One Saint Stephens is a collection of stunning apartments, representing luxury beyond all expectation. Uniquely positioned beside the Cathedral at the top of Parnell, it comprises twenty-seven apartments over six levels. The apartments have been created with one goal in mind; to bring the ultimate in world-class luxury living to an unsurpassed location.
The project is being co-developed by Countrywide Residences and Experiences by Coopers. We asked Martin Cooper of Experiences by Coopers about his journey in developing such a luxurious residence. “Together with Countrywide Residences, we’ve basically taken all the learnings from our previous projects and gone to the next level. So this is our most ambitious project in regards to luxury to date.”
The design, the materials, the level of amenities provided, the types and number of carparks, and the sizes of apartments. Everything that’s been done has of come together to a level of luxury that the company concede they might not attempt for quite a while after this.
Starting in the basement, high-end finishes include oversized carparks, a car detailing bay, a dog wash area, and a drop off/pick up area for chauffeur driven cars.
On the ground floor there’s a private dining area (which we’ll talk about later) and lounge, and a “speak easy” private bar, plus a wellness area with an indoor soak pool, sauna and steam room. Oh, and of course, an outdoor swimming pool.
Inside the apartments, a lot of focus has been put on the master suites with big, luxurious walk-in wardrobes. And, naturally, all of the apartments feature full Gaggenau laundries and kitchens.
It’s the kitchen that really is the heart of the apartment. And at One Saint Stephens, nearly every kitchen has a scullery or a full second kitchen in the background. A lot of time was spent working through the design of these areas, getting exactly the right appliances in the precisely right locations.
As Martin has observed, people tend to get quite fixated on their kitchens. “It’s where people spend a lot of time. So we generally build a full kitchen in the show suite so people can have a really good look at it. If people have any questions, they’re invited to go down Parnell Rise to meet the team at UnserHaus who look after them incredibly well. It’s a fantastic facility for us to be able to reassure potential buyers that they’re getting nothing but the very best.”
When it comes to the private dining space available for residents to book for any occasion, the development team worked closely with Chef Des Harris on the design of the accompanying kitchen. “It was all about being able to deliver an exceptional fine dining experience for people, without them having to use their own apartments.”
In particular, Chef Harris had a lot of input into the layout and the choice of kitchen’s appliances, which has seen the area fully kitted out with Gaggenau. As Martin pointed out “When you’re talking luxury, you always want the best.”
Speaking of the best, Martin was introduced to a certain Gaggenau oven by Sara from UnserHaus. It was described as Gaggenau’s best oven, which immediately had Martin picturing it in his kitchens at One Saint Stephens.
“I guess we see our kitchens as beautiful statement pieces in the middle of the apartment – and that’s the best statement piece in a statement kitchen. We design the apartments around people having art. And if you want a piece of art in your kitchen, it’s this oven from Gaggenau.”
Originally the idea was to put it into one apartment. They ended up putting it in six.
We closed our interview with Martin by asking him to describe the Gaggenau appliances now residing in his luxury apartments. He summed it up beautifully. “Wonderful things, done well.”
