Luxury Frome Street apartment inspired by New York
This luxury 380sqm penthouse in Adelaide’s tallest residential tower draws inspiration from New York and includes views across the city, with stylish interiors created by current owners Maggi Miles and Gary Lines.
When Maggi Miles and Gary Lines, both retired entrepreneurs, purchased their Frome Street home, it was little more than a concrete shell.
The couple had been living in a renovated apartment across the road at the time when they heard the Adelaidean tower would be built.
“We lived there for 10 years, but Gary had his eye on this building, and he figured one day, it would be developed,” says Maggi.
“When he saw it was going to be developed, he jumped onto it and said, ‘I want to live there’.”
The couple purchased two sub-penthouses off the plan, and over a two-year period, they transformed them into a single luxury space, where they have been living for the past four years.
Maggi says the location was one of the major drawcards of the apartment, with its proximity to restaurants, cafes, pubs, the Palace Nova cinema and the Adelaide Botanic Garden.
“It’s a sophisticated corner of Adelaide and it’s got history – it’s right across the road from the universities and the botanic garden and the museum, so a lot of Adelaide’s history is on our doorstep, which is pretty fabulous,” she says.
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The couple wanted to recreate the feeling of apartments in Melbourne, as well as New York, where they lived in the 1980s.
“I used to be a fashion designer and I’ve done a lot of interiors, so I was able to bring those skills and passion into this project,” says Maggi.
Among the priorities was creating a comfortable but beautiful environment with plenty of space.
“It’s beautiful but it also has quirky elements. As people, as entrepreneurs, we’re probably also anarchists in our own way,” says Maggi.
“We’ve created a couple of small follies that are in the apartment for amusement and also so it’s a bit off-centre and not so predictable.
“We wanted to make it our own with the absolute top end of fittings and fixtures and beautiful tiles.
“Beauty and a sublime aesthetic were priorities.”
Gary, a published author, even drew inspiration from his surroundings for his second novel, What Will Happen to You?
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After you take the lift up to the four-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment, the property opens into the entrance hall.
To the left, there is a gym and the master suite, with its spacious ensuite and walk-in wardrobe.
Maggi says she enjoys watching birds and planes from her bedroom window.
“The view from where we are on this level is amazing. We look over the Botanic Garden, so I can see half of the Chihuly sculptures from our apartment. It’s wonderful to watch the weather go by, the storms come in, the sunrises, and the autumn colours of the botanic gardens and parks.”
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To the right is an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area, which also includes a butler’s pantry, a study and a private balcony.
Maggi says there are many advantages to living in an apartment, as opposed to a standard single or double-storey dwelling.
This includes safety, ease of access, and not having to worry about things such as mowing the lawn or fixing a leaky roof when travelling away from home.
“You go up the lift into your apartment, close the door and you feel safe. Security-wise, it’s fantastic,” says Maggi.
“You can see everything that’s going on and the progress of building in and around the city. Then you just go down the elevator and there’s Amalfi (restaurant), pubs, restaurants and the cinema.”
When asked to name her favourite feature of the apartment, Maggi says she loves it all, including her large office space with its New York-themed wallpaper.
“There are casual chairs by the window where you can sit all day and watch the view,” she says.
The apartment changes its mood when the automatic lighting comes on at night, almost converting into a luxury hotel.
“We have many people come and they say, ‘We don’t want to leave’.”
But after four years, Maggi and Gary have decided they want to live close to the beach.
Maggi says Gary’s novel will always be a reminder of their life in the apartment.
“I’ll miss the space it has,” says Maggi. “I’ll miss the views and its location.”
The sale of 3401/19 Frome Street, Adelaide is being handled by Jordan Begley and Bronte Manuel of Toop+Toop.
