Cashed-up downsizers in Melbourne's inner east expected to eye new apartments at The Hawthorne

Upsizing on quality of space is what today’s downsizers are all about. They want contemporary design that invites a luxury lifestyle. And while they may want to downsize on maintenance, they don’t want to compromise on the extras.

At The Hawthorne, these boxes are ticked with communal spaces including a pool, lounge and gym. The four-storey development of just 45 apartments counts landscape design by Jack Merlo and large balconies among its assets.

It has all the attributes architect Gary Catt says he could picture himself enjoying.

“When I think about it, I have designed this boutique complex with myself in mind as a resident,” he says. “I’m in the age group and life-cycle stage.”

Catt has put a modern spin on homely elements downsizers are bound to feel familiar with. This can be found in the dramatic wide-eave skillion roof design.

“I wanted to celebrate familiar contemporary domestic architecture that has been around and stood the test of time,” he says.

“That’s why I look to history for what have become iconic shapes. Skillions are such shapes. They are also casual references to holiday homes and this in a sense is an urban holiday retreat.

“For those with school-age kids they will still provide the needs typical of the family home.”

The Hawthorne is the first residential development for Chinese multinational Hisense. The company is better known in Australia for its TVs and naming rights to Melbourne’s Hisense Arena, but it has long established itself as a property developer in China.

With prices starting from $2.5 million, The Hawthorne hopes to attract downsizers with an appetite for a lock-and-leave lifestyle. The apartments are deliberately low-maintenance, yet richly appointed, so residents will have the freedom to leave for an overseas sojourn just as easily as they can a weekend getaway.

Its enviable address in the renowned leafy inner-east is likely to be the winning drawcard for many interested parties. The Barkers Road development has views across the playing fields of nearby Xavier College and is in easy walking distance of the cafes and shops on Glenferrie Road, making it perfect for locals who already love the area.

“People who live in Hawthorn don’t leave Hawthorn,” says Rodney Morley agent, Stanley Spicer. “It’s always been a very sought-after suburb.

“There’s the restaurants on Glenferrie Road, the cinemas, the parks, the gardens … and you’re five minutes from the city.”

The addition of artwork by Greg Mallyon adds to the sense of nature and prestige this inner-eastern location already possesses.

The Hawthorne has a completion estimate of August 2022.