Living the high life: $18 million penthouse comes with view of Sentosa

South Beach Residences in Beach Road. Its largest penthouse unit measures 6,728 sq ft.PHOTO: SOUTH BEACH CONSORTIUM PTE LTD

Design director at interior design studio The I.D. Dept Divya Anthony, who furnished a penthouse at Wallich Residence.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

SINGAPORE – Luxurious, exclusive and often offering a bird’s eye view, penthouses are sometimes dubbed “bungalows in the sky”.

A number of high-profile penthouse purchases in recent months have thrust these luxury apartments into the limelight.

According to List Sotheby’s International Realty (List SIR), there are four super penthouses in Singapore on the market at the moment, at Reflections at Keppel Bay, Concourse Skyline, The Marq and Hilltops.

The luxury brokerage defines penthouses as luxurious, large apartments at the topmost level of a tall building in prime locations. Super penthouses are 10,000 sq ft and above – roughly 10 times the size of an average four-room HDB flat.

Penthouses are seen as status symbols given their rarity – there is often only one residence on the top floor – and the spectacular city views they offer, said luxury property developers The Straits Times spoke to.

Ms Samantha Tan, general manager of South Beach Consortium, says: “When it comes to penthouses, it’s all about city living. It’s about entertaining guests and showing off the skyline of the city they are entertaining and doing business in.”

South Beach Consortium, a joint venture between property and hotels group City Developments Limited (CDL) and Malaysian property developer IOI Group, develops South Beach where South Beach Residences is located.

Two of the six penthouses in South Beach Residences– including its largest penthouse unit at 6,728 sq ft – have been sold so far.

Ms Tan added that the four key features that potential buyers look for in a penthouse are location, views, concierge services and design.

Mr Wong Xian Yang, senior manager of research at real estate services firm Cushman and Wakefield, says penthouses arguably tap a larger pool of potential buyers as foreigners can buy non-landed properties here, while they are generally not allowed to buy landed homes here except in Sentosa. Given the current global economic uncertainties, there is higher foreign interest in Singapore property because of the country’s stable currency and economic fundamentals, he adds.

The Straits Times checks out a $18.6 million penthouse in Wallich Residence:

WALLICH RESIDENCE

The interior of a unit at Wallich Residence. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

While Singapore’s priciest and biggest three-storey super penthouse at GuocoLand’s Wallich Residence in Tanjong Pagar is off the market, there are four other penthouses on the levels below it.

Wallich Residence houses 181 residential units on the 39th to 64th floors of Guoco Tower, which is linked to and sits atop Tanjong Pagar MRT station. The other floors house offices, retail and F&B spaces.

At 290m above sea level, Guoco Tower is Singapore’s tallest building. It is designed by world-renowned American architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

Besides the super penthouse, there are one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units, along with four single-storey penthouses.

Three penthouses, each taking up the entire level on the 59th, 60th and 61st floors, are still available. The penthouse on the 58th floor has been sold.

All four penthouses share a private lift that opens up directly into their unit.

The penthouse on the 60th floor is recently designed and furnished by Ms Divya Anthony, design director at interior design studio The I.D. Dept, as a show suite. Its asking price is $18.6 million, according to List Sotheby’s International Realty (List SIR).

The bedroom of a unit at Wallich Residence. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

The 3,509 sq ft penthouse used to have four bedrooms but Ms Divya took out one bedroom to extend the living and entertainment spaces. The unit has a 180-degree sea view, including a view of Sentosa Island and the future Greater Southern Waterfront, from all of its bedrooms.

The open-plan unit is fitted with a 12-seater dining table next to a dry kitchen for easy hosting of guests. It also has an informal lounge area and a bar area.

Marble, reflective columns and metal in bronze finishes are used to elevate the luxurious feel of the home, which is decked out in pieces from Italian furniture brand Minotti.

“This space was made for entertaining guests, it allows for cross interaction between guests in all of these entertainment areas but minimises disruption in the private bedroom areas,” says Ms Divya.

All three en suite bedrooms are designed to offer views of the sea.

For instance, the master bedroom is fitted with a super king bed and has a L-shaped walk-in wardrobe with two distinctive hanging spaces for a couple.

She adds: “We’ve opted to keep the colour palettes neutral and timeless because the million-dollar view is the artwork. What we did on the inside was dictated by what was on the outside.”

“Source:[Living the high life: $18 million penthouse comes with view of Sentosa] © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction”

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