As the salesperson at the forefront of boutique property company, Match, Amanda Spagnolo has helped to showcase a countless number of beautiful apartments and terrace homes, ranging in style from urban to heritage and coastal.  However, recently one stood out enough for her to make a personal investment.

M/31 Apartments by Match is located in DevelopmentWA’s visionary Shoreline precinct in North Coogee. It is the sister project to its neighbouring and highly acclaimed M/31 Terrace Homes by Match, and part of a three-site design cluster that will create an architectural fusion that interacts with the natural surrounds, connection to the ocean and extensive open space.

Ms Spagnolo was instrumental in the sell-out success of M/31 Terrace Homes, so when the apartments were released onto the market, she couldn’t help but buy one for herself.

“I wasn’t really looking for an apartment, although I am always on the hunt for a great opportunity,” she said.

“Having lived north of the river my whole life, I never thought I would venture south. However, as my work has taken me to Perth’s southern coastal corridor, I have really started to see why people find it so special.

“This part of North Coogee borders South Fremantle and is what the locals call ‘South Beach’, but the price tag is vastly different to the South Fremantle property market. I considered the M/31 apartments to be a particularly good purchase as it is also so close to the beach and all the surrounding amenity.

“After viewing the visionary DevelopmentWA video on Shoreline and what is planned for the area, I was excited about getting on board.”

M/31 Apartments by Match comprise of 28 boutique apartments. It is architecturally designed by well-known and respected Cameron Chisholm Nicol Architects and is said to ‘push the envelope’ when it comes to creating signature residences that maximise the location and space.

The apartment architecture is led by the building’s beach-side location with large balconies to capture shade in summer and sun in winter. All materials and colours are inspired by the surrounding coastal environment.

Managing Director of Match parent company M/Group, Mr Lloyd Clark, said the response from the market has been unquestionably positive. He confirmed that in just a few months, the ground floor apartments had sold out and interest continues to increase.

“This is an impressive building. The top-floor apartments are designed to stand out with a ‘floating’ illusion from the exterior and a ‘pop’ of colour to create impact. Inside, this design feature accommodates a limited supply of split-level luxury-living with dual balcony space and additional features, including a study nook,” he said.

“It’s no surprise that any astute sales consultant or property investor would see value in this development. We wholeheartedly congratulate Amanda on her purchase.”

As an ‘off-the-plan’ offer, all apartment interiors and colour schemes can be altered to the buyer’s taste during the construction phase.

Ms Spagnolo does not intend to adjust the apartment in any way as she believes the ground-floor apartment she secured will deliver great flexibility into the future.

“I’ve been living in apartments for around five years and really enjoy the security and the lock-and-leave aspect of the lifestyle,” she continued.

“While my plan is to live in the apartment, down the track I know that rentals on the coast are always in high demand, so I felt that this was a very safe purchase in both regards.

“I’m looking forward to walking to the South Freo Café strip for a Sunday breakfast. Or just bike riding to the local bakery to get a loaf of bread.”

M/31 Apartments by Match have one and two-bedroom layouts available and are priced from $350,000 for the one-bedrooms and $475,000 for the two bedrooms.

Construction is expected to commence soon and will be built by M/Group’s award-winning building company, M/Construction.

For more information visit www.m31apartments.com.au or call 0432 660 066.

Once the nerve centre of Fremantle’s wool industry, this landmark heritage warehouse provides a blank commercial canvas and opportunity to create the next chapter of history.

Redeveloped by M/Group as Heirloom by Match in 2016, the former Dalgety Wool Store has been transformed into a New York-style industrial warehouse with 183 completed residential apartments and a dual-use commercial space, which has been listed for sale at $1.6 million.

The commercial site, which has been pitched as a café, restaurant or wine bar, offers 260sqm on the ground, with a soaring six metre ceiling height creating potential for additional floor space with a creative mezzanine or extra floor.

The building was originally part of a group of wool stores.

Largely unused for two decades, the Dalgety Wool Store has stood as a significant icon in the port city’s streetscape for almost 100 years.

It was originally part of a group of wool stores that occupied the entire street block and is now the only remaining one adjacent Fremantle Harbour.

Monumental in scale and form, the property was built in 1923 to cater for WA’s burgeoning wool industry from the end of World War I until the late 20th century, and was commandeered by the US Navy 7th Fleet as part of the combined allied World War II effort.

M/Group director Lloyd Clark said the $130 million Heirloom redevelopment had leveraged the existing structure to create a unique warehouse conversion.

Mr Clark said while the listing at 184/51 Beach Street had been positioned as a commercial enterprise, the dual zoning also fostered the prospect of a residential conversion.

“This particular listing…has created interest around the endless possibilities for a custom fit-out whilst designed around the exposed feature heritage red-brick, the 100-year-old jarrah columns and the exposed timber ceiling,” Mr Clark said.

“The space boasting 100 years of genuine Fremantle history lends itself to use as a café, restaurant, gallery, wine-bar or even a funky office. As the space is a shell, a complete custom fit out is available for the buyer.”

Mr Clark said the redevelopment paid homage to the building’s history.

“It was a goal to retain as many of the heritage elements as possible throughout the building and this was achieved by keeping or re-using over 85% of the original heritage fabric,” he said.

“New York-style conversions have become popular in recent years especially when considering living and/or working in a genuine warehouse environment, a limited prospect in Australia when compared to overseas.

“Developers had previously been hesitant to touch historic fabric due to the risks and unforeseen costs compared to the low cost, high profit ‘cookie-cutter’ buildings that were materialising across the city.”

Design experts say heritage renewals have long been popular for businesses and commercial enterprises, but required an astute architect with foresight and respect for the history of the property.

Nedlands architect Suzanne Hunt said there was a sense of romanticism associated with refurbishing historical buildings, despite the obvious constraints of working within heritage protections.

“There’s a romance about it,” Ms Hunt said. “People just love heritage buildings.”

“If you go into a heritage building that has been refurbished well by an architect, you have this wonderful feeling of history. There is this wonderful layering of history, the old and the new, and I think that gives a lot of opportunities for different types of design that has more of a depth of design in it.”

“Heritage buildings give character and it doesn’t matter what purpose or business you’re putting in there, you’ve got this wonderful sense that the building is old, it has its own history and you’re just making more history.”

Ms Hunt said refurbishing heritage buildings was possible while remaining cognisant of the heritage listing and ensuring respect for the old fabric.

“If you’re putting a refurb or buying a heritage building, there’s a fallacy that you can’t do anything. That’s actually not true,” she said.

“Good heritage design is saying we’re going to respect the old building and we’re going to put something contemporary…If you understand the history of the building, you can reinterpret that history in a contemporary way through your design.”

By Nicole Cox, realcommercial.com.au, 3 June 2021