Salta’s newly launched Build-to-Rent (BTR) platform, Est, is embedding deep community connection into its developments through a bold and hyper-local approach to art and design. 

Championing this is the platform’s first project, Fitzroy & Co, which weaves local stories and identities throughout. In particular, a collaboration with SW Art Consulting has seen a curated art collection finding resonance with the resident community — with fourteen unique pieces commissioned by local and emerging artists, including many First Nations artists, throughout the building.  

According to Salta Development Manager and project lead for Fitzroy & Co, Megan McCormick, the result is a compelling visual journey for residents and visitors, and one that fosters a strong sense of identity, community and story via the rich collection of paintings, sculptures and installations that harmonise with Est’s ethos of ‘live local’.  

“The area is synonymous with art and creativity, with many galleries, performance spaces and venues underpinning a thriving cultural community that has drawn in emerging and established artists,” said McCormick.  

“It was also important to reflect this in ways that expanded beyond traditional interpretations of art, offering a more contemporary and locally rooted perspective that reflect the history and demographic of the area.” 

Sarah Weston, Founder of SW Art Consulting added:  

“Our approach with the art collection for Fitzroy & Co was all about the powerful impact that comes from the intersection of art, ideas and creativity from diverse industries, cultures and disciplines,” said Weston.  

“It has been a wonderful journey working with the project teams and with the artists to create a diverse mix of styles, mediums and themes that reflect the rich history and culture of one of Australia’s oldest creative communities – Fitzroy North.” 

A notable feature is the 376-square-metre mural named Convergence spanning Fitzroy & Co’s facade, specially created for the project by renowned local and Mixed-Cultural artist Lisa Waup. 

Weston said that the impact on the local arts community, including artists such as Waup, has also been significant. 

“The Est team placed incredible trust in us and in the artists to embrace the art narrative in their own way that still connected to the Est values and the themes of the project,” said Weston.  

“For example, local artist Clare Scanlan literally walked Merri Creek , gathering rocks and leaves and flowers, absorbing the unique ‘flow state’ she was being asked to interpret in her work, which now adorns the ground floor walls of the bike access corridor. Or Benjamin Baldwin’s ‘Merri Bound’ steel sculpture, created through an advanced metal-forming technique called hydroforming, which uses pressurised water to shape the material, whose work now hangs in Fitzroy & Co’s lobby. Emerging artist Benjamin had never had an opportunity to make a sculpture of this kind before in his career,” she added.  

The art collection was curated in close consideration with the design approach of SORA Interior Architecture & Design, led by Senior Associate Emma Riquelme who helped influence Fitzroy & Co’s interior palette, which was inspired by local hospitality venues to amplify the urban identity, and character, of the locale.  

“Our focus was to create inviting communal areas connected to meaning – so residents feel encouraged to connect and enjoy the spaces in more ways than one. We wanted to complement the eclectic furniture and occasional pieces that feature - many of which were sourced from designers nearby or secondhand stores of the area - by designing an interior space that felt like an extension of Fitzroy North,” said Riquelme. 

McCormick added: 

“From the giant mural to the beautiful installations that greet the visitor in the foyer, the collected works have sparked so many conversations – we’ve even had the tradies vote for their favourite pieces, and the feedback from residents has been incredibly positive. We look forward to taking this approach to all our future BTR projects that we will be rolling out across Melbourne next year.  

Fitzroy & Co is now over 90 per cent leased and the second, flagship, BTR project under Salta’s Est BTR brand is underway – a 476 apartment, campus-style BTR precinct located in Richmond.  

To discover more about the design and art approach for Fitzroy & Co, Est is hosting two events as part of Melbourne Design Week on 15 and 22 May. Visit the links below to register your attendance.  

Fitzroy & Co: Art, Design & Storytelling in Shared Space – Melbourne Design Week 

In Conversation: Local Makers, Lasting Impact – Melbourne Design Week 

To see SW Art Consulting’s Artwork Register, as well as high-resolution imagery of the artwork for all of the pieces featured in Fitzroy & Co, visit here.