I sometimes ate the whole thing in one night?

One thing about that building, you couldn’t be anonymous. Everyone pretty much knew everyone else. There were the rent-controlled tenants, who were old and had lived there forever, and then there were the people who had moved in within the past few years and had some kind of connection to Mr. Rothstein.

His banker lived next door to me, with her husband and kids. One of the guys in 3A had decorated the Rothsteins’ house in Connecticut. And I heard that his grandson’s math tutor lived on the sixth floor. I guess we’d all signed the secret letter, so that when the oldtimers someday moved on, we would all get kicked out and Mr. Rothstein would have his vacant building.

It was about a month after I moved in when I first noticed Margaret. It was cold out, and raining. My shoes were soaked and my umbrella was dripping all over the floor as I walked through the lobby. She was sitting on a folding chair in the back, by the elevator. I thought maybe she was homeless, that the building guys were being kind, letting her stay warm and dry on a terrible night. Which was nice, but weird. Hey, who was I to judge? She smiled at me, so I smiled back.

Once I’d noticed her that first time, I saw her all the time. Not every day, but at least once or twice a week. She sometimes rode up and down in the

elevator, or else she sat in that little chair in the back of the lobby, or she hung out up front by the doorman. It turned out that she lived in the building, that she was the only tenant on the top floor. She’d been living there for something like 50 years.

She was old. Seventies maybe?

Eighties? She was tall and thin, stooped over and looked very frail. You could see her veins through her skin. Everything about her was grey – her skin, her eyes, her lips, her long straggly hair. It was like all of the colour had been sucked out of there. She wore a shapeless faded cotton dress, or maybe it was a nightgown. From the looks of things, she had nothing on underneath it.

She wore a beat-up pair of bedroom slippers. She had a big, baggy sweater that she wrapped herself in when it was cold outside.

I knew that she was harmless, but something about her made me feel like I needed to keep my distance.

Like if I got too close I might end up

saying a word to her, to just give her a smile and keep moving. But eventually she wore me down. If she was in the lobby when I got home, it started to feel like she’d been waiting for me.

She would comment on the weather, or ask me about my day, sometimes following me into the elevator. This was a challenge – if I didn’t time it right, and finish my sentence just as we got to my floor, she would get off the elevator with me so we could finish our conversation.

I would stand with her in the hallway, talking outside my door.

What was the etiquette here? Was I supposed to ask her in, offer her some leftover Chinese? See if maybe she wanted to watch Jeopardy with me?

It took me a while before I figured out that I could just end the conversation when I wanted to. That I could deal with her like I dealt with my kids at work – I would just tell her, Okay, I am going to go now, and go inside while she stood there and stared at me. It felt pretty terrible, but how exactly

Maybe she had been the mistress of some rich and powerful man. Was she a secret millionaire?

Or was she eating ramen noodles for dinner? like her someday. I started taking the stairs when I went out, to avoid her in case she was in the elevator, sitting on that little bench, riding up and down.

Coming down the street on my way home, I would dread that she would be in the lobby when I came in. She seemed so lonely. Just seeing her felt like a burden.

But I have to admit, I was also curious about her. I tried to guess what her story was. I imagined her in the faded and dusty penthouse apartment, where once upon a time she and her husband had thrown swanky dinner parties with butlers and a uniformed staff. Or maybe she had been the mistress of some rich and powerful man. Was she a secret millionaire? Or was she eating ramen noodles for dinner? I figured she must have some kids and grandkids someplace, and I wondered if they ever came to visit. It seemed weird and sad that she didn’t at least have some kind of nurse or aide to keep her company.

I wondered if she had a cat.

For months I managed to avoid ever

had she become my problem? Where was everyone else? I was still new here, practically still a kid. Why did I wind up with the lady from upstairs?

One day she was in the lobby when I got home. I’d had a crappy day, and just wanted to go upstairs, change my clothes and chill out for a little while.

I was barely in the door when she handed me a letter and asked me to read it. Yeah, okay fine. It was from Rothstein Real Estate. Addressed to Ms. Margaret Sherman. So that was her name. They were offering to relocate her, at the landlord’s expense, to a one-bedroom apartment on the seventh floor so they could start renovating the 10th floor. We stood in the hall outside my apartment and she told me that she didn’t want to move, that she couldn’t possibly move.

Seriously? I really didn’t have time for this.

She was upset. She seemed frightened, desperate. So I let her come inside and I made her a cup of tea. I felt like I should offer her something

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THE BIG READ | THE LADY UPSTAIRS to eat, but all I had was an open bag of pretzels sitting on the counter, and that just didn’t feel right. Plus, if I fed her, I was afraid she might never leave.

I reread the letter, and saw again how freaked out she was.

So, I got into social worker mode. It was just an offer, I told her. You have a lease, right? They were just asking – you don’t have to agree. They said that they would pay for the move – you won’t have to do anything. I tried to stop myself, but I heard myself telling her I could help her find someone who could come and take the stuff she didn’t need, the furniture or whatever that wouldn’t fit into a smaller apartment. I don’t know if she was even listening to me. She just kept saying how terrible it was, how unfair, how they were taking advantage of her. I wondered if it would help for me to call my airplane buddy, George.

I left her in my apartment and went down to the lobby. I got the doorman to give me the key, and then I went back and got her. We went upstairs together to look at the new apartment. It was fine, freshly painted, a lot like mine. She just kept shaking her head. It wasn’t possible. They couldn’t do this to her.

They couldn’t push her out of her home.

It was all she had. So I asked her to show me her place.

Whoa. Let’s just say, it was not what I was expecting. The tenth floor was not the penthouse. It was an SRO floor, single room occupancy. Eight tiny rooms with an old kitchen that looked like it hadn’t been used in years, and a bathroom at the end of the hall. Seven of the rooms were empty, with their doors removed. She unlocked her door, two locks, and I followed her in. Her room was tidy, but absolutely crammed full of stuff. She had a twin bed, a table and a lamp, a wooden chair and a chest of drawers. And lots and lots of boxes and shopping bags. I don’t know what was in the boxes, but the shopping bags looked like they were mostly filled with other shopping bags. No pictures. No television. No books. It was no wonder she hung out in the lobby. It was the most depressing thing I had ever seen.

I had to get out of there. She had to get out of there. So, first I tried tough love. This is not a good way for you to live. The other apartment is better.

You’ll be more comfortable there. She said I didn’t understand. Well, yeah, that was certainly true. I realised that this was going to be a process, and it was going to require some patience.

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I told her that she didn’t have to decide anything yet, that she should just think about it for a day or two. When I stood up to leave, she grabbed my hand and didn’t let go. It made me wonder when was the last time she’d been touched.

I took the stairs back to my apartment where I turned on the television and tried not to think about Margaret upstairs in her little room.

When I got home from work four days later, the doorman told me that Ms. Sherman had passed. That’s what he said – that she’d passed. He said that when the building guys realised that none of them had seen her for a few days, someone went up to check on her. The door was chained on the inside, so they called the cops, who busted down the door. She was dead in her bed. The ambulance guy told him that it appeared that she had taken a bunch of benadryl, tied a plastic bag over her head and gone to sleep.

She fucking killed herself.

I should have been nicer to her. I should have offered to call Mr. Rothstein.

I could have sat with her, talked to her.

I should have let her tell me about herself. I should have given her a hug.

I shouldn’t have left her sitting there.

A week later, the doorman said that he had something for me, and handed me a shopping bag from Galeries Lafayette in Paris. He said that they’d been clearing out Margaret’s room and they found it with my name on it. It was heavy. I took it upstairs and put it down on the table. I poured myself a glass of wine and looked at the bag for a long time before I opened it. I wondered when she’d been to Paris.

There was an envelope inside the bag, sitting on top of the tissue paper, with my name written on it. The note inside was on a piece of expensive-feeling stationery with her name engraved on the top. In perfect old-lady penmanship it said, ‘Thank you for being a friend’.

Jesus, Margaret, really? Now I am going to have the Golden Girls theme song stuck in my head for a week. And then I remembered that she was dead.

The tissue paper was so old, it cracked when I touched it. Wrapped inside it was an Hermès Kelly bag. Red. Alligator or crocodile or something. It was old, and you could tell it had been used, but also that it had been cared for.

It was real. It was so beautiful it glowed.

And it was mine.

I looked up, towards the tenth floor, or heaven. I smiled, and said thank you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jill D. Block shares a NYC apartment with a lawyer, a dog and a cat. Block began writing fiction in high school.

Today, she is a real estate partner at Mayer Brown LLP, an international law firm. Her first published short story, Like it Never Happened, appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine’s March/April 2015 issue.

The Lady Upstairs is part of the anthology Dark City Lights edited by renowned detective and mystery writer Lawrence Block. It is published by Three Rooms Press.

11/06/15 2:32 PM

Is your flat

pet-friendly?

Getting permission to have a pet in your apartment is one thing, writes Sue Williams, but is your unit the best place to keep your furry friend?

Sit on the floor of your apartment for a moment, and take a look around. It may be the perfect home for you, but how about for your pet? We take enormous care to select an apartment that feels great for us, but then assume our cat or dog will automatically love it too. And that doesn’t make sense at all.

So check it out from your pet’s point of view. Does it look interesting or like four blank walls? What’s the temperature like, especially as you move around? Is there airflow, or is it stuffy?

Are there sunny spots, or does the floor feel cold where your pet sleeps? Are there different levels to explore and plenty of toys to play with and, finally, is there a view?

“People living in apartments need to take some extra care that their pets are happy with their surroundings,” says pet consultant Susie Willis. “Pets in houses often have far more access to the outdoors and can go into the garden to have a ferret around.

“Balconies should be as large as possible, easy to access either through open doors or a pet-flap, and safe.”

“In an apartment, they’re much more confined. So while most pets love living in close proximity with their human companions, we should make sure that our apartments are as well-suited to their needs as they are to ours.”

The most important first feature of an apartment, is that the building allows pets. Many pet-owners smuggle their furry friends in and out of places they aren’t allowed, but there’s always the ever-present danger of being discovered – and you both getting booted out. “That’s not worth the risk,” says Stephen Goddard, chair of the apartment-residents’ group the Owners Corporation Network. “The stress of worrying about being spotted can be a huge burden for both of you.”

The next important apartment attribute is good design – that suits all residents: human, feline or canine. Ideally, an apartment should have effective sound-proofing to muffle a cat’s mewing and the occasional bark of even the most well-behaved dog, and floor-to-ceiling windows, or window sills, so animals can sit and watch what’s going on outside.

Balconies should be as large as possible, easy to access either through open doors or a pet-flap, and safe. Balconies with wide balustrades are best avoided, as is furniture or a BBQ

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TITLE | PETS

This page: Floor to ceiling windows ensure a good view for your pet.

Opposite, from top: Added shelves can keep a cat entertained; a cosy spot to place pet bedding in is a must.

placed next to the rail, since cats can be tempted to jump up.

It shouldn’t be too exposed to bad weather either. If you’re worried a balcony is easy to climb, has gaps at the bottom, or is too open, investigate whether you’ll be allowed to put up some netting or clear screening. Some balcony styles will be easier to make safe than others.

Examine the flooring inside too. Tiling or timber floors are often much more suitable for pets, particularly when they’re young and undergoing toilet-training. Check that the floors aren’t too slippery, though, as that can make a nervous pet even more anxious.

“Location is also just as important for animals as it is their companions,” says vet Dr Julie Paris, at the Port Melbourne Veterinary Hospital. “For dogs, it’s important to be near a park, preferably a dog park where you can let them off the leash too.

“It’s also preferable to have a good dog-walker nearby. If you keep a dog in an apartment, particularly a high-rise one, it’s important to get up early and give him a walk before you leave, and, if you’re out all day, have a dog-walker take him out sometimes or put him in doggy daycare to make sure he has some stimulation. For cats, location is never as important!”

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Some apartment complexes have petfriendly concierges who’ll offer to feed your animals if you’re late home, give them treats or sometimes mind them behind the front desk. Other buildings may hold events with pet-walking groups.

In an apartment, ensure your pet’s living environment is stimulating. “Pets should have access to as much of your apartment as possible, so they can choose spots to make themselves comfortable,” says Susie Willis. “Also, cats love to climb and be elevated, and it’s easy to set up temporary, or fixed, shelves on walls to give them plenty of activity and variety.” For dogs, provide toys on a rotating basis, leave the TV or radio on when he’s at home alone, and hide nutritious treats for him to look for and find. “A comfortable, active pet is a happy one, and they can end up loving apartments just as much as their owners.” T

15/06/15 12:34 PM

Ups & downs in

Vietnam

A trip to Vietnam should be series of highs and lows, says Jimmy Thomson, but all of them good.

Travelling through Vietnam is a series of ups and downs, and I don’t just mean take-offs and landings on internal flights. You can travel in time through this country from the prehistoric to the ultra-modern, taking in some of our shared history along the way as you go deep underground in caves and tunnels then hit the heights in mountains and the amazing Bitexco tower in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

One of the hidden gems of Vietnam, despite being one of its biggest attractions, is the Paradise Caves system, or Dong Thien Duong, which run beneath Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

At an incredible 31km long, this UNESCO World Heritage Site, about 400km south of Hanoi and 750km north of Saigon, forms the longest cave

system in Asia, while the largest chamber reaches up to 100m high and 150m wide. A broad, timber boardwalk that winds for 1km through ancient rock formations makes viewing the cave easy – but there is a challenge or 500 in the form of a stairway from the cave's café and meeting point.

But once you have made it, you realise you are inside a hollow mountain, a karst, of the kind that shoot up out of the water so recognisably in Halong Bay. It’s like a cave as designed by Disney. The lighting may be a little overdone for purists, but that 500-step climb means the caves are never crowded and the experience is one that will live with you forever.

Other caves in this system include Mountain River Cave (Hang Son Doong), twice the size of Deer Cave in Malaysia, previously reckoned to be

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TITLE | lock up & leave

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“In Saigon, visit the former Presidential Palace with its underground war rooms and an escape tunnel.”

the largest in the world. Can’t handle the 500 steps at Paradise Caves? A leisurely expedition to the Phong Nha Cave takes you 1500m along its underground river on easily accessible boats.

Going underground in a different way are the famed tunnels of Cu Chi, which were first discovered by Australian troops, the original Tunnel Rats (not that you will find any mention of that in Vietnam). What many tour guides won’t tell you is that there are two tourist areas at Cu Chi, the main difference being that Ben Duoc has tunnels widened to accommodate Westerners’ bulk – but it is only through them that you can get to the underground chambers. Ben Duoc also has a huge temple built to the memory of the Vietcong who died in the tunnels.

The other site, Ben Dinh, by far the most touristy, has a more realistic tunnel that goes down three levels and gets narrower at the end, but claustrophobics can reach the bunkers directly from ground level. If you are visiting Vietnam because you are interested in war history, you will also want your guide to take you to the Minh Dam caves, in the Long Hai mountains between Saigon and Vung Tau, which were the Vietcong’s headquarters during the Australian army’s occupation of Phuoc Tuy province. There, clamber down into

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TITLE | LOCk up & leave

Left: Make Cat Bo island a part of your trip. Opposite, clockwise from top left: Paradise Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an incredible 31km long; Ho Chi Minh City comes to life at night; The famed tunnels of Cu Chi, first discovered by Australian troops, are very much worth a visit.

kitchens and sleeping chambers that survived a decade of B52 bombs unscathed and undiscovered. You will also find one of only two reminders that Australians were ever in Vietnam – a plaque that marks when this was Vietcong HQ lists dates that exactly match Australian troops’ presence in the area. The other memorial is, of course, the cross at nearby Long Tan. In Saigon, visit the former Presidential Palace with its underground war rooms and an escape tunnel should the president have ever needed it. Then hit the Bitexco Tower with its 40th floor viewing gallery. Although not huge by Australian high-rise standards it was, until recently, the tallest building in Vietnam and the views from up there are breathtaking.

From there, see the Mai Chi Tho highway disappear under the Saigon River, not far from where ferries used to run a shuttle service from the undeveloped east bank. Three at a time, one on each bank and one in mid crossing, they disgorged motorbikes and scooters by the hundreds, carrying four or five members of a family, in a never-ending stream of two-wheeled humanity.

For decades they talked about building a bridge here but that would have meant clearing several blocks of the city’s most historic buildings. I often imagine being in the city council chambers when some bright spark said, “Hey, do we do tunnels?”

There’s a different set of tunnels further north near Hue and the former DMZ (demilitarized zone) that separated North from South Vietnam. Here at Vinh Moc the tunnels were for living in, rather than military purposes, but the reason they existed was the same. The Allies suspected, with good reason, that the villages were full of Vietcong and their sympathisers, so they bombed the region. Locals responded by going underground, digging tunnels large enough to walk around in.

War and peace, tunnels and caves, the Vietnamese are accommodating of our desires to revisit this unhappy chapter

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in our shared history. It’s such a defining part of their story that it’s little wonder it’s hard to escape echoes of the war.

Cat Bo island at the southern end of Halong Bay is a case in point. Its mountains and cliffs have made it a popular spot for climbers and abseilers and there are a couple of strenuous walks, involving rusty ladders and slippery screes. The little harbour town itself has the feel of an off-season ski resort or backpacker surfing spot. Then, just when you think you have escaped the war, you come across the Viet Minh hospital built inside a karst, complete with treatment rooms, cinema and meeting places with ingenious emergency escape routes.

In Halong Bay itself, there are more caves and the kind of scenery that takes your breath away. On the road back to Hanoi, the war subtly intrudes again. There’s a craft workshop for kids born with disabilities from Agent Orange. And there are the tell-tale gaps in the cantilever bridge built by M. Eiffel (of the tower fame) and ‘reconfigured’ by American bombers.

You can get away from the war, if you want to, not least by heading up to the hills around Sapa. This area is popular with trekkers and mountain bikers and there’s a cave or two there including the Ta Phin which isn’t as touristy as the Phong Na caves … but isn’t so spectacular. Between Halong Bay, Sapa and the Phong Na caves, Vietnam has scenic beauty, and a population of smart, industrious people who are happy to make your stay as pleasant as possible. Maybe it’s time to forget the war and enjoy the peace. T TRAVEL FACTS: Vietnam Airlines run daily return services to Saigon and Hanoi and internal flights cost only $50 each if you book before you leave. Insider Journeys (www.insiderjourneys. com.au) are a small group tour specialist in Vietnam. Also see page 65 for Jimmy Thomson's 'War and Peace' Tour.

11/06/15 2:53 PM

The world is changing rapidly, especially for people like us

YOUR LIFE RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT IT

We need to know what’s happening now and what’s on the way To stay in touch with the latest news, trends and developments on your computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone, log on to titlemagazine.com.au To subscribe to receive copies of this magazine, email us at subs@titlemagazine.com.au

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15/06/15 1:34 PM

HOLIDAY | GETAWAY

EAT RETREATS Winter is the perfect time to enjoy a gourmet dinner and great wine, knowing your comfortable suite is but a short stroll away. Always keen to enjoy the finer things in life, Karen Daniels has selected four locations where you can be guaranteed to ditch the diet and indulge, in beautiful surroundings.

Bannisters, Mollymook, NSW Bannisters is a boutique hotel perched on a cliff top above Mollymook Beach on the NSW South Coast. The hotel boasts an award-winning restaurant operated by famed British chef Rick Stein. Winter packages include two nights’ accommodation, bar and restaurant vouchers and massages in the Day Spa. From $810 for two.

Bannisters, 191 Mitchell Pde, Mollymook, NSW. Bookings & details: www.bannisters.com.au Tel: (02) 4455 3044, or (02) 4455 3451

Kingsford Homestead, Gawler, SA This 1856 homestead has been lovingly restored and sits on the North Para River on the western edge of the Barossa, surrounded by famous wineries and sweeping countryside. It offers an all-inclusive, twonight B&B stay including a five-course degustation dinner one night, and a seasonal three-course dinner with wine on the other. From $890 for two.

Kingsford Road, Gawler, SA. Bookings & details: www. kingsfordhomestead.com. au. Tel: (08) 8524 8120

Spicers Hidden Vale

Casa Luna, Myrrhee, VIC

Spicers Hidden Vale, QLD

Casa Luna in the foothills of the Alps of Victoria’s High Country is an excellent base for exploring the area’s family-operated cellar doors or striding through bushland. Casa Luna is a member of Slow Food, (www.slowfoodaustralia. com.au), and a B&B package includes a threecourse dinner with wines, and more. Package prices start from $425 for two.

Casa Luna, 1569 Boggy Creek Rd, Myrrhee, Vic. Bookings & details: www.casaluna.com.au Tel: (03) 5729 7650

An hour’s drive from Brisbane lies Spicers Hidden Vale Homestead.

Explore bush surrounding the homestead on horseback with a guided trail ride, or relax in the onsite Spa Anise. Packages include one night’s accommodation, breakfast, a wine and cheese plate on arrival, plus a five-course degustation dinner for two.

From $599 for two.

617 Grandchester Mt Mort Rd, Grandchester, Qld. Bookings & details: www.spicersretreats.com Tel: 1300 179 340

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TITLE | LOCK UP & LEAVE

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Tas-Mania There is plenty to discover on the Island of Inspiration, as Sue Williams found out during a recent unforgettable stay.

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TITLE | LOCK UP & LEAVE

It was only when we went to pay the cafe bill that we discovered something was oddly amiss. Until that point, all had been going to plan. We were having a long weekend in Tasmania and, on our second morning, had devoured a giant breakfast of eggs royale – a slab of salmon, wilted spinach and perfectly poached eggs – and a plate of light-as-air ricotta hotcakes smothered in chocolate fudge and raspberries.

Finishing off with a series of coffees in the half-cafe, halflaundromat Machine Laundry Cafe, we’d then mused how amazing the food was in downtown Hobart, how friendly the service and how delightfully quirky the eating houses.

But when we finally dragged ourselves to our feet to get on with the day, the barista broke it to us. “No, sorry,” he said. “Your money isn’t any good here.” We looked at him blankly. Last time I visited, Tasmania was still part of Australia. What had happened since?

He laughed. No, another customer had insisted on paying our bill as he’d paid his. Overhearing our conversation, he’d been so pleased we were loving Hobart, he’d wanted to improve our day still further. And there you have Tasmania. It can be so charmingly friendly, well-mannered and beautifully quaint, it sometimes feels a world away from big city Sydney and Melbourne. But at the same time, it’s far closer than you’d think.

adult Disneyland”. And with collections as diverse as a pongy installation mimicking the human digestive system producing one excretion a day, a row of plastercast vaginas and seminal works by Sidney Nolan and Brett Whiteley, it truly provides a rollercoaster of an experience.

You can eat at MONA’s restaurant The Source, or stay the night there, but I preferred to ride back to Hobart and dine at one of the myriad great restaurants, like Smolt, Henry’s, Monty’s on Montpelier or Remi de Provence. Most boast about using local ingredients and yes, it really is top quality.

“There are bracing walks along the wildflower-covered coast ... and some of the freshest air you will ever breathe.”

A long weekend, in fact, Friday to Sunday, is ample time to cover a few of the major highlights – whether or not they include a free breakfast – and leave you hungry to come back for more.

The schedule is simple: fly to Hobart on a Friday morning, be whisked out by ferry to the marvellous MONA for the day, and ride back to Hobart just before closing. Eat at one – or even two – of Hobart’s world-class restaurants (I went for dessert to a second venue), and stay the night.

The next morning, wake up and go for breakfast at another great cafe and eat some of the freshest local produce, then wander through the city’s historic Salamanca Market, have a coffee and pastry at an award-winning bakery like Daci & Daci, then pick up a hire car and drive over to the Freycinet Peninsula. Explore, stay in one of the two lodges, and Sunday morning drive back to Hobart for the flight back home.

It’s so quick and easy, I’m amazed I had never thought of it before.

Of course, the MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, is something every Australian should visit at least once in their lifetime. The 30-minute ride on the camouflaged ferry from Hobart city up the River Derwent to the Berriedale peninsula is a great warm-up for the main event, with seats in the shape of sheep, art installations galore and bars full of birdcages and chandeliers.

On arrival, the MONA easily lives up to its CNN tag as one of the most far-out museums in the world, with its founder, collector David Walsh, famously describing it as a “subversive

Saturday morning, the local outdoor markets set among the glowing sandstone of old historic warehouses are in full swing, with more than 300 stalls selling everything from organic vegetables to beanies in every hue imaginable, wooden carvings, and local handicrafts, to the tunes of a dozen buskers.

After a good walk, shop and breakfast, it’s then off for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to the Freycinet Peninsula. It’s well worth taking a short detour along the way to the historic town of Richmond just to the north of Hobart. The extremely wellpreserved 1825 Richmond Gaol, with its haunting convict tales, is a major attraction, along with the convict-built Richmond Bridge, said to be still haunted by the spirit of a cruel overseer killed by his workers. The tiny town of Coles Bay is the gateway to the spectacular scenery of the Freycinet Peninsula

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The perfect Tassie long weekend FLY: Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar all fly Sydney and Melbourne to Hobart, and back.

EAT: Machine Laundry Cafe, 12 Salamanca Square, Battery Point, Hobart (03) 6224 9922; Smolt Restaurant, 2 Salamanca Square, Battery Point, Hobart (03) 6224 2554; Monty’s on Montpelier, 37 Montpelier Retreat, Hobart, (03) 6223 2511; Daci & Daci, 9-11 Murray Street, Hobart (03) 6224 9237.

and the beautiful curve of Wineglass Bay. There are bracing walks along the wildflower-covered coast to stunning scenic lookouts, with some of the freshest air you’ll ever breathe.

Tucked away in the wilderness is the Freycinet Lodge, overlooking the glassy waters of Great Oyster Bay or, for a real splurge, there’s the nearby luxury lodge Saffire Freycinet, with its spectacular views of the ocean and the Hazards Mountains.

Both feel a long, long way from apartment-life in a city, but the joy is, they really aren’t. If you leave after breakfast on the Sunday morning, you have plenty of time to drive back to Hobart, ready for the flight back to reality.

And hopefully feeling as refreshed and rejuvenated as any long weekend away can make you feel ... and possibly even revitalised too by the kindness of Tasmanian strangers. T

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STAY: The Henry Jones Art Hotel, 25 Hunter Street, Hobart (03) 6210 7700; Freycinet Lodge, Freycinet National Park, Coles Bay Rd, Coles Bay (03) 6256 7222; Saffire Freycinet, 2352 Coles Bay Road, Coles Bay (03) 6256 7888.

SEE: MONA, 655 Main Road, Berriedale (03) 6277 9900 – make sure to book admission tickets and the ferry in advance www.mona.net.au.

Clockwise, from far left, top: There is always plenty of fresh produce to choose from, at Salamanca Market in Hobart; the MONA (Museum of Old and New Modern Art); Stunning Wineglass Bay at Coles Bay, Freycinet National Park; the MONA is a sight to behold and an experience you will never forget.

11/06/15 2:59 PM

TITLE | LUGGAGE

Check in, & carry on In Chris Hazell’s 25 years working as an airport baggage handler, he’s seen some very sad sights.

Cheap suitcases that burst open as soon as they emerge from the plane’s hold, disgorging clothes and possessions everywhere; other luggage that disintegrates when cases are loaded on top of them. And, perhaps worst of all, expensive leather bags ruined when bottles of red wine packed carelessly inside smash en route.

So, when Chris makes recommendations about the type of luggage to buy, everyone halts their holiday planning to listen.

“Hard shell suitcases are definitely the way to go,” says Chris, 56. The good ones are so strong these days, they can easily withstand having other suitcases stacked on top, and they’re not affected if they get wet if, say, it’s raining hard when we’re loading a plane. In addition, many of them now are extremely light

Left to right: Hunt Leather ‘Troubadour’ bag; Samsonite Firelite hard shell suitcase in red; Antler Juno suitcase in teal.

too, for ease of transport and to help avoid unwanted excess baggage fees.

“However, if you prefer softer cases, make sure you pack carefully and, if they’re not waterproof, put a layer of polythene over your clothes to protect them.”

Excellent brands currently on the market include Samsonite, Antler, Rimowa, Globe-Trotter, Victorinox, Delsey, Ralph Lauren, Black Wolf and Hunt Leather.

“Hard shell cases are definitely the way to go ... the good ones are so strong these days.”

The large in Antler’s Juno range, for instance, is 79cm x 53cm x 31cm, with a volume of 130 litres, four 360-degree rotating wheels, and weighs just 4.2kg.

Its four-wheel cabin roller case Aire, with a packing capacity of 35 litres, weighs in at a slight 2kg.

From Samsonite, check out the Cosmolite FL, its first mainstream collection with the distinctive Curv technology. The 81cm version weighs 3.5kg. The Firelite range is billed as its sporty, silent and lightweight cousin, from 81cm to 55cm, while the Lite-Cube – in ivory gold, graphite or silver – starts at 55cm, and just 2.2kg.

Travellers who still have a little backpacker in their souls may prefer cases with a hard shell base and expandable soft top. Look out for extras, too, such as telescopic handles, in-line wheels for a smooth ride through the departures hall, and of course, plenty of pockets are always a bonus.

For carry-on luggage that’s pretty distinctive, Hunt Leather also have a great range. Its Troubadour bag, hand-crafted in Italy, has rolled leather handles and a strong shoulder strap, and opens wide for easy access.

Chris also rates the use of air-suction bags inside cases to make room for as many clothes as possible – especially on the return trip home after a buying spree. “Hotels are now used to people asking for a vacuum cleaner to be brought to the room,” he says.

As for carry-on baggage, the options are now lighter and more portable than ever.

“But four wheels are always better than two,” Chris advises. “And make sure you put any important daily medications in your carry-on, just for that one time an overseas carrier loses, or delays, your suitcase.” T

Portrait photography Wayne Hazell

Ready to upgrade your set of suitcases – both carry-on and check-in – but unsure where to start? With a range of options on the market, our luggage expert weighs in.

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11/06/15 3:05 PM

VIETNAM WAR AND PEACE

Heard how great it is to visit Vietnam? You don’t know half of it ...

Later this year, self-confessed Vietnam fanatic Jimmy Thomson, will be taking a select group of no more than a dozen guests on a journey to the heart of this amazing country.

And this will be no ordinary tour; it is an intimate and personal exploration of a country that fascinates those who care to take a closer look.

Naturally, as the co-author of three books on Australia’s part in what the Vietnamese call the American War, Jimmy will take visitors to some of the more significant military locations.

Title3_065 Vietnam Tour.indd 56

But it won't just be the obvious tourist trail.

His knowledge and experience will help you to appreciate the courage, ingenuity and sacrifice of the Vietnamese people 50 years ago.

And that’s just part of it. Jimmy’s guests will also meet real Vietnamese people in their homes and appreciate why these former foes are now one of our fondest friends in South-East Asia.

We will sample the best local food, entertainment and hospitality. And along the way, Jimmy and his team will take you to some

of the natural wonders of this stunning country, including some of the biggest caves in the world, gorgeous islands and beautiful beaches.

Accompanied by professional local guides and a young Vietnamese-Australian, this is a Vietnam that very few get to see or appreciate.

To find out more, go to www.mildrover.com and click on New Vietnam Tour. Or email Jimmy directly on jimmyt@ozemail.com.au for more details.

15/06/15 1:26 PM

TITLE | EATING IN & DINING OUT

SIMPLY Quintessential Considering it’s right on Sydney’s iconic harbour walkway, Q Dining is still very much a hidden gem, says Sue Williams.

There’s one item guaranteed never to be served up with the fine dining in a restaurant nestled under apartments in a top Australian location ... a side-dish of attitude.

Even though Q Dining at Sydney’s East Circular Quay, with dramatic views of the harbour and bridge, prides itself on its micro-seasonal menu and hand-crafted charcuterie, executive chef Daniel Simpson is never above whipping up an off-menu chicken schnitzel or Caesar salad if a regular from the neighbouring apartments makes a special request.

“Daniel’s great like that,” says restaurant manager Atsuko Asano. “He’s worked all over the world, including on cruise ships and in New Zealand, and he’s very flexible.

If a customer says he wants something like that, then Daniel will probably turn around and say if that’s what the customer wants, then that’s what he’ll get.”

Q Dining, as part of the Pullman Quay Grand Hotel and the Quay Grand Apartments, has been feeding apartmentdwellers and other locals around Sydney Harbour and its visitors since late 2012

“My vision is around the availability of seasonal produce and to make guests surprised and excited.” when it was bought by the Accor Group and transformed from the old Quadrant Restaurant. Now it also regularly caters for patrons like Opera Australia, passengers from the cruise liners visiting the city, and international fashion icons who drop by from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

They call in for breakfast seven days a week, lunch Monday to Friday, and dinner Monday to Saturday, for the quarterly changing menu with its highlights on fresh food supplied by primary producers and artisan suppliers within the Sydney basin, as well as the best from the rest of the country. “My vision is always around the availability of seasonal produce and to

make sure our guests are surprised and excited by the menu, and are always keen to return,” Daniel says. “They’ll have an experience to remember each time, with world-class cuisine and those spectacular views across Sydney’s sparkling harbour.”

Breakfast includes dishes like brioche french toast with spiced walnuts, honeycomb mascarpone and bacon. For lunch, there’s a two-course special for $34 with choices like six freshly shucked oysters, and for mains, Tasmanian salmon, orzo, mussels and salmon chicharrons.

At dinner, there are two menus: a pretheatre array of choices from 5.30pm, and the à la carte. One of the signature entrees is the ham hock terrine, Iberico consommé and pea textures, and for mains the pan roasted duck breast, butternut pumpkin, radicchio and pear, as well as a huge array of delicacies from the charcuterie.

For dessert, it’s hard to go past the chocolate beetroot fudge (see recipe) with orange marmalade and earl grey gel.

“We have a lot of people from the apartments above come for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” says Atsuko, who’s been at the restaurant since April 2014.

“But not usually all three meals on the same day! Some first-timers phone to ask for a window seat. We explain that we’re in a glass atrium with floor-to-ceiling glass, so everyone there gets a view.”

A single set of stairs away is the ECQ Bar for a drink before dinner or with its own bar menu. It also has a cocktail menu of a collection designed for the best 50 hotels in the world.

The major factor in Q Dining’s popularity with locals is that regulars are treated with real warmth. The staff know the names of residents living above and welcome them

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TV DINNERS

Inset: Q Dining in Sydney has floor-to-ceiling windows to take advantage of harbour views.

Right: The Lawson Grove Shop in Melbourne. Opposite, from left: Q Dining on Circular Quay; executive chef Daniel Simpson.

Lawson Grove photography hockingstuart South Yarra

in like old friends. “It’s like having your own favourite restaurant or cafe anywhere,” says Atsuko. “It’s cool to be recognised.

People will then often bring their friends along too and we’ll make sure we look after them as well.

“We find we just become part of the apartment lifestyle.” T

Q Dining, 61 Macquarie Street, East Circular Quay, Sydney. Telephone (02) 9256 4000. Open for breakfast 7am-11am seven days a week, lunch from Monday to Friday 12pm-3pm, and dinner Monday to Saturday 5.30pm-10pm.

Beetroot chocolate fudge

Beetroot chocolate fudge 75g unsalted butter 250g dark chocolate 500g salt roasted beetroot, grated 3 eggs 35g cocoa powder 5g vanilla paste 125g brown sugar 125g caster sugar 175g almond meal

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Melt the chocolate and butter, place in a food processor with the beetroot and blend until smooth.

Whip the eggs and sugar until double, pale and thick.

Sift cocoa powder, fold all ingredients together gently until just combined.

Pour into a lined brownie tray and bake at 160°C for 40 minutes.

If the owners of an eclectic little cafe in the basement of a Melbourne apartment building in South Yarra look familiar, that’s because you may well have seen them recently on TV. They were serving up food for the contestants on the TV reality show The Block who were filming just around the corner, and even created a monster wagyu burger dubbed ‘The Josho’ for their favourite runner-up, Josh Terrett.

“It was so enormous, made up of everything we could fit in, that no one really could eat one,” laughs Jen Cahill, 47, who took over the renowned The Lawson Grove Shop 18 months ago with partner Paul Kambo, 44. “They could die trying!”

Their cafe was once the communal kitchen of the art deco block Warwick House, built by legendary Victorian architect Howard Ratcliff Lawson. These days, it’s a funky space – hidden away from all but those in the know – serving great breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.

Favourite dishes include chipotle scrambled eggs with dried smoked jalapeño chillies served on toast, and homemade gnocchi with roasted tomatoes, feta and spinach.

“Some of our apartment regulars come for a meeting at breakfast, stay for lunch, then take one of our pies home for tea,” says Jen. “They don’t really need a kitchen of their own!”

The Lawson Grove Shop, 1 Lawson Grove, South Yarra, Melbourne Ph (03) 9866 3640. Open TuesdayFriday 7.30am–4pm; and 8am-4pm Saturdays and Sundays

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LIFESTYLE | FITNESS

Your ideal workout What exercises should you be doing, whether you’re a teen or in your eighties? Title fitness editor Grant Hyde gives us the lowdown.

When I was a kid, movie theatres were heaving with images of action heroes Arnie Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Looking at their bulging muscles and ripped physiques, I longed to one day have a body like them.

But venturing into a gym at 13, I was devastated to be told that I was too young to do any form of weight training.

If only I were growing up today! Now the current thinking is that light weights and lifting exercises are great for children as young as seven and eight.

If strict form and proper technique is followed, it won’t affect their growth but will build a solid strength base for the years to come. Push-ups, reverse dips, planks, crunches, upright rows, chin-ups, body-weight squats and dumb-bell curls are quite safe for youngsters, and two sets of 15-20 repetitions, or reps, are plenty for young bodies.

On reaching the early teens, more sport-specific exercises such as bench-

“Strength training will make women stronger, fitter, leaner... and boost their self-esteem.” presses, cleans, barbell squats and dead lifts can be included. The weight should be manageable for four sets with 12-15 reps. This sort of training can then continue right through the 20s and 30s.

To build thick, hulking muscle (like Arnie’s) the reps are dropped to between four and eight, with the weight increasing to 80-90 per cent of the maximum lift. To become more ripped and lean, that age group should stick with a 20-15-12-10-eight rep program, concentrating on one or two body parts per session.

Many young women worry that weight-training and these kind of gym exercises will make them bulk up, but they needn’t fear. That’s simply not in their genes, nor their hormone levels.

The one thing that does give women (or anyone for that matter) true bulk, is excess body fat.

Strength training will do the reverse; it will make them stronger, fitter, leaner and give them self-confidence and higher levels of self-esteem.

For myself, having now reached my 40s, I’ve found that the heavier weights and power exercises started causing injuries. As a result, I’ve gone back to the workouts of my early teens, focusing more on lighter weights, my core and diet.

This sort of program can then continue right into the 80s – with the importance of doing light weights increasing with age to maintain bone strength. And, if you’re genetically blessed, it can help you to live to ripe old age. T

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TITLE | TECHNOLOGY

The need for speed Now that the bickering over broadband has stopped, apartment residents are seeing real benefits in the new superfast services, writes Jimmy Thomson.

When progress becomes political, the facts can easily be obscured in the fog of campaigning and drown in the welter of words.

Rewinding to the last election, you would be forgiven for thinking the National Broadband Network was either going to be an enormously expensive white elephant or an amateurish bodge-up that was, technologically, just one step up from two tin cans joined by a piece of string.

Yet, as we – especially those of us who live in apartments – are rapidly discovering, demand has already superseded supply and superfast broadband is arriving just in time to give us the fast reliable internet connections that our lifestyles demand.

Think about the number of internet dependent devices you have in your home. A computer, smartphones, a laptop or tablet (or two) and, if you bought your TV or DVD player in the past year or two, they will be smart too.

“Superfast broadband gives us the fast reliable internet connections we demand.”

That’s a lot of digital information being channelled down a slender copper wire, all the way to an exchange somewhere.

And the more devices you use, the slower it gets.

Now multiply that by the number of homes in your building. To get a sense of how many other active internet users there are, get your phone or tablet to scan for wifi connections.

And that’s where superfast broadband provided by fibre optic cable comes into its own. It’s not just about speed, it’s about capacity and reliability.

“The arrival of superfast broadband is great news for apartment dwellers,” says Director NBN at Telstra, Lyn Bowring.

Downloads of files, music and movies are faster, streaming in HD is almost instantaneous and free from “buffering”, and the quality of image and sound on services like Skype brings families together like never before.

Telstra is just one of many providers you can hook up with once NBN is installed. But they are already ahead of the game, with systems in place for online meetings for strata committees.

OK, you can do that now but with your fingers crossed that the links don’t drop out, the audio is as clear as you need it to be and you don’t feel like you are at the wrong end of that piece of string.

This is where superfast speeds can make life a whole lot easier. You don’t have to switch to NBN and you probably won’t even have to switch internet provider (unless your committee has

foolishly given exclusive rights to one high speed internet company).

“The launch of NBN comes as broadband use in Australia has reached unprecedented levels. Last year the volume of traffic carried over Telstra’s fixed network increased by more than 30 per cent,” says Ms Bowring.

“The streaming video revolution is accelerating demand for fast, reliable connectivity, with more than half of Telstra’s fixed broadband traffic now video related. With web use in the home on the rise, the NBN provides the bandwidth needed to get the entire household online at the same time.

“Superfast broadband also opens up some terrific possibilities such as attending a specialist appointment from home using video chat. The NBN can offer ‘office-like speeds’ for anyone working from home, handling large volumes of data quickly to support technologies such as online sales, cloud computing and video collaboration.” T

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LIFESTYLE | HEALTH

Let the sun shine in Make sure your apartment lets in plenty of sunlight, says Title health editor Tania Flack, and spend some time on the balcony too.

Who doesn’t love walking into a light-filled apartment? The rooms feel fresh, airy and welcoming, and our mood instantly lifts. And the reasons for this may have more to do with our physiology than we think.

Our brain registers our exposure to natural light and uses this information to set our body clock, which is called the circadian rhythm. This dictates our level of alertness and activity during the day and our ability to unwind and relax at night. In a healthy system, the brain will secrete a hormone at night called melatonin which is involved in sleep.

Studies show that people who have limited exposure to natural light

“Exposure to natural light has a profound effect on our physiology and directly impacts our wellbeing.” may have difficulty regulating their circadian rhythm, which can contribute to insomnia and broken sleep. Most people spend their working life indoors under artificial lighting, which makes it all the more important to have exposure to natural light at home.

In addition, vitamin D is produced in the skin when we are exposed to sunlight. While we can also get it in small amounts from some foods such as eggs and oily fish, vitamin D deficiency is becoming increasingly common in Australia – a major concern as it’s vital for the immune system, bone health, cell regulation, inflammation and even cancer prevention.

Although it depends on your skin type and the area of Australia you live in, exposing your face, arms and hands to natural sunlight for short periods each day will help to support healthy vitamin D levels. So if you have a balcony or large window in your apartment, you should sit in the sunlight to maximise your vitamin D levels.

Low exposure to sunlight can also cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression. People suffering SAD may experience low moods, a lack of energy, sleep too much, over-eat, gain weight and crave carbohydrates. While this is more common in Europe during long

winters, it may also affect people working long hours in artificial light.

Don’t forget, either, that dark, poorly ventilated rooms are inviting places for common household mould and fungus to grow. Spores are then released into the air and can act as allergens for some people, triggering respiratory symptoms or causing immune system irritation.

Natural light has a profound effect on our physiology and directly impacts our wellbeing on many levels, so maximise your exposure to natural light in the home where you can. T Tania Flack is one of Australia’s leading naturopaths and nutritionists (www.taniaflack.com)

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Strata Facts LEVEL THREE

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BREAKING GROUND: NEW PROJECTS

79 80 82 84

FINANCE: BUY OR RENT

MANAGEMENT: BUILDING BRIDGES

PARKING REVENGE

CONCRETE CANCER

86 88

Artist's impression of Arden Park in North Melbourne by developer PDG and architect Disegno Australia.

INSURANCE: DOUBLE DIPPING ON DEFECTS

LEGAL: WHAT KIND OF LAWYER DO YOU NEED?

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Fit for a

KING With wine cellars, cinemas, rooftop gardens and infinity pools, apartment living has never looked as tempting, Michael Murillo reports.

Above: The interiors of one of the apartment options at the 23-storey Kings Domain in Melbourne’s Southbank. Opposite: Cirqua, in Melbourne’s Ivanhoe East, will offer 44 apartments.

A LOCAL G.O.T.

It’s being billed as Melbourne’s very own Game of Thrones.

Plans have been announced for the 23-storey, 236-apartment luxury tower Kings Domain in Southbank – not too far from the upcoming Queens Domain and the Royal Domain Tower.

Designed by SJB Architects, developed by CVCV in collaboration with Capital Alliance and being marketed by 360 Property Group, Kings Domain will have facilities fit for, well, a king. There will be a communal library, a wine lounge with walk-in cellar, a cinema with a bar and outdoor terrace space, a private dining room with a chef’s kitchen and a games room with billiard table. Look out for the next high-rise instalment: King’s Landing? www.kingsdomainapartments.com

A CIRCULAR LOOK AT LIFE

Striking circular windows are set to become the motif for a 44-apartment building designed by BKK Architecture as a homage to the Arts & Craft and Queen Anne Federation homes of its setting in Melbourne’s Ivanhoe East. Cirqua’s round frenzy doesn’t stop there either; it’s also a theme all the way through the interiors, from a circular vanity mirror to circular mosaics on the bathroom tiles. Jim Fagan of developer Cubik says, “We wanted to have an inherent sense of architectural beauty about Cirqua.”

The building, being put on the market with Capital Property Marketing, will be surrounded by native plants and trees, landscaped by ABC’s Gardening Australia presenter John Patrick. www.cirquaivanhoe.com.au

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Title | BREAKING GROUND

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Title | BREAKING GROUND

Clockwise, from top left: Esperance Living in Sydney’s Warriewood; Coventry St. Apartments in South Melbourne; John Englezos and his partner Alisha Frittmann are very happy with their purchase in Sydney’s Ovo building.

BIG AND BEACHY

Despairing of ever finding a decent-sized beach home in Sydney for under $1 million? A new development of 30 townhouses, 10 of which are Torrens titled, plus 10 oversized apartments, is about to be built at Warriewood on Sydney’s northern beaches by Strauss Property Developments, with architects Platinum Design. With the houses starting at $925,000 and each around 150sqm internally – plus balconies and courtyards – they’re a very special offering, says marketer Sam Elbanna of CPM Realty. “It’s between the beach and the valley with its own lovely community,” he says. “They’re very large, modern and stylish.” www.esperanceliving.com.au

NO-BRAIN, ALL-GAIN

When John Englezos and his partner Alisha Frittmann saw the designs for Mirvac’s new apartment building Ovo in Sydney’s Green Square, they were transfixed. “I couldn’t take my eyes off the building design,” says John, working for his own digital marketing company Inbound Guru in Melbourne.

“I loved the fact that, as the flagship building for the area, there was going to be no other building like it. In addition, once we learned what we’re getting in the area – aquatic centres, sportsfields, a library, a tonne of shops – it became a no-brainer.”

The first home buyer couple, both 24, plumped for a two-bed, twobath unit for $1.13 million. “Simply put, it’s our future,” John says.

BEAM US UP

The traditionally conservative Sydney North Shore suburb of Roseville is to be beamed straight into the 21st Century with new

apartments that come with an iPad to control lighting, blinds, TV and the surround sound system, and loaded with the MyiButler app, a concierge system for ordering goods and services. The six-building, 220-apartment project The Uptown has been designed by MD+A and developed by the Longton Group and Chiwayland. “Nothing matches its smart features, and high levels of quality and comfort,” says Longton director Winnie Pi reassuringly. www.theuptown.com.au

SO HIP IT HURTS

New boutique block Coventry St. Apartments coming to hip South Melbourne is so much more than just a collection of homes, according to its architects Interlandi Mantesso Architects. It’s a “celebration of living, working and playing.” That’s understandable too. On the original Made In Japan site, it has 37 apartments, two stores and a cafe in one of the fastest up-and-coming areas of the city. Developed by the Saade Group, and marketed by Savills Australia, it also has a Jack Merlo-designed rooftop garden, with BBQ. www.coventryst.com.au

NEW RECORD FOR SYDNEY’S NORTH

A new record was set north for Sydney’s North Shore of more than $20,000 per sqm with the launch of a 123-apartment residential tower to be converted from a 16-level hotel in Milsons Point, 88 Alfred Street. The big plus, said Colliers International agent Curtis Field of the Cbus Property-Bates Smart architects’ development, was that buyers could see the potential harbour views from the existing building. “Because we are physically able to show people what the view will be from any level, it’s helped create a strong interest in our premium apartments,” he said. www.88alfredst.com.au

EVERYONE TO LOVE APARTMENTS

Families should have the chance to love apartment-living just as much as the rest of us, believes CJ Koay, director of architects Disegno Australia. It’s for that reason he made sure to include at least 10 three-bedroom apartments, each with close to 100sqm of space, in PDG’s latest development, the sculptural 88-apartment Arden Park in North Melbourne. “Many apartments are getting smaller, but we love to create apartments that are larger and more livable,” he says. “And this one also has a rooftop park so it’s almost like living

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Inset: 88 Alfred Street in Sydney’s Milsons Point harbourside suburb. Left: Waters Edge will offer 61 apartments in Sydney’s Meadowbank.

in a house – except you really don’t have far to go to get to the park!” With a tram stop out the front, and plans to extend the metro link to a station up the road, it’s also close to everything. www.ardenpark.com.au

WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE It’s all about the water views at a new development by the Navarra Group, a company that specialises in events venues. Its Waters Edge at Meadowbank, right on the Sydney foreshore, will have 61 stunning apartments, spread across four and five-level pavilion-style low-rise buildings, most with breathtaking water views, with a boulevard in front. Designed

by Robertson + Marks, and marketed through Knight Frank, it’s 15km west of the CBD. www.watersedgeliving.com.au

THE PERFECT CROSS

A whole new $500 million neighbourhood is blooming in Melbourne’s Armadale.

Called Toorak Park, it comprises 448 apartments and 16 townhouses on a 2.5-hectare landscaped site, with a treelined boulevarde leading to the rail station.

Designed by Denton Corker Marshall over four to 12 levels, and developed by Lend Lease, it’s being billed the perfect cross between apartments and houses; all the convenience of the former, but with large communal gardens and lots of storage. www.toorakpark.com.au

GENTRIFICATION HQ

As the posterboy of urban gentrification in Sydney, the now-trendy inner west suburb of Camperdown is to have a new boutique building, designed with face brick, concrete render and metal cladding to pay homage

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Title | BREAKING GROUND

to the area’s industrial past. Camperdown HQ, brought to us by Acorp Developments, architects Beccera and marketers Knight Frank, will have just 22 apartments, all north-facing and set above lush courtyard gardens. www.camperdownhq.com.au

OFFICES REDESIGNED

The beautiful high-ceilinged interiors of the former Fawkner Centre office building on St Kilda Road, overlooking the park, will be retained when they’re transformed into 253 luxury hotel-inspired apartments. The $300 million development is a joint venture from Qualitas and LAS Group, with architects’ studio K.P.D.O. re-designing the building to include lush gardens on the ground floor, podium and rooftop, a pool, gym, steam and massage rooms, a theatre and wine cellars. “The Fawkner is set to become one of Melbourne’s finest addresses,” says Colliers International’s Brett Griffith. www.thefawkner.com.au

FROM NEW YORK AND VENICE

A SENSE OF PLACE FOR AUSTRALIAN DESIGN

Design is the focal point of a new luxurious six-apartment building in Melbourne’s Toorak. Developer Orchard Piper have brought together a top design team to collaborate with architect Stephen Jolson on making the garden, first-floor terrace and penthouse apartments of Washington Street the ultimate in bespoke living, with New York lighting designer Lindsey Adelman, Murano glass manufacturer Venini and landscape architect Rick Eckersley. “It’s testament to our profound commitment to contemporary design,” says Orchard Piper director Luke McKie of the apartments with panoramic views to the city skyline, being sold by Knight Frank. www.washingtonstreet.com.au

A towering monument of reflective silver glass with an angled motif to give it a sense of movement, the 21-level, 113-apartment Royal Como is set to be an eye-catching new landmark of Melbourne’s South Yarra. The first Australian project of C&L International Holdings, it will be built on Chapel Street, just 100 metres from the train station. “One of our aims for the project was to create a sense of place for Australian design, like that of New York and Europe,” says C&L director Echo He. Designed by Bruce Henderson Architects and Nexus Designs, it also has a pool, lounge, dining space and gym, with views, and a penthouse of 326sqm of internal space.

NEW VILLAGE PEOPLE

WORLD-CLASS LOCATION

The charming village suburb of Belmore in Sydney’s south west is to be home to a new 28-apartment building, MODE. With 28 apartments spread across two five-level buildings connected by landscaping, it’s expected the new homes will be snapped up by some of the life-long residents of the suburb – or newcomers attracted by its lively community spirit. “It’s a new era for this vibrant community,” says Simon Hanson, director of architects Bureau SRH. MODE is being developed by RMG Developments and marketed by Knight Frank. www.modeapartments.com.au

From top architects Fender Katsalidis, Lakeside in Melbourne’s Albert Park also has a world-class location – 4km from the CBD and walking distance to the beach, the lake, St Kilda, the Botanical Gardens and South Melbourne. Shared spaces in the grand ground floor lobby of the distinctively angulated building, from Southlink Developments and being marketed by 360˚ Property Group, include a library, chef’s kitchen, dining room and outdoor dining area … all to be enjoyed to the sounds of water cascading from the outdoor pool into a reflection pool. www.lakesidemelbourne.com

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Inset: Avantra in Sydney’s Mascot. Below: Custom Apartments in South Melbourne.

Opposite, clockwise from top left: MODE in Belmore, Sydney; Royal Como in South Yarra, Melbourne; The Fawkner in St Kilda.

SUBURBAN STREET IN THE SKY

After an 18-month wrangle with the local council, a $300 million two-tower development in Mascot, near Sydney’s airport, has been relaunched. Avantra, with 328 apartments and an infinityedge 25m rooftop pool, is being heralded as an architectural breakthrough, housing its lift cores within atria open to the sky, with apartments accessed through ‘skyway’ corridors, sheltered from rain by a glass rooftop lid, and pocket parks put in at each level. “We’ve created a world first by duplicating the concept of the small suburban street and reassembling its elements vertically,” said architect Brent Marvin of MD+A of the Longton project. www.avantraicommunity.com.au

CUSTOMISED LIVING

Long for the proportions of a traditional house but in love with the convenience of apartment-living? A new collection of 16 apartments to be built in South Melbourne is described as having the best of both worlds – large interiors, high ceilings, lots of light and oversized balconies, as well as the kind of great views you’d only ever have access to from vertical living.

Custom Apartments, one of the first projects to be built in the new Montague precinct, are being developed by Crow Build, designed by Jackson Clement Burrow Architects and marketed

by Savills Australia. Even better, there’s a communal garden on the top floor ... but no lawns to mow for residents. www.customapartments.com.au

IVORY TOWER

European oak hardwood timber floors and custom-made carpets come as standards in EDG Capital’s new boutique development of 58 apartments, Ivory, in Sydney’s Lane Cove Village. Many of the Woods Bagot Global Studiodesigned apartments have direct outlooks

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Title | BREAKING GROUND

Inset: Ivory in Sydney’s Lane Cove Village will house 58 apartments.

Below: Crimson Hill, next to Lane Cove National Park, Sydney.

Park Lake and parklands down to Port Philip Bay. By Pace Development Group, with architecture by SJB and interiors

by Carr Design, 181 Fitzroy Street will have a contemporary building façade with art deco seaside influences, and an infinity edge pool on level 10 with some of the best views in the neighbourhood. www.181fitzroyst.com.au

APARTMENTS AT QUARTER-ACRE LAND

Apartment-living is being embraced even by one of Sydney’s traditionally most conservative markets, with more than twothirds of the homes in two new Krikis Tayler Architects-designed 20- and 21-storey towers, Atmosphere, selling on launch day in Castle Hill through Colliers International. Developer Toplace’s GM Cameron Murphy said locals “have never had access to a lifestyle or investment opportunity like this in their own backyard.” www.atmospherecastlehill.com.au

HOW GREEN IS MY GARDEN

A vertical garden will grow up an entire apartment building at Sydney’s Wolli Creek, reflected by the vine and leaf motifs on laser cut metal panels next to it. Developers Grand City International decided on the $120 million Dickson Rothschilddesigned Cahill Gardens development of 213 apartments over two towers, marketed by Colliers International, because they felt the location was so green and leafy, yet so convenient for the city – just three stops on the train. www.cahillgardens.com.au

PERFECT POSITIONING

to the harbour bridge and CBD from the interiors, balconies and terraces, while the building, close to premium shopping in Chatswood and near some of the city’s very best schools, is being marketed by Savills Australia. www.ivorylanecove.com.au

DEFENDING THE REALM

Defence Housing Australia is rapidly emerging as a major player in apartment development, as well as property management for the defence forces. The last stage of its North Shore community Crimson Hill

by Lane Cove National Park, sold through Colliers International, is now under construction, with a shared garden nearby for growing vegetables and herbs. www.crimsonhill.com.au

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

It’s being billed as where ‘boho urbanity meets green space’ – a new 160-apartment, 9-level building in Melbourne’s St Kilda, with views across Albert

With stunning Sydney harbour, bridge and city skyline views, the 72-apartment Oxley Crows Nest is perfectly positioned to give its residents access to the best of all worlds – great shopping in Crows Nest Village, a short walk to the train station, restaurants, bars and providores, and a great design from architects Nettleton Tribe. From developers DNA Property Group, most of the homes are north-facing, many have extra ‘break-out’ rooms, and all have timber floors. www.oxleycrowsnest.com.au

IN THE BLACK

In the heart of Melbourne’s South Yarra, just minutes from the entertainment hub of Chapel Street, the CHT architectsdesigned Noir will have 90 apartments over 10 levels, with great city views from level five upwards. By United Property Corporation Development managers, with interiors by Carr Design Group, apartments will start at around $365,000 and go up to $1.6 million. www.noirapartments.com.au

HOLLYWOOD COMES TO MELBOURNE

Oscar-winning actor Charlize Theron is the ambassador for Melbourne’s new Capitol Grand in South Yarra, and will star in a multimedia campaign to promote the $500 million project.

Developed by LK Property Group, and designed by architects Bates Smart, the 50-level tower and its 10-level neighbour will have 450 apartments, a pool, sauna, gym and lounge, as well as luxury retail. www.capitolgrand.com

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STRATA | FINANCE

The case for renting Can’t afford to buy a property in your dream suburb? Doesn’t mean you can’t live there, and make a smart investment elsewhere. Chris Gray has a few solutions.

Many people simply can’t afford to buy the style of apartment, in the kind of location they’d dearly like to live in.

But while the conventional wisdom is for those people to scrimp and save, and gradually work their way up to being able to buy that dreamed-of apartment, others are instead choosing to rent the apartment they want to live in, and buy a cheaper one elsewhere as an investment.

And that makes more sense today than anyone’s ever before suspected, claims Chris Gray, CEO of buyers agency Empire, and the host of Your Property Empire on Sky News Business Channel.

“The secret lies in choosing to rent an apartment with a net worth well out of the range of most buyers.”

“Whatever you can afford to buy, you can afford to rent an apartment worth three times that price,” says Chris, who also regularly works on Channel 9 and 10 property shows as a financial advisor. “So why wouldn’t you want to live in that beautiful, much more expensive property, when you can afford to?”

The secret lies in choosing to rent an apartment with a net worth well out of the range of most buyers. Don’t choose an apartment worth, say, $750,000 in Melbourne or Sydney as there could be plenty of competition at that price and the rent will be high.

Instead, go for one with a value much

more so there’s not much demand for it, with the owner expecting a much lesser rental yield.

“If you do some work from home, you’ll also be able to get a tax deduction on your rent,” advises Chris.

“Then buy a place you can afford, worth, say $400,000-$700,000, where there’ll be lots of demand from young professionals, so you’ll be able to charge a high rent.

“I know three young professionals, for instance, who rent a $10 million property in Bondi Beach for which they pay $3000 a week rent, which is peanuts in comparison to what it’s actually worth.”

A research paper recently published by the Reserve Bank of Australia backs up Chris’s position. It analysed the costs of owning a home, taking into account things such as council rates, interest rates and the purchase price as against rent and concluded that owners would only be as well off as renters if house prices rose at the same rate as they have for the past six decades.

“If house price growth were to be slower than the historical average, as some forecasters predict,” says the paper’s author, “then the average home buyer would be financially better off renting.” T

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STRATA | PARKING

Parking mad Car space squatters are a pain but, asks Jimmy Thomson, is doggie-doo a deterrent too far?

How far can you go when a stranger parks in your parking space? Actually, there’s two questions – what should you do and what can you do, legally?

One recent Friday night I came home to find my parking space occupied by a smug little Toyota Prius (and, yes, we’ve got your number, tree-hugger!).

Fortunately, there was a visitor car space available (huh?) so I parked there illegally and, having confirmed that the parking thief’s car wasn’t on the visitor sign-in list, went out to dinner to calm down and plot revenge.

Who had done this? A tail-gater taking advantage of a genuine resident opening the roller door? A naughty neighbour wrongly assuming I was away for the weekend?

A nasty one taking revenge for complaints about late-night music played too loud? Or was someone teaching me a lesson for objecting to the strata committee’s plan to introduce clamping for just such an event?

On the principle that you shouldn’t ascribe to malice anything that can just as easily be explained by stupidity, perhaps it was just a moron who didn’t realise that the bays marked “visitor parking” were the ones set aside for … ummm … visitors.

And what could I do about it?

Complain to the concierge and get them to put a note on the windscreen?

I did, actually, but I might as well have shouted at the car – it wasn’t going to change anything.

To be clear, in most states it is illegal to tow or clamp a car without the owner’s permission. Call me “car park half empty” but I’m guessing that approval would not be forthcoming.

Let down a tyre or four? Well, that could come back to bite me on the bum if I got done for criminal damage, even worse if the environmentally friendly parking thief was stupid enough to drive with flat tyres and had an accident.

And, if he or she didn’t drive off because their tyres were flat, it wouldn’t solve the problem – the

“Having confirmed the parking thief ’s car wasn’t on the visitor sign-in list, I set about plotting my revenge.” car would still be there. Key the car?

That’s definitely criminal damage and, think about it, the ‘victim’ knows where you park your car.

A large, hard-to-remove sticker on the windscreen? Yeah, OK if you have a large sticker to hand.

The ever-helpful posters on the Flat Chat website (flat-chat.com.au) had a couple of suggestions, including one who carefully placed a house brick on the windscreen of a car that frequently took their space. The parking thief got the hint and went off to find another space to steal.

And then I remembered what residents of a block in Sydney’s Kings Cross did when weekend revellers parked in their underground garage driveway. I’m not going to say too much except to

allow you to marry these two concepts in your mind: dog poo and door handle.

(No further explanation needed, really.)

Now, that would surely make the parking thief – any parking thief, in fact – think twice before they stole a car space again. And you haven’t actually damaged the car, just altered its aesthetics.

And it would be fun to watch. I’m thinking viral YouTube clips if you set up a web cam.

As it turned out, as with most things in strata life, the problem resolved itself. The illegally parked car had gone by the time I got back.

But I’ve bought a webcam and there’s a doggie park nearby and OK, I admit it, I’m now hanging out for that Prius to come back. T

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STRATA | MANAGEMENT

Building bridges, not barriers Are owners the biggest problem in apartment living? Susan Wellings talks to building managers who say it’s all about adding value to their lives, and investment.

Good communication with owners is the key to great apartment-living, believes leading building management executive Nick Quinn. Most of the problems that arise in apartment buildings with owners are caused by misunderstandings and their being unaware of how the lifestyle works.

“For us, it really helps that our staff speak at least seven languages fluently so they can help owners, even when they don’t speak much English,” says Nick, of Melbourne’s Essential Community Management. “Sending out letters and notes in different languages also means everyone’s included and can feel part of the community so any potential difficulties are solved before they have a chance to become problems.”

Nick was speaking after a survey conducted by experts in the strata industry at Griffith University in Queensland revealed that the building management sector had named the biggest challenge of the strata title sector as being “deficiencies in executive committees”.

But many building managers see their major role as helping owners.

At Owners Corporation Management, facilities manager George Zakhour

“You have to understand buildings, but it’s about building relationships too. You have to be able to deal well with clients.” says, the industry, while still needing all the technical expertise, has become much more customer-centric over the last 10 years.

“You obviously need to understand buildings, but it’s all about building relationships too,” he says. “You have to be able to deal well with clients and their needs and expectations. They have both an emotional and financial investment in the building, and it’s our role to add value to each.”

OCM owners corporation manager Andrew Yates says he often describes his job as “managing personalities for a living”. Owners might disagree with each other when running a building, but it’s a very democratic process.

“When we speak to committees we say it’s OK to disagree, but it’s about respecting the process and moving on.

It helps too that we have the expertise of working with so many other buildings to be able to coach people and guide them to better outcomes.”

Essential also becomes involved early on in the development of buildings in aspects like design, so owners will later face minimal maintenance, while they also have strong links with owners corporation – or strata – managers, to iron out any kinks in the management process.

And when disputes between owners do arise, then it’s all down to communication again. “A lot of people have never lived in an apartment building before, so they might not know how the rules apply to things like parking in the wrong car spot, or having their cat roam on common property or putting washing on the balcony,” says Regina McCann, general manager of Essential.

“But most people are reasonable.

And when you use a personal approach and empathy, and explain things, they’re usually quick to do the right thing.” T

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STRATA | CONCRETE

The secret killer

How do you spot the first signs of concrete cancer?

Laura Hellings discovers the tell-tale indications and finds out what you can do about it.

Concrete cancer! They’re the two little words guaranteed to strike fear and loathing into every apartmentdweller’s heart.

However, while the first reaction might be to put a home immediately on the market before potential purchasers find out, move, or try to patch up the problem in order to hide it as best they can, there’s a much better solution at hand: fix it.

“Jumping on it as soon as any signs are noticed means that it can usually be fixed for much, much less than if it’s left,” says Neil Trenwith, director of concrete cancer specialists Magnatex.

“Once the corrosion activity starts, the rapidity of its progress can be mindblowing. It could cost 10 times more, at least, to fix it later than if it were fixed straight away.”

Concrete cancer, or to give it its proper name, concrete spalling, takes place usually in older apartment buildings where building materials may have been of poorer quality, construction standards lower with the reinforcing steel, perhaps, being laid too close to the surface of concrete and vulnerable to the elements, and maintenance less regular. It refers to a process by which the steel bars used to reinforce concrete begin rusting, swell and exert pressure on the concrete around it, which leads to the concrete cracking and pieces breaking off.

Neil likens it to when superhero The Incredible Hulk emerges and all the buttons of his shirt ping off as his body bulges with muscles. “Corrosion is ferrous oxide which takes up more volume than the steel,” he says. “So, as it expands and bulges, surfaces may become uneven and we’ll see the

“With concrete spalling , once the corrosion starts, the rapidity of its progress can be mind-blowing.” cracking or ‘blowing’ of concrete.”

It’s a syndrome most common in buildings from the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, according to Kevin Cuskelly, assistant director of building services at the Housing Industry Association.

“It’s not as prevalent in new buildings using newer techniques of production, and concrete that’s more durable and produced to better specifications for high rise buildings,” he says.

Early signs of problems include an orange tinge on concrete surfaces,

rusting around the edge of slabs or balconies, and evidence of surfaces becoming uneven, such as floor tiles starting to lift, paint looking stretched, or cracks in concrete walls or columns.

Experts should then be called in to investigate, get rid of the source of the spalling, repair, and ensure it won’t happen again. “The reason people call it ‘cancer’ is that, just like cancer, you never know where it’s going to end,” says Neil. “It’s so much better to treat it early, before it has a chance to take hold.” T

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STRATA | INSURANCE

No double-dipping on defect claims If you are thinking about making an insurance claim for damage caused by a property defect, beware! Strata owners only get one shot, as Renee Cassidy, Claims Manager at Whitbread Insurance Brokers, explains.

With demand for property and inner city living high, apartment buildings are popping up at record pace. However, with contractors under pressure to meet increasingly tight deadlines, we have seen corners cut and compromises made like never before.

As a consequence, property defects and property defect insurance claims have gone through the roof.

What classifies as a property defect?

A property defect can result from a poor design, faulty workmanship, poor quality materials, or a failure to comply with the structural performance requirements of the National Construction Code.

Different states have different definitions but, under NSW legislation that came in earlier this year, a major defect must have consequences that will cause, or is likely to cause, part or all of the building to become uninhabitable or unable to be used for its intended purpose. It’s very similar in Victoria.

In both NSW and Victoria you have six years in which to claim for major defects and two years to claim for minor ones. In Queensland, the window for minor claims is much narrower.

To provide some context, a major building defect may include things like faulty waterproofing, poorly constructed balconies, or something essential to the building’s stability or structure such as foundations, footings, walls, roofs, or beams. Minor defects are things like cracked plaster, poorly hung doors or broken light switches.

One very topical and common example of a property defect concerns building materials used. We often see major defect claims come through for water damage to the property as a result of an incorrect protective

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membrane being used under showers, on balconies, or in some cases where there is no protective membrane at all!

Very recently, a severe property defect became evident when a fire from one floor spread through multiple storeys in a Melbourne apartment building. It was found that the extent of the fire was caused, in part, due to the exterior of the building not being clad in the appropriate fire-resistant sheeting as required by the Building Code of Australia.

What can you do about damage resulting from a property defect?

In many strata properties it is not unusual to find defects in the first few years after construction, but what can you do when the defect is also causing damage to your property?

Most owners would seek to lodge an insurance claim under the strata insurance policy. Unfortunately, strata unit owners are often shocked to discover their property damage claim is denied by the insurer. Many denials occur because the defect is already known about, or the insurer deems that any “reasonable person” would have known about it, which in turn could have prevented initial or further damage from occurring.

Unknown defects v Known defects – are you covered?

Claiming due to an unknown defect: If you have purchased a relatively new property and discover a defect which has caused damage to your property, there is a good chance it will be considered an unknown defect if you have not been informed by the OC

Committee and/or Strata Manager of its existence. This generally then means that the insurer will consider covering repairs for any resultant damage. It is important to note however, that rectification of the defect itself is excluded in most cases.

In general, many insurance policies specify that: If the damage was caused by the non-rectification of a defect that you were unaware of, or could not have reasonably been expected to be aware of, then repairs for the resultant damage will be covered.

Claiming due to a known defect: Alternatively, if this same defect is known to have occurred elsewhere in the Strata property, and the defect is known to any of the owners, the OC Committee, the Strata Manager or the insurer (whether or not a claim has been made), the insurer will no longer accept any additional insurance claims for this same defect, anywhere in the Strata property.

Essentially, if anyone else knew of the defect, it is no longer considered an unknown defect. As actions could have been taken to prevent the resultant damage caused by the defect, the insurer’s “known defects” policy exclusion then applies to the claim.

For further advice on navigating insurance claims for property defects, please contact Whitbread Insurance Brokers, 1300 424 627. T This article is not intended to be personal advice and you should not rely on it as a substitute for any form of personal advice. Please contact Whitbread Associates Pty Ltd ABN 69 005 490 228 Licence Number: 229092 trading as Whitbread Insurance Brokers. For further information, refer to our website.

15/06/15 1:17 PM

Little knowledge - big problem

By Jimmy Thomson So, what can you do if the defect is already known and you cannot make an insurance claim?

If your defect is already known and you cannot claim under your Strata Insurance policy (because it has already been repaired), your next step should be to contact the initial builder.

A common misconception is that you can claim on the contractor’s Builders Warranty Insurance policy (in Victoria) or the Home Building Compensation Fund (NSW).

However, in both cases, the fund is there to compensate home owners who have discovered defects and whose builders have disappeared, become insolvent or lost their licenses.

In the case of strata schemes, it is up to the Owners Corporation to make the claim and you should be pressing your committee or strata manager to pursue defect claims as soon as defects are identified.

There are variations between the two states but basically you can’t claim for BWI or HBFC for buildings over three storeys high and your claims for major defects must be within six years, or two years for non-major defects.

And if your builder hasn’t passed away, disappeared

Defects – A checklist

If you have discovered a property defect, there are a number of steps we suggest you take:

Inform the right people – If you discover any defect tell your OC Committee and/or Strata Manager straight away.

They are then able to communicate this defect to all property owners within the building, giving them the opportunity to repair the defect to prevent resultant damage.

Details – Keep the builders/contractors details and receipts for their work for six years following completion.

Should you also need to seek damages from them to repair the defect or claim against their Builders Warranty Insurance policy, this will prove invaluable.

Communication – Always encourage good communication practices between your Strata Manager, OC Committee and lot owners. Good communication will help to ensure that any defect or property issues are dealt with appropriately.

“If your defect is known and you can’t claim ... your next step is to contact the builder.” or become insolvent, the first step your committee should take is to contact the initial contractor who performed the works to repair the defect.

If the response you receive from the contractor is unsatisfactory, and they refuse to complete repairs to the defect, and/or rectification works, you and any other owners may then have grounds to pursue legal action, as the contractors may be in breach of the National Construction Code.

Your owners corporation manager (strata manager) will be able to advise you on what your options are regarding deadlines and claims against the builder. T As well as editing Title, Jimmy Thomson writes the weekly Flat Chat apartment living advice column in the Sydney Morning Herald, writes for The Age online and also runs the flat-chat.com.au website.

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STRATA | LEGALS

Brief encounters Deciding you need a lawyer is just the first step, writes Jimmy Thomson.

Choosing the kind of lawyer you need is just as important.

At some point in the history of your building – or, indeed, your tenure as a resident – you might want to engage a lawyer to take on a legal battle for you. There are a lot of legal eagles around, so which one do you want perched at your right hand when you go into battle?

Firstly, you want an experienced strata lawyer. There are plenty of solicitors out there who think they know strata law but unless they have wrestled with the various mediations and tribunals, not to mention homemade by-laws and rules, they may turn out to be of little practical help.

Every strata lawyer is different but here at Title we have broken them down into three main groups; litigators, mediators and innovators.

Litigators These are the people you want in your corner when there is someone up against you who just wants to win, right reason or none.

You know the kind of people we mean – logic and common sense go out the window as their sole aim becomes to win at all costs (especially if they have deep pockets).

That’s when you need a strata street-fighter of a lawyer who will, if you want them to, trade punch for punch while doing their best to make sure it doesn’t cost you more to succeed than it would to concede defeat and deal with the consequences.

Mediators Strata law and community politics are so complex that it’s possible to have two people or groups that, with the best of intentions, simply can’t see the other’s point of view.

A mediator will do their best to use their knowledge and authority to get everyone to a position where they can make informed decisions and, if necessary, compromises.

“There are many solicitors who think they know strata law but until they have wrestled with mediations, tribunals and by-laws, they may be of little help.”

But bear in mind, the mediator is not a referee or adjudicator. They are not there to take sides – in fact, their job is to get everyone on the same side and to avoid the expense – both financially and emotionally – of dragging the issue through tribunals and courts.

Innovators Strata law is a relatively new beast compared, say, to criminal or business law. That means there are a lot of aspects of the law that have never been tested in a superior court like the Supreme, High or Appeal courts.

That’s where the legal precedents are established that close the loopholes and clarify the issues left by legislators.

The innovator may see a grey area of strata as somewhere that they can not only get you a result but can establish legal precedents and, preferably, enhance their own reputation. A smart innovator will find a positive outcome for you where none previously seemed to exist. However, just make sure they aren’t polishing their reputation on your dime.

“The best lawyers will have a bit of all those qualities,” says Suzie Broome of Makinson d’Apice Lawyers. “Even better, sign up with a team that has strong players in every department and then you will have all the options at your disposal, rather than having to go lawyer shopping.” T

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