Emma, Oran & Raff

Emma & Oran, can you tell us why you decided to ballot for and purchase a Nightingale apartment?

We were introduced to the Nightingale model years ago and were super excited by the prospect of our first home actually being an apartment that was designed and built with consideration for the end user. The other major drawcard was social aspect; we’d lived in apartment buildings before where you either never saw your neighbours (there were no communal spaces) or when you did see them, they would shut down, like a machine. The prospect of knowing and getting to know all of the people in the building by name and the bonus of being able to call on someone if you ever needed was very appealing.

What is life like in Nightingale 1? Is it what you expected?

Life at NG1 is what we expected — but we had high expectations! The apartments are incredibly comfortable spaces to the point that we’ve turned into real homebodies. Our community has already grown, with new plants, veggies, puppies and even babies, and it’s been fantastic to be a part of this. You’re living the dream when you can pop downstairs for dinner and wine on a Saturday night with your dog, then Uber-lift back up to get home.

What are your thoughts on living in a pet-friendly building? How does it affect your life?

It’s early days for our puppy, Raff, settling in to Nightingale 1, but he’s already very happy to waltz into our neighbours’ apartments to say hello! He’s also a huge fan of HomeOne downstairs. (We’re sure this has nothing to do with the homemade dog treats). We’re trying really hard to integrate him into all aspects of our life and the support of the neighbours definitely makes a huge difference.

The combination of him being familiar with the residents and being able to wander around the halls, rooftop and café downstairs has meant that he’s comfortable being left alone, or more than happy when one of the neighbours drops by for a cuddle. Not everybody in the building is a dog person (we assume), so obviously there are rules in place to ensure that our pets don’t impact on the day to day lives of others.

All of the conversations around how to navigate a pet-friendly building have been part of an open discussion and are evolving as we learn more about each other and more about the building we live in.

Does living in a community positively affect your life?

We’ve always been environmentally conscious people, but we’re certainly more conscious of the little decisions we make throughout the day since moving here, both from an environmental perspective, but also a socially sustainable perspective. I think it all boils down to wanting to create a home rather than a temporary place to live — having supportive friends and neighbours around you, with like-minded values, contributes enormously to a sense of place, and in turn, your quality of life. Our home has become part of how we define ourselves.