Wool carpet makes 'quality' statement for new apartments

Project:         Lucca Apartments, Neutral Bay Sydney

Developer:     Peter Hing, Cienna Group

Architect:      Marchese International,  Interiors:  RLD

Peter Hing of Sydney property investment and development company, Cienna, has completely rejuvenated a Neutral Bay neighbourhood with the Lucca apartments and ground floor restaurant and bar complex.

The 49 apartments sit above six new restaurant/bars which have all attracted top names and brought new life to the formerly quiet area. In recognition of the positive impact of the development, the local council is now planning to upgrade lighting and other amenities in the area.

In developing Lucca, Cienna has created two very distinct apartment offerings - one higher end look for the 40+ market who were predominantly owner-occupiers, and a hipper look for the younger professional market. 

Peter, what was the impression you wanted the overall interior to create for prospective buyers?

 Our product is aimed at a very specific target and is about having the wow factor from the exterior to the interior.   Everything is designed to create a sense of urgency for the buyer to make a decision to commit and create a desire to live in that apartment.  We take them on a journey, starting with the brand identity, right from the first glimpse of the building through to the inside of the lift, the hallways and the apartments themselves.

The look we have aimed to create is all about elegance, luxuriousness, sophistication and comfort.

Why did you choose the carpet, instead of leaving this to your interior designer?

We always work closely with our designers but we consider carpet as a primary material in the apartment interior.  It is the key finish that ties the interior together and needs to work with all the hard surfaces such as kitchen surrounds, flooring etc.

Our interior designers certainly were the ones who chose the carpet colours and confirmed whether our choice of range was appropriate for the areas we intended.

What carpets were used where?

Onde, which is a combination cut and loop pile, was selected for the 23 apartments designed for the 40s plus age group.  We liked the look and feel and it had an interesting pattern.   It was the latest product at the time we chose the carpet, and felt comfortable and luxurious. We made the right choice as all the buyers loved it.

Ridgway loop pile was selected for the young professional market - the colour, durability and look fitted in perfectly with the ' young + hip ' interior design of the apartments, and the market that we were targeting which was both owner-occupiers and tenants. 

We used the commercial grade Crackle loop pile for the common corridors. It's very durable, easily maintained and fits in well with both the Onde and Ridgeway ranges.  It's still looking great with all the traffic.

You seem to be a fan of using wool carpet?   Why, when there are plenty of synthetic options for carpeting too?

Wool is a softer and natural fibre, durable and resilient.  It's a renewable resource and biodegradable, and that is important to our buyers and very important from a marketing point of view.  Wool carpet actually adds value and makes a statement that's all about quality.  100% wool just sounds different and indicates to buyers that they are buying something they can trust.

You also seem very loyal to Cavalier Bremworth with a large number of your projects having used CB carpet?

Yes, I am a big fan of Cavalier Bremworth. We are very loyal to people that are reliable, who delivers results. The product range is large, we get excellent service,  price competitive and an excellent brand name in the market place.  And it's New Zealand wool! What more can I say.......?