Neometro x Modern Times: Living Well in Smaller Space

Neometro has partnered with Modern Times to open the doors to our newly completed Nine Smith St apartments. 

A collaborative effort by Neometro and award winning practice MA Architects, Nine Smith St was furnished by Fitzroy neighbour, Modern Times to showcase adaptable modern apartment living.

“Small space living does not have to be about making compromises. With a considered interior design, and carefully selected furniture and lighting, apartment living in the inner city can provide a fantastic quality of life,” says Amy Malin of Modern Times.

In a homage to Gertrude and Johnson streets former furniture emporiums and department stores, Neometro’s newly completed 41 apartment Nine Smith St adds a robust design to the streetscape via a concrete and masonry façade that unravels to create privacy and minimise the building’s scale.

“We embrace new textures, finishes and materials to create buildings that mature with age and stand the test of time, and our design aesthetic has always been rooted in a modernist heritage,” said Neometro Design Director, Jeff Provan.

“That made Modern Times a natural fit when it came to furnishing Nine Smith St and sharing with our community furniture choices that enable adaptable modern apartment living.”

Photo: Shannon McGrath

For Amy, “it’s about quality, not quantity. Apartment living is of course common in many European cities, and so many iconic pieces from history’s greatest designers were designed with this very context in mind.

“Such pieces are often compact, elevated off the floor and with carefully considered details. The principles of living well in a small space have run through the history of Modern European design and with pieces from Modern Times, our customers can find pieces that apply these principles and fit equally well into the modern Australian lifestyle.”

Shop the look at Modern Times. 

Photo: Shannon McGrath

Spread across five- and seven-storey buildings separated by a statement light well, the one, two and three bedroom apartments have generous private balconies with planter boxes that provide green relief while referencing Fitzroy’s secret roof gardens.

As the building ascends, the architecture becomes lighter, with a slender steel frame and sun blinds on the upper levels. The top level echoes the industrial sawtooth rooflines common locally.

Photo: Shannon McGrath

With a focus on maximising space, internally the apartments feature Neometro’s signature hidden storage solutions, including custom double-sided joinery in duck egg blue that provides a division of space between kitchens and study nooks as well as plenty of out-of-sight places to tuck away life’s essentials.

The light and bright kitchens have been designed for utility, with stainless steel benchtops providing an industrial contrast to intricate white tiled splashbacks, which further complement the white gloss laminate cabinetry and highlight timber-backed open shelving.

Where the expansive open plan living areas benefit from oak flooring, the generous bedrooms are a cosy hideaway clad in grey goat hair carpeting and feature high ceilings, useful charging stations and double wardrobes with bespoke large format circular timber handles.

Photo: Shannon McGrath

With apartments at Nine Smith St sold out, only limited commercial opportunities remain. For more information please call Richard Miglic on 0418 556 900.

Buyers keen on securing their own Neometro home have an opportunity to purchase at nearby Jewell Station, where a select range of apartments are for sale.