In Manhattan fashion: A look inside The Mills at YarraBend

The Big Apple has always held a special place in the hearts of Australians and now the uber-coolness of New York City design is finding a footing in Melbourne’s newest apartments and townhouses.

From the plush digs of the Upper East Side to the classic brownstone walk-ups of Brooklyn, New Yorkers do city chic in a way that’s emulated all over the world. But the NYC style that’s most at home in Melbourne is the industrial-look lofts and townhouses.

These warehouse conversions are characterised by exposed brick walls, metal finishes and huge windows in open-plan spaces. You may never have stepped inside one of these lofts, but it’s likely you are familiar with the design.

Remember the sexy pottery scene in Ghost? It happened in a Soho loft. Sex in the City character Aleksandr Petrovsky, played by Mikhail Baryshnikov, lived in a loft. Glee, Gossip Girl, New Girl … lofts are common in scenes from New York films and television series.

Lofts are usually portrayed as places where creative and trendy types live. The no-fuss minimalist who’s happy to sleep in a mezzanine over a huge open floor plan, with a window they can make quips at loud revellers from.

It may seem far removed from the Melbourne way of life, but a decade of factory conversions has changed all that. A walk around the former blue-collar suburbs of Collingwood, Yarraville, Richmond and Fitzroy reveals neighbourhoods within a not too distant echo of their industrial pasts.

These old factories often have good bones – good enough to simple reorganise the interiors – or at the very least, have a decorative facade that can be retained to speak to the building’s past.

Architect Raymond Mah says it is this remaking of history that makes New York and Brooklyn-style design so popular.

“I think it’s the honesty of the expression in the materials and the architectural form,” he says.

“There’s usually a story being told about the industrial heritage.”

It’s this rich heritage that inspired Mah and his team at DKO architects to design The Mills – one of five precincts at the massive YarraBend development in Alphington. The development, which sits on the former Amcor paper mill site. and has almost 300 metres of Yarra River frontage, will house 1500 new dwellings once it’s complete. So far, 350 lots have sold.

Reflecting the industrial background of the mill was important, Mah said, particularly given the townhouses will be close to the Wetlap Building, where watery pulp was pressed dry as part of the paper-manufacturing process.

With red-brick facades and twin steel-framed gabled roofs, built in 1936,  YarraBend developer Glenvill plans to convert the Wetlap Building into lofts re-using trusses, beams, window frames, grilles and brickwork.

It is just one of the original buildings that will be repurposed on the massive 17 hectare site by the Yarra.

“New York and Brooklyn inspired us a lot because of the similarities to this site: the generosity of height, the warehouse/industrial heritage. That was the look and feel we wanted to bring into Alphington,” Mah explains.

The latest release of The Mills will include the release of 27 townhouses. Every one will have three levels, plus a rooftop terrace, and buyers can choose between a Manhattan or Brooklyn interior scheme. Manhattan brings a fresh and uplifting palette, while  Brooklyn favours darker tones for a bolder feel.

The Mills is to be located near YarraBend’s health and wellness centre and artisan food precinct. It will also be close to a walking promenade to be known as The Paper Trail and an open space called Workshop Park. In keeping with the New York City vibe, Mah says these community places will encourage social connections.

“Our vision is for The Mills is for it to be a little village, a place where you would know your neighbour because there are multiple chances of encounters through these spaces,” he explains.

“This is somewhat of a foreign concept in the classic Australian suburban context.”

Using a palette of raw, but refined materials, The Mills will feature stone, white ceramic tiles and light oak timbers complemented by matte black joinery and bronze or brass fittings.

The result iwill be a city-chic look to appeal to the young professionals expected to take up residence here, says Ashley Bramich, Glenvill’s sales and marketing director.

“There is an associated coolness with the New York style, typically for the intelligent, hard-working, fast-paced media types, progressive thinkers,” he says.

“It reflects the average age in Alphington, which is young at just 36, and 58 per cent of the population is under 40.”

Bramich expects these youthful homebuyers will also be attracted to the development for its authentic links to the site’s heritage.

“A lot of Melbourne developers really use heritage as a cliche, but we feel there’s a genuine connection at the YarraBend site because of the old Amcor paper facility,” he says.

“It’s a strong and clear brief to connect that with the architecture, not just give lip service to the New York and Brooklyn industrial look.”