John and Jacinta Williamson are the archetypal nomadic couple with homes in Chicago, Paris and Singapore. “We create our own schedule,” says Jacinta, a Singaporean. “We decided that we would spend about three months in Paris and three months in Chicago, but Singapore would still be our primary residence.”
Home, for now, is a 2,282 sq ft apartment on the 24th floor of South Beach Residences on Beach Road in the Downtown Core.
Jacinta started as an entrepreneur in the exhibition hospitality services business before joining the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Music & Drama Company and subsequently retiring as a homemaker.
Read also: Is it a Good Deal?: $1.53M for a 936-sq ft unit in District 1
Her husband, John, is an American citizen and originally from Chicago. He has been a Singapore permanent resident for over 20 years. An entrepreneur in the telecom manufacturing sector and international strategic business development consultancy, he sold off his businesses and decided to retire in 2021. “Covid changed our perspective a little,” he says.
The couple has two sons who are “out of the nest”. Hence, they designed the South Beach Residences apartment as their “retirement home”. According to John, “It was by accident that we came across this unit at South Beach”.
When the Williamsons were looking for a home in the city, one of their requirements was to have a large balcony to entertain, relax, and enjoy the view. “When we were shown this unit, we walked out to the balcony, and it was exactly what we wanted,” says John.
View of the Padang from the balcony taken this past National Day (Photo: John Williamson)
The unit offers a sweeping view of Singapore’s contemporary and historic landmarks — from Marina Bay Sands and The Esplanade to the Padang, the National Gallery and St Andrew’s Cathedral. It was primarily the views that drew Jacinta. “Everything else just fell into place,” she says.
They both liked that all the bedrooms, especially the master bedroom, had the same view as the living room. When they are in Singapore, they entertain friends and family on New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year, National Day and during the Singapore Grand Prix night race, where they can see the F1 circuit from their balcony.
When the jets fly over the horizon, and the windows rattle on National Day, “it makes you feel patriotic”, says John. The fireworks on New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year, National Day, and synchronised drone shows at Marina Bay Sands are “a unique experience to share with guests and a moment to enjoy”.
Read also: CDL buys Delfi Orchard en bloc for $439 mil
The Padang was gazetted as a national monument on Aug 9, 2022, which means the view is protected. “You’re not going to wake up to a building in front of you two years from now,” says John.
Norman Foster of Foster + Partners designed the South Beach mixed-use development in collaboration with Aedas. South Beach Residences spans the 23rd to 45th floors of one of the two towers and is perched atop the 634-room JW Marriott Hotel South Beach (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Developed jointly by Singapore-listed City Developments and Malaysian-listed IOI Properties Group, South Beach Residences has 190 luxury apartments spanning the 23rd to 45th storeys, perched atop the 634-room JW Marriott Hotel South Beach.
Norman Foster of Foster + Partners designed the South Beach mixed-use development in collaboration with Aedas. There is a Grade-A office tower beside the luxury hotel and residence tower. The development includes F&B outlets and entertainment spaces and is linked underground to the Esplanade MRT Station on the Circle Line. The former NCO (Non-Commissioned Officers) Club building has been conserved and now houses restaurants. The drill hall of the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force, built in 1933, was gazetted and turned into JW Marriott’s ballroom.
The landmarks that can be seen from Jacinta’s balcony bring back fond memories: When she sees the Padang, it reminds her of a National Day dance performance that she and her secondary school classmates gave. The Esplanade recalls a performance for the SAF Music & Drama Company on its 30th anniversary. “I remember the NCO Club, and it’s just amazing to see these two towers [at South Beach] in an area with so much history and perspective for us,” she says. “It was almost like it was meant to be.”
The living and dining area of the apartment (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
The 2,282 sq ft unit was the biggest three-bedroom-plus-study at South Beach. They purchased it for $7.432 million in 2019 and spent over $1 million renovating it. They gutted the apartment and worked closely with a local contractor to execute their design ideas. Even the layout of the apartment has been altered. “We took advantage of the views and designed the space so that it can be fully utilised to suit our lifestyle and activities that we enjoy,” John relates.
For instance, the distribution board has been concealed, and the space freed up for wine storage. A former large bay window has been turned into “John’s whisky bar”. It is designed as a cosy nook that can be opened or closed when not in use. It has become a talking point of the home. Says John: “Since she’s getting the walk-in wardrobe, I get this. So it worked out nicely.”
Read also: IOI Properties Singapore appoints Lorraine Shiow as CEO
The whisky bar’s door panels have a surface of handcrafted strips of bamboo material painstakingly arranged to create a pattern. “It’s a very expensive piece of art on the surface of a door that serves a practical function to a unique space,” says John.
Dining room and the former bay window-turned-John's whisky bar with the doors open (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Near the entrance to the apartment is concealed storage space for casual shoes on the lower shelves and suitcases at the top. “It’s essential to have luggage storage space because we travel so much,” says John.
The original layout of the dining room, wet and dry kitchen, utility area and helper’s room has been reconfigured. Where the dry kitchen used to be is now the dining area. The former helper’s room and utility area have been amalgamated and converted into the kitchen. Fisher & Paykel appliances replaced the original Miele appliances. The kitchen cabinets and storage spaces have also been customised to suit their needs.
Jacinta loves to cook, but she wants to be able to hide the mess in the kitchen when she has guests. Hence, fluted glass partitions can be pulled down, and fluted glass sliding doors can be closed to segregate the kitchen and dining room. “It’s a beautiful feature to have,” she says.
Meanwhile, the former wet kitchen has been turned into a laundry area with pull-out racks for hanging delicate clothing.
The dining room and kitchen were formerly the dry kitchen, utility area and helper’s room (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
All the materials, furniture and fittings for the home have been imported. For example, the bathroom accessories and door hardware including handles came from Samuel Heath in the UK. The bespoke furniture and marble for the bathrooms are from Portugal, while the quartz dining table and the kitchen countertop are from the UK.
Even though they purchased the unit in 2019, due to Covid, the renovation period was extended from three to seven months, and their shipments of materials and furniture were delayed. It was only in November 2020 that everything came together, and they moved in.
The master bathroom was reconfigured: the shower area was repositioned, a new standalone bathtub was installed, and the original vanity top of black marble was replaced with a white vanity top integrated with two sinks. All these were imported from Claybrook Interiors in the UK.
The master bedroom has a floating bed with ceiling-to-floor drapes and a customised headboard with control panels on either side. Because of the 270-degree views, the bed was placed in the middle of the room so they could enjoy the view. “We can see the Raffles Hotel, Swissotel The Stamford, Chijmes and St Andrew’s Cathedral from our master bedroom,” says Jacinta.
John adds: “We can see three countries from our master bedroom — Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.”
Customised walk-in wardrobe with floor lined with alpaca fur rug (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
The pièce de resistance in the master suite is the walk-in wardrobe, carved out from the former study and one of the three bedrooms. Access to the walk-in wardrobe is activated by thumbprint. The entire floor of the wardrobe is lined with an alpaca fur rug. “This is her princess area,” says John. “My side of the wardrobe is just this portion, and the rest is for her to enjoy.”
The walk-in wardrobe has customised storage spaces for Jacinta’s shoes, handbags, sunglasses, watches, jewellery, scarves and dresses. “My wardrobe space is customised based on the length of my dresses: There is a wardrobe for long dresses and another for short dresses,” she says.
The shoe storage space is customised to fit the height of her heels. And the panels are rotatable. “It’s a great use of the corner spaces,” she says.
There are also display areas for her many handbags. Taking pride of place is the collection of Louis Vuitton Petit Malle, miniature trunks designed by Louis Vuitton’s designer Nicolas Ghesquière. It was his first collection and was a major hit. Ghesquière is celebrating his 10th anniversary with the French luxury fashion house.
The Swarovski crystal rainfall art installation at the corner of the corridor (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
“I have loved Louis Vuitton since I was young,” says Jacinta. “But the priority then was the kids, and working hard and saving hard.”
When John and Jacinta first flew to Paris to buy her first Louis Vuitton bag, they were inspired by the story of Louis Vuitton and his origins as a trunk maker. They began their collection in 2014, and since then, the couple has amassed one of the world’s largest private collections of the Petite Malle limited-edition handbags. “It has become part of us, part of our DNA,” says Jacinta.
Just outside the master bedroom is an art installation of Swarovski crystals crafted by its designers in Austria. “We wanted a crystal rain art installation,” she says. The art piece is called Little Wonder. “That was one of the last pieces they created for a private residence,” adds John.
The apartment comes fitted with Lutron lighting and sound systems. “We have speakers in all the rooms except the bathrooms,” says Jacinta. The music and lighting around the apartment can be controlled via their mobile phones. The lighting even comes with mood settings.
“We’ve created a very unique environment here,” says John. “Everything is automated and integrated — the lights, the drapes and blackout blinds.”
However, their lifestyle is about to change. Their younger son just got married two months ago, and the couple anticipates grandchildren on the horizon. With both sons living and working in Chicago, “reality has set in that the boys are settling down there, and we will finally be shifting back”, says John. “We will make Singapore the luxury hotspot for us to come and enjoy and relax.”
The Williamsons also own a home on a one-acre (0.4ha) plot in Leisure Farm, Iskandar Malaysia. “It’s just over the border, and we can escape there,” he adds.
Master bedroom with floating bed and 270-degree view (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Hence, they have decided to put their home at South Beach Residences on the market for $12.25 million ($5,350 psf) and appointed Edwin Yip, associate director of Tristar Properties, as the exclusive agent for the sale.
“The unit is bigger than most typical four-bedroom units,” Yip observes. “It has the best trio views — Marina Bay Sands, the Padang and Raffles City — which is unique.”
Even without factoring in the enhancements and renovations made to the unit, the bank valuation is already over $10 million, according to Yip. “The owners have fitted their unit with customised interiors and bespoke quality furniture procured specifically for the home, which cost more than $1 million,” adds Yip. “The apartment is essentially a ready-to-move-in trophy asset. Buyers can move in with just their luggage.”
Sunset view from the master bedroom (Photo: John Williamson)
Since Covid, renovation costs have increased significantly, adds Yip. “A new owner who wants to replicate this level of furnishing would have to spend twice as much today, not to mention the amount of time and effort they have to invest in.”
John agrees. As the renovation was done during the Covid period, he exceeded his budget by about $200,000. “We were very fortunate to have one of the best contractors here, a local guy, and he’s done such a great job for us,” he recounts. “And he said he wouldn’t do it for anything less than $1.75 million or $2 million today because the cost of materials and labour has increased significantly.”
According to Tristar’s Yip, the home is ideal for “the astute buyer who values privacy, appreciates quality and wants a sanctuary in the middle of the city”. It is also ideal for those who love to entertain at home. “Think about special anniversaries, New Year countdown, Rugby Sevens, Singapore Grand Prix F1,” he says. “You can enjoy almost 80% of the Singapore F1 race while sipping champagne from your private balcony.”
South Beach Residences is located in the Downtown Core in the vicinity of landmarks such as Raffles Hotel, Raffles City, Suntec City, Esplanade, The Padang, National Gallery and St Andrew's Cathedral (Source: EdgeProp Landlens)