Inside the industrial Manchester city centre pad – furnished for just £1,000

CAPITAL&CENTRIC have revealed images of the one-bed apartment at Phoenix in Manchester that cost just £1,000 to furnish.

With an industrial aesthetic, balcony views and in an up-and-coming location, these are the first homes to be finished in Piccadilly East -  recently named by The Times as one of the next greatest places to live – with residents starting to move in this month.

CAPITAL&CENTRIC made waves in Manchester’s property scene by selling the apartments in both Phoenix and neighbouring Crusader Mill to local owner-occupiers only.

Now, as the first residents start moving into Phoenix, the social impact developer has gone a step further proving you don’t have to be made of money to make your new home the epitome of industrial chic.    

They secured the help of creative duo Abi and Dan, founders of Manchester-based interior design studio a-nd, tasking them with the challenge of fully furnishing a one bedroom-apartment in Phoenix for just £1,000 to see whether it could be done.

This was no mean feat as the apartments are already on average 35% larger than other properties in Manchester. Within Phoenix, all of the 548 sq ft one-bedroom homes also come with a large balcony.

Tim Heatley, co-founder of CAPITAL&CENTRIC said:

“We thought we’d show our new residents that they don’t have to break the bank to get their ideal home, especially as many are first time buyers who have already spent hard-earned savings on their first home. We intentionally designed Phoenix so that you don’t need to do a lot to it. We loved a-nd’s upcycling approach, using basic materials and making them beautiful, rescuing unloved pieces from across Manchester and giving them a new home. Come and have a look.”

For inspiration, a-nd turned to the industrial style of the building, with exposed steel and concrete ceilings, designed by architects shedkm to complement the listed Crusader Mill next door.

Dan Gregson, Creative Director at a-nd said: “Interior design is about striking the right balance between functionality and expressing identity – of the building as well as the occupier.  Every inch of the living space at Phoenix has been well thought through and the apartments have heaps of character which we could work with.”

a-nd usually turns to a range of trusted suppliers for furniture that can’t be found on the high street, however for this project they got crafty, and thrifty, to meet the tight brief.

With each room or area given a colour theme, the designers decked out the apartment with a mix of new and upcycled pieces, using online platforms such as Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace to buy unusual, but affordable, items. They also put in the footwork going out on the hunt at auctions and second-hand furniture warehouses.

“We generally kept our eyes open for a bargain everywhere we went,” said Abi Carpe, also Creative Director at a-nd. “The task was to find cost effective solutions, but these also needed to be beautiful items.”

When the budget got tight, they turned to cleverly-disguised building materials, and home-made art pieces, to add the finishing touches.

One of these items even turned out to be the designers’ favourite: “We love the coffee table in the middle of the living space. These are simple concrete building blocks which cost pennies each, but they have been repurposed into a striking object in the heart of the home. We also put three of these into the bedroom as a bedside table to demonstrate how they can be used throughout the apartment in a different way and with different heights.”

Dan and Abi’s advice for fitting out your own home? “Always keep the space and your concept in mind whenever you are out and about. These amazing bargains often get snapped up and you have to act quickly if you are going to secure a bargain.”

Named after Phoenix Works, that once produced machinery for the textile industry, the £25m development is CAPITAL&CENTRIC's first residential development to complete in the city.  PHOENIX is available with Help to Buy with prices starting at £195,000.

Interested in buying an apartment at PHOENIX? Find out more and book a viewing via the link below 

Published: 26-Aug-2020: (5972)