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SILK, located at 118 Racecourse Road, offers something you rarely ever see in off the plan apartments – fully customisable apartment design. Situated in a suburb which has always been prestigious and is still growing, SILK allows residents to create their own apartment in a small and exclusive building, in a well-serviced location filled with restaurants, cafes, and strip shopping.
SILK is the most customisable off the plan project we’ve reviewed to date here at Propertymash.com. Designed by Loucas Zahos Architects, who specialise in custom designed houses and work with buyers to make their dream apartment, it is a genuinely unique offering. We have come across similar approaches before, but generally it is for off the plan $3M+ penthouses or waterfront buildings on Sydney Harbour. Offering this customisable option on a small building is Brisbane is a brave and exciting opportunity.
Why is it brave did I hear you ask? The reason most developers don’t allow you (the buyer) to customise your off the plan apartment layout to any significant degree is the cost of accommodating these needs and the sheer logistics of managing this on a large off the plan project. Imagine a 100 apartment tower with 100 customised apartment layouts, kitchen spaces and so on. It would be almost impossible to deliver and incredibly expensive to build. Silk are able to do this as it is a small low rise project, which makes it possible, but still not necessarily easy. Yes it will be difficult for the developer, but it is exciting for buyers and that is why we love it and wish more developers would offer the same option.
The 13 apartments over four levels give this development an extremely boutique feeling, and as the photos throughout this article show, the high quality of the development makes it all the more special.
The design of apartments in SILK is, as we’ve noted, customisable, which means that when working with the architects, buyers can choose to make whatever tweaks they’d like to established floor plans, or create an entirely independent and new apartment design. This makes SILK perfect for downsizers, and professionals who know what they (and their families) want.
The below floor plans are just a starting point, as they can be changed completely if the buyer wishes, but they give you a good idea about the development and the size of the apartment footprint.
SILK also has a rather slick way of differentiating the public and private spaces of the development. The main retail and commercial space, consisting of cafes and outdoor dining, will face onto Racecourse Road, whilst the apartments will mainly have a north orientation, leading them to face the much quieter Beatrice Terrace.
One aspect that most of the apartments share is the fact that they are designed to create as much usable space as possible. Every apartment comes with a full height storage locker, and two car spaces. Air conditioning is standard, as are ensuite’s, intercom’s, broadband internet access, dishwashers, and large balconies.
SILK’s contemporary architecture plays on the Queensland Verandah, with its strong lines & interplay of contrasting materials. Concrete, timber, matte black metal work, glass & stone are deftly combined to create highly articulated façades with great street presence.
The display suite is located at 118 Racecourse Road, Ascot. To make an appointment to view SILK, use the enquiry form below.
MARCH 2020: Construction on SILK is progressing quickly, with scaffolding currently on its way down. It is due to be complete in the next month or so.
Ascot is a well-known and established Brisbane suburb, coveted for its proximity to the city and the sheer amount of schools, restaurants and other amenities in the area. The weekend café culture, markets and general locale make Ascot much sought after.
As we mentioned above, SILK looks onto both Racecourse Road, and Beatrice Terrace. The address, 118 Racecourse Road, means that SILK is on the edges of a smaller ‘village’ along Racecourse Road, which contains a chemist (which is directly across the road), a Coles just 300 meters away, and Le Bon Choix, everyone’s favourite bakery, across the intersection. The Eagle Farm Racecourse is three minutes walk down the road, which is close enough for residents to have easy access to the Sunday Markets and the races, but far enough for sounds not to carry too much.
SILK is surrounded by some of Brisbane’s premier private schools, especially for girls. Clayfield College is 7 minutes drive away, St. Margret’s Anglican Girls School is five minutes drive, and St. Rita’s College is four minutes drive. You’ve also got Eagle Junction State School, and St. Agatha’s Primary School within ten minutes of SILK, which makes the development ideal for those who have young families, or lots of girls!
There’s also an incredibly amount of public transport options around. With a bus stop literally less than 20 meters from the front door of SILK, you can understand why this would be the ideal development for commuters. You’ve also got two train stations – Doomben and Eagle Farm – within ten minutes walk, meaning that you can literally get anywhere easily.
The Southern Cross Way, and the Gateway Motorway are nearby, getting you to the Gold Coast in about 1 hour. SILK is also only 10 minutes from the Brisbane Airport, but don’t expect that to cause much, if any, noise.
As the artists impressions show, SILK has a high general quality of finish. These finishes can, of course, vary between the apartments based on what the residents would like. The below image will give you an idea of the type of finishes you can expect (which is what you can expect from an apartment in this price range, in this location).
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