'Exceptionally rare': Why Avenue in Brighton East is expected to lure high-end property collectors

Can residential property be a collector’s item? It’s not such a strange idea when you consider the rise of boutique developments designed to outshine existing stock and become iconic in their own right.

Located a five-minute drive from the beach and only 13 kilometres from the CBD, Avenue is the latest project from developer Skelton and is poised to deliver a dose of designer living to
a quiet pocket of exclusive Brighton East.

Skelton managing director Michael Skelton describes Avenue as a “passion-led project”. While he expects it to be popular with locals and those looking for an “outdoors lifestyle and access to schools”, he is also hoping to attract buyers with an appetite for high-end design.

“With Avenue, I’m not looking for speculators or people who don’t intend to hold this property for a substantial time,” he says.

“The detail and thought placed into Avenue positions it toward the traits of a collector. Timing-wise, a purchaser missing out on Avenue can’t simply wait one to two years when the broader market has shifted and purchase something similar, because opportunities like these are exceptionally rare.”

A collection of nine, three-storey townhomes to be launched in July, Avenue is the vision of architects ADDARC, a Melbourne firm challenging traditional design.

Architect Rohan Appel has used familiar forms and materials in a contemporary way with refined detailing in a bid to ensure Avenue sits comfortably within its surrounds. “The material choices of brickwork, charred timber and zinc cladding are enhanced by the changing daylight across their surfaces,” says Appel.

The main bedroom is the hero in the design, with its cathedral ceilings pitching up to 4.4 metres and the full-height glazing flooding the space with an abundance of dappled light.

In the kitchen ADDARC have used full-height timber grain cupboards to provide storage space and a sense of warmth, as well as a stone wall splashback, and induction cooking.

Another standout feature is the option to personalise the basement configuration. Buyers can choose a large, multi-purpose room for a cinema or gym plus a two-car garage, or a three-car garage with a workshop or wine cellar, says Skelton. Outside, award-winning landscape architect Jack Merlo has created a strong connection between the built form and the landscaped environment.

Starting with the main pedestrian pathway, where a green arbour enriches the arrival, and continuing through each townhome, the landscaping will include evergreen screening plants, flowering shrubs and climbers that bring seasonal change, and blooms year round.