CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY - Overseas Living Luxury Lifestyle Award ( May / June 2009 )
Not all international design companies are multiple award winners or able to shrug off the worst global downturn in living memory. MM Interiors however belongs to this small elite. Founder Miranda Meyer explains why she quit teaching for design – and why her company is now running flat out servicing the West African market Read More..
Over the past few months, the MMP team has acquired a series of exciting new projects. Because of this, we have experienced dynamic growth in the design world. MM Projects has finally gone global.
Lagoa Azul
The island of São Tomé is located in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of West Africa. |
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With its tropical climate and temperatures averagely ranging between 21ºC and 31ºC, it is the perfect place to relax and cleanse the soul. Miranda Meyer Interior Projects is proud to be involved in this prestigious development with Jan Greyling from Falcon Group.
Lagoa Azul is a luxurious and very exclusive golf estate development. This exotic location offers investors the clear skies of the Atlantic Ocean, complete privacy as well as the option of beachfront property with a breathtaking view. The development includes luxury houses, hotel, Marine with marine lodges and a retail centre. The website is www.saotome-island.com |
Metsi Pepa
We have also been quite busy on the local front. Metsi Pepa is a game reserve development situated in the North West Province of South Africa.
The resort includes lodges, luxurious tents, boutique hotels, organic style private villas as well as a revitalisation spa. As |
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| this specific environment is so rich with indigenous vegetation and wildlife, this exclusive resort’s atmosphere will be that of serenity. The words “Metsi Pepa” are derived from the Tswana word “Metsiphepa” which means clear water. |
Media 24
One of our more commercial projects is that of the new Media 24 New Regional offices located in Pretoria, South Africa. Together with Neo Trend Developments, the MMP team are creating a trendy office space which will inspire creative thinking. We will turn an average working space into something spectacular by combining a contemporary yet natural approach with accents of colour and character.
With this variation of interesting new projects (and many more to come) it is no wonder that Miranda Meyer Interior Projects has been so successful over the past few years. This success includes achievements in the International Property Awards such as Best Interior Design South Africa for 2007 as well as the Best Property Marketing South Africa for 2007. Keep a close eye on us – we’re growing!
Business Day - 30 March 2007
Successful female developers in today’s competitive industry are few and far between, so it was interesting to meet Miranda Meyer, the driving force behind Mossel Bay’s Nautica and Ocean Crystal beachfront developments.
She is the owner of Miranda Meyer Interiors, as well as developer and director of Bedrock Property Developers.
My initial reaction to the proposed Ocean Crystal building was unfavourable. I thought the development would look out of place amid the traditional holiday setting of Mossel Bay. It was only when I arrived at the development site and saw Nautica, situated next door to the planned Ocean Crystal site, that it all made sense: Nautica boasts a modern design in much the same way that Ocean Crystal is presenting something unique to the marketplace.
Meyer says she chose to create a European-style building for a traditional holiday area because of her extensive travelling and by seeing what is happening in China, Qatar and Dubai.
“After being on Jumeirah Beach I knew this was the type of building I would like to develop — a striking structure with curved glass towers.”
Meyer chose to create a modern European style building and interiors because she said it made more sense.
“As opposed to traditional buildings and interiors, these will be easier to maintain. I also think that SA is ready for a change. We are a young, modern country and should not try to copy traditional buildings like those in the old cities of the world.”
Initially, Meyer’s two partners in Bedrock Property Developers were not as confident about the proposed design, and allowed her to hand the concept to another developer, Rassie Erasmus, director of Magnolia Ridge Properties.
Meyer approached Erasmus and convinced him she was the best person to make the development a success, so he gave her the opportunity to put the concept together.
Erasmus and Meyer formed a strategic partnership whereby he is the developer and she is responsible for putting the development together, as well as the interior design of the apartments, supplying the furniture and marketing the development.
Erasmus initially purchased the Ocean Crystal site and planned a development, but it did not get off the ground.
Meyer says: “I think the design was dated and the market has changed. Land has become very expensive and it is impossible for any developer to be successful if he does not keep up with what is happening and with what investors want.
“The day of huge retirement/holiday apartments has long gone and investors are looking for smaller units that could be multifunctional.
“They want capital growth but also a return on their investment. In Ocean Crystal we have created small, well-designed, fully furnished units that could be used as hotel suites.”
The interiors of Ocean Crystal will be the responsibility of Meyer and her team, who must ensure that the interior styles offer a minimalist contemporary appeal.
Meyer’s first development project, Nautica, boasted classic contemporary-styled interiors that received accolades at the international property awards in London last year, with five stars for the best interior design for Nautica. The development also received four stars in the best redevelopment category.
Meyer sources many of her furniture items from abroad. She says that initially she tried to get local manufacturers for Nautica, but it was impossible to get a good-quality product in a short period of time at affordable prices. For this reason she flew to Guangzhou in China, where she was very impressed with the superior quality and selection of products available, as well as branding opportunities, at very reasonable prices.
All units in Ocean Crystal will be fully furnished and equipped with crockery, cutlery, fine linen, designer furniture, appliances and plasma screens. It means that owners will only have to bring along a key to open the door — everything else will be provided. All furniture will be branded with the Ocean Crystal designer label.
Meyer aims to set a new trend in developing. She wants to give the investor more than he expects, and build relationships.
“I want to have happy investors who grow their property portfolio with Miranda Meyer, the developer with the cerise pink hard-hat, who knows all of them by name and the unit number they have bought. It is the best feeling to walk into town and have people congratulate me on the beautiful building I have brought to their town.”
Ocean Crystal will consist of 84 units in total, with amenities such as a health spa, fully equipped gymnasium, swimming pool, and gourmet restaurant and coffee shop.
Apartments in Ocean Crystal will be managed by Red Carpet Leisure, who will provide owners with the opportunity to place their units in the rental pool scheme. Units are anticipated to achieve between R2000 to R10000 a night with the promise of five-star international standards at all times.
On offer are studios, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, as well as double-volume glass penthouses. With glass exteriors, every apartment will boast sea views of the Mossel Bay coastline. A 5% deposit will secure a unit.
In Meyer’s opinion, the Mossel Bay property market will be the next hot spot, not only locally but internationally.
“The growth in Mossel Bay has been tremendous and I believe we have seen nothing yet.”
Statistics from Knowledge Factory’s SAPTG’s website indicated that the one-year growth trend for sectional title properties in Mossel Bay had shown a decline of 16,5%.
However, the longer-term growth trends were significantly above the national average.
The three-year growth trend for sectional title homes in Mossel Bay was listed at 40,08% and the five-year trend at 28,86%.
Between 2004-05 and 2005-06, the Mossel Bay sectional title market experienced what can be referred to as a boom, with the average selling price jumping from just under R550000 to just over R1,1m. Prices have stabilised during the 2006-07 period , with sectional homes selling at just more than R1m.
These statistics may well change in the future now that the Ocean Crystal development has been launched. That, coupled with the fact that transfer of the units is timed to take place around June 2009, just in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup and the widely expected acceleration of the property market. |
