Ivanhoe is one of those rare Melbourne suburbs that checks off almost everything a homebuyer could wish for. Its inner-city location makes it easy to commute outwards or inwards, yet it has a distinct village vibe with many parks and bushland pockets.
This idyllic setting is the new home of Candela, a six-storey development that sits at a topographical peak on Upper Heidelberg Road, affording it vistas out to the Dandenongs to the east and the city skyline to the west.
This position means the views are uninterrupted, now and possibly forever, says Duminda Ranasinghe at developer Salter Brothers.
“We’re at 40 Upper Heidelberg Road, sitting on one of the higher points of Melbourne so when we look out from the east we sit above the rail line and it’s unlikely anything will ever get built up there,” he said. “We’re going to have uninterrupted views of the Dandenongs for a very long time.”
Candela will feature a mix of 2, 3 and 4-bedroom apartments, priced from $675,000, and ‘Sky Penthouses’ from $1.735 million.
Apartments are aimed at local downsizers wanting to stay in their comfort zone, literally, and young professionals wanting to snag an address in one of Melbourne’s oldest and most affluent neighbourhoods.
“From the outset when we looked at the site, being right next to the village and close to the city, we’ve always had a focus that it would be for owner occupiers,” Ranasinghe says.
“We’ve focused on the landmark location, the shape of the building, the facade – it’s something people will be proud to live in.
“We’ve got plenty of natural light all through the building, we’ve got oversized bedrooms, so it’s all about improving amenities for the residents.”
Candela is set to impress thanks not only to its location, but its brother and sister design team. John Demos is the architect while sister Kathy Demos is the interior designer.
The triangular shape of the site resulted in a distinctive design that buyers are sure to find appealing, says John.
“[The site] is like two chards coming together and spreading into an A-shape, so you couldn’t impose a conventional building on it,” he says. “It gave rise to a sense of innovation.”
The western facade, facing Upper Heidelberg Road, is characterised by a veil of metal mesh designed to moderate sunlight and create private room-like balconies, while the east facade features large windows with indented balconies and integrated planters. At the pointed end of the building, where the facades meet, horizontal metal bands extend the full height of the building.
John says a collaborative effort has produced a harmonious blend between the architecture and the interior design.
“The interiors are a little bit unusual, like the building itself,” he explains. “The spaces aren’t rectangular, they’re quite trapezoidal because the living room tapers towards the windows”
The development has a space on the ground floor for a cafe and wine bar, with seating areas in three separate areas around it. There’s also room for a yoga or pilates studio on the ground floor, giving residents immediate access to two major Melbourne necessities: coffee and fitness.
The top floor will house a rooftop garden, while in the basement there’s dedicated storage areas for each apartment.
To find out more about Candela, visit the Domain listing or candelaivanhoe.com.au.