- Julia Ford is selling her loft apartment, converted from a former shoe factory in Mount Eden.
- Ford and her husband, musician Matthew Paul, bought the three-bedroom property in 2016 for $861,000.
- The apartment has an RV of $1.3m and features a large walk-in wardrobe and a chic nursery.
Auckland shoe and fashion designer Julia Ford is selling her stylish loft apartment, which, in a neat twist, was converted from a former shoe factory.
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Ford is most proud of her huge walk-in wardrobe, which houses an impressive shoe collection. “It fits 90 pairs of shoes, but I only have my B-squad out at the moment; the rest is in storage,” she tells OneRoof.
The wardrobe is just for her; her husband, musician Matthew Paul, stores his clothes elsewhere. “I think it’s really good for a relationship, having separate bathrooms and separate wardrobes,” she laughs.
Ford’s wardrobe has a purpose-built shoe wall and hangers for several stores’ worth of clothes, apt given her job and her love of fashion.
Ford and her husband, musician Matthew Paul, say the apartment at 9/3 Akiraho Street, in Auckland’s Mount Eden, is just their “vibe”. Photo / Supplied
The colourful home houses an impressive art collection. Photo / Supplied
Ford and Paul bought the three-bedroom, two-storey at 9/3 Akiraho Street, in Mount Eden, in 2016. It was a neat fit for their inner-city life.
Ford, who was shoe designer Kathryn Wilson’s first employee in 2011, says: “Back in the day, the Arch Hill and Eden Terrace area was a real hub for shoes.
“And actually, Kathryn Wilson flatted in the building years ago. She’s got fond memories of it. It is one of those buildings that people pop around and say, ‘Oh, I had a friend who lived here back in the day’.”
Ford says the quirky apartment was their “vibe” when they began house hunting nine years ago. “It was just that little bit different. It was actually one of the first places we looked at, and it kind of suited our vibe at the time,” she said.
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Paul had travelled internationally with his band Ghost Wave between 2011 and 2016, so he knew the New York loft style. The auction was a nerve-wracking affair. It was only their second one, but they emerged triumphant after a winning bid of $861,000.
“We were bidding against another couple that almost looked like a mirror image. I think we had our mind set at that stage,” Ford said.
The couple have loved living so close to the city and being able to walk to the cafes, pubs and shows in their hood, but the birth of their daughter, Isamaya, two years ago made them realise they needed to trade up to a traditional family home.
“We’ve been very happy here. Being an ex-factory conversion, it feels incredibly safe, solid and secure, but it also has so much soul,” Ford says. “From the very beginning, it never felt generic or overdesigned. It always felt distinctive, while still being a clean, versatile backdrop that we could really make our own.”
Ford and Paul updated the apartment with a new kitchen. Photo / Supplied
The wall of shoes is an apt feature. Ford started her career with celebrated shoe designer Kathryn Wilson. Photo / Supplied
The rest of the wardrobe is packed with stylish outfits. Photo / Supplied
The couple upgraded the two bathrooms and the kitchen with stylish tile, mirrors, and brass fixtures. They also filled the double-height space with their art and collector items.
Ford, who also has her own fashion brand, LeDoré (her middle name), has used one of the bedrooms as her design studio, although at one point Paul commandeered it as his sound studio to make albums.
The couple added steel windows to a previously open mezzanine to create a third bedroom, now painted in a warm terracotta shade to make a chic nursery for Isamaya.
“What we have loved most about our apartment is how easy it is to live in. Between working, running businesses, travelling, and juggling busy schedules, having a home that’s genuinely low-maintenance and completely lock-and-leave has been perfect for our stage of life,” Ford says.
The couple enclosed a mezzanine to create a third bedroom, now an adorable nursery for their two-year-old daughter. Photo / Supplied
The two bathrooms were updated with stylish fixtures and finishes. Photo / Supplied
Ford has her own fashion brand, LeDore. Photo / Supplied
Ray White agent Stephanie Chan, who is marketing the property with Habeeb Urrahman, calls the apartment the “ex-factory with X-factor” in her advertising.
She is reluctant to talk price, but the apartment has an RV of $1.3m, and earlier this year, a smaller two-bedroom apartment on the penthouse floor sold for $995,000.
“The previous sale to that was in 2023, to they don’t come up very often,” Chan says.
“I think [the buyers] would be sort of similar to Julia and Matt when they bought it 10 years ago: professional couples, creative, working in the city or even working from home.
“I think people will get emotionally attached to it and see that it’s one of a kind.”
- 9/3 Akiraho Street, Mount Eden, Auckland, goes to auction on July 2
