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When Chelsea Hing and her partner bought this apartment eleven years ago, construction was still underway to convert the sprawling Victorian mansion into separate apartments. But they knew it was the one straight away!
‘I had been coveting the project for months, it was an extremely rare opportunity to buy within such a historic building,’ she remembers. ‘Having missed out on another apartment, we sat crestfallen in the gravel carpark looking at the last remaining one-bedroom apartment with park views. Once we realised we could convert the floorplan to a generous two-bedroom we took the plunge and bought it.’
The developer had unfortunately demolished a few of the original heritage features, but Chelsea got there just in time to save the fireplace mantle, and had new cornicing made as close to the former grand style as possible. After the modern appliances and new carpet had been installed, all the interiors required were some signature Chelsea Hing finishing touches!
Vintage Sciolari chandeliers and Dieter Rams shelves add classic flair to the space, bringing out the ornate character of the original building.
‘The Italianate Victorian heritage character is rare to find, much less in an apartment, so I’ll miss that the most,’ Chelsea says. ‘The beauty of the building, the scale of the ceilings, the elevated views across the park; it’s been fabulous to live in over the years.’
To top it all off, many of the vintage and designer pieces Chelsea handpicked to style the apartment for the last decade are also for sale. A heritage apartment, beautifully updated – with an edit of designer pieces selected by an award-winning local interior designer. What more could you want?!
5/101 Alma Road, St Kilda East will be sold on Saturday 13th March at 10.30am. See the property listing here.
