Duke Apartments: Collingwood's only full-floor apartment development

Collingwood is a suburb known as one of Melbourne's most vibrant cultural hubs.

For a long time, it has catered to young professionals, predominantly apartment dwellers, who want to be in the heart of what makes Melbourne so appealing.

One demographic that has been overlooked over the years is downsizers. With well over 90 percent of the suburb consisting of apartments and townhouses, larger apartments designed to transition downsizers from family homes haven't been widely available.

However, Duke Ventures, led by architects Joseph Toscano and Dino Pezzutti, identified this gap in the market. Toscano and Pezzutti's architecture firm, DP Toscano, put pen to paper and designed Duke Apartments, a collection of just nine full-floor apartments, the only recent development offering exclusively full-floor residences.

The Wellington Street development, currently under construction by Hamilton Marino, is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. It offers apartments ranging in size from 158 sqm to 185 sqm, some of the largest in the suburb's history.

Each apartment features three bedrooms located privately at the rear, with the living, kitchen, and dining areas opening to a full-width balcony overlooking the Melbourne skyline.

To ensure ample natural light and ventilation, the design incorporates a central light well.

The apartments boast a combination of timber floors, timber joinery units, and raw cement ceilings. The centerpiece of each home is the open-plan kitchen, equipped with Miele appliances.

Additional features include direct lift access to each apartment and three car stackers at the rear of the building to meet parking needs.

Strategically located, Duke Apartments is within walking distance of Collingwood Train Station and tram services on Victoria and Smith Streets, as well as the cafes, restaurants, and boutiques on Smith Street.