There’s so much to love about Apartment 12 at 1 Greenknowe Avenue in Potts Point.
Let’s take a look inside the Kingsclere building to see what makes it so special.
The property
The owners of this grand fifth-floor apartment in the prestigious Kingsclere building bought it 23 years ago. They’d loved the 1912 building for years before purchasing the property, and were intrigued by its history. Kingsclere, which was designed by architects Halligan and Wilton, was the first high-rise block to be built in the area and one of the first in Sydney. It has just 17 apartments in total.
And, if you think the façade looks a little like something you’d find walking down a leafy street in New York City, you’re right. Kingsclere was the first residential building to introduce the Federation Free Style architecture to Sydney, which was popular at the time in the United States. Today, it remains one of the most striking buildings in the Potts Point precinct.
The owners love the apartment’s light, bright house-like proportions, prized north-west corner position and the fact that there are just two apartments per floor. They also adore the flexible layout and the fact that rock-solid walls meant you could be playing music in one room and watching TV in the other without disturbing each other.
A blank canvas
Under the current owners, the home has been much-loved and well cared for. While living there, they painted the interiors, renovated the bathrooms (complete with underfloor heating), and installed new floors across the apartment. The owners chose to retain the original layout of the building for the most part – making this apartment flexible and full of character.
One of the stunning recessed balconies offers panoramic city views, while the other looks out over the harbour. The apartment’s large, renovated kitchen and palatial dining room have been much used over the years in creating many treasured family memories.
The owners are selling so they can fulfil a lifelong dream of living overseas for a while.
What the owners say
“We knew about Kingsclere for ages, we always wanted to live in one of those grand old mansion apartments, so when it came up for sale, we took a look,” remember the owners. “We loved it – it was just as we imagined it would be inside. High ceilings. Lovely big hallways. Stunning original features. The massive dining room has its own balcony and skyline views of the city, it’s so pretty at night when it’s all lit up.
“The previous owner had made some minor modifications but kept the big separate rooms, and we pretty much retained the original floor plan. We know others in the building have removed walls to create massive reception rooms, but we like the flexibility of having separate rooms.”
“It’s hard to choose a favourite room. The large kitchen is great, and the dining room has been fabulous – we’ve had our children’s 21st’s and 40th’s there, and we’ve celebrated our 60th’s and 70th’s as well. We’ve held amazing functions for work colleagues there too – it’s a room full of memories! We also love sitting on the balcony looking at the boats in the harbour going past. The apartment is so well-designed, you get fantastic cross-ventilation on hot days.
“Potts Point is such a convenient area to live in and there’s an immediacy to it that we adore. We’ve loved watching the area grow and evolve over the decades and getting to know the friendly people in the local delis and cafes and all the fashion boutiques that have popped up right outside our door. It’s also nice to know you’re likely to bump into a fellow dog-walking friend when you step outside and that is something we’ll really miss.”
