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.......?