SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - Back in December 2019, before Covid entered our vernacular, Singapore-listed property conglomerate Singapore Land Group (then known as United Industrial Corp) sold two penthouses at V on Shenton to a single buyer, a Hong Kong group, according to property title search: a 3,315 sq ft, four-bedroom simplex on the 52nd floor and a 5,533 sq ft, four-bedroom duplex directly above on the 53rd floor. That brought the tally of penthouses sold to four out of six at the 510-unit, 99-year leasehold, high-end condo completed in October 2017. The project is located in the heart of the CBD in prime District 1.

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These penthouses were sold under the developer’s “Penthouse Selection Series”, which is “a collaboration with known designers”, says Jason Lim, Singapore Land (SingLand) head of residential marketing.

With just two duplex penthouses remaining, SingLand deliberated whether to sell them as bare units or fully furnished. When the Covid pandemic struck, the developer saw that there was a need for units fitted out and furnished for immediate occupation, says Lim.

Both duplex penthouses have soaring 5.2m ceilings, four en suite bedrooms, living, dining area and kitchen on the lower level, while the entertainment room and private roof terrace are on the upper level. However, the layouts and sizes of the penthouses are different, and the views vary too, as they are situated on different stacks of the 54-storey condominium tower.

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A tale of two penthouses

That led SingLand to appoint two celebrated interior designers with starkly different design philosophies to put their stamp on the remaining penthouses: Angela Lim, director of SuMisura, and Peter Tay of Peter Tay Studio.

The design approach taken by each is very different — which was what the developer wanted, says SingLand’s Lim. “The target audience for each penthouse is very different too,” he adds.

The smaller penthouse is the 6,200 sq ft duplex on the 52nd floor. The penthouse is north-facing, and commands a panoramic view of the CBD skyline, the Marina Bay Floating Platform and Johor Bahru skyline in the distance. It is designed by SuMisura.

When SuMisura’s Lim first visited the bare unit, she saw an opportunity. “Very seldom do you find a penthouse with this ceiling height,” she says. “The white walls, white ceiling gave us a white canvas to work with. There was so much we could do.”

She felt it was important to layer the cavernous space in order to give it a sense of order. With natural light flooding the penthouse during the day, the interiors tend to be very bright. She saw this as an opportunity to create a darker and cosier interior.

Dark panelling was introduced at the entrance foyer, and a divider made of steel in rose gold finish was installed to complement that. The divider was designed with fins and apertures so that the view from there would not be compromised.

To satisfy the future owners’ storage needs, at the foyer is a wall-mounted console with a recess and lights for display, that also doubles as a shoe cabinet with ventilation at the bottom. Additional storage space was created under the staircase, camouflaged behind wall panelling.

Layering, customisation

The living and dining area as well as adjoining balcony of the penthouse has been demarcated by SuMisura as an entertainment space. Three of the en suite bedrooms, including the master bedroom and the corridor leading to them, can be closed off via a concealed door.

Located off the dining area is the fourth bedroom, which SuMisura’s Lim has converted into a “hidden home office”, with its doorway likewise concealed by the dark timber panelling at the dining area.

Furniture pieces and fixtures were customised by SuMisura exclusively for the penthouse. This includes the royal blue velvet eight-seater sofa in the living room, the dining table of ebony wood and rose gold edges, with matching dining chairs upholstered in velvet and leather, with rose gold trim and back handles.

“We wanted to create a cohesive look with the rose gold and bronze details of our bespoke furniture pieces and fittings — from the wall scones to the chandeliers and the room divider,” says SuMisura’s Lim.

Transformed spaces

The entertainment space on the upper level functions as a family room and is also an ideal area to entertain friends and enjoy the view. It opens out to a private roof terrace of about 200 sq m (2,153 sq ft), which is ideal for an extended entertainment area. SuMisura has furnished the space with an al fresco dining set next to the outdoor kitchen and a pool table. “You can enjoy the view in the comfort of your own home,” she says.

Both the dry and wet kitchens have been fitted by the developer with top-end Gaggenau kitchen appliances, solid surface kitchen countertops and quality cabinetry.

To break the monotony of a long corridor leading to the bedrooms, SuMisura installed mirrors at regular intervals to reflect glimpses of the bedroom interiors.

Of the three bedrooms, the master bedroom has been the most transformed. To create a more spacious master bedroom, the walk-in wardrobe was removed. New wardrobes were constructed along the walls of the master bedroom. “Not only did we shift the wardrobe space to the side, we more than compensated for it by increasing the amount of wardrobe space,” she says.

The 6,200 sq ft penthouse has a price tag of $18.8 million ($3,032 psf), which includes the $1 million worth of interior design and furnishing by SuMisura.

“We envisioned the buyer to be a well-travelled C-suite expatriate or family office key personnel who intends to relocate to Singapore with his or her family,” says SingLand’s Lim.

‘All about lighting and the stage’

The other penthouse on the 53rd floor is larger at 6,814 sq ft. With a view of Sentosa Cove, the Tanjong Pagar container terminal and the future Greater Southern Water, Peter Tay visualised the penthouse as a stage. His design is therefore “all about lighting and the stage”, he says.

To capitalise on the view outside, Tay darkened the interior by using dark wood panelling for the ceiling. He complemented it by creating a stucco ceiling feature, inspired by the dome and skylight at the Pantheon in Rome. “At night, it’s going to be very beautiful because it will be dim inside, and you can see Sentosa lit up,” he says.

To capture some of the skyline view into the apartment, Tay wrapped part of the ceiling and wall of the living room with highly polished reflective steel. He designed a sliding screen to block off the view of the neighbouring buildings from the dining room. The sliding screen presented some challenges: As it was too big to be brought into the lift, it had to be welded and spray-painted on site at the penthouse. The effort paid off, as the screen acts as a backdrop, he points out.

Tay envisions the potential buyer to be a successful broker or trader in the financial sector. His design approach was to create something “quiet and calm” for the interiors. “I want to create the feel of a luxury hotel — like The Edison Shanghai or Aman Tokyo — a laid-back, private sanctuary in an urban setting,” he adds.

Quiet calm, with hint of nostalgia

“The port terminal played an important role in Singapore’s history, and it will make way for the Greater Southern Waterfront in the future,” says Tay. “This penthouse will appeal to someone who understands the significance of the location, its past and future.”

With that in mind, Tay handpicked furniture pieces that had a hint of nostalgia. He points to the Ralph Lauren table which he says is “a classic”. The onyx and marble feature wall in the living room is also designed like a stage. “At night, when the lights are turned off in the room, this will be the only feature that is illuminated in the interior and it will direct your attention to the main stage, which is the view outside,” he says.

Tay clad the lift lobby and entrance foyer in steel panels of champagne gold, which draws the attention down the long corridor leading to the bedrooms. The panels along the corridor are of dark wood and “floating” above the floor, and are illuminated underneath. The doors of the bedrooms are stained a dark colour to match the timber panels. “I designed them as makeup rooms before you enter the stage,” he says.

The same style of quiet understated luxury extends to the bedrooms. “It’s not all bling,” he says. In the second bedroom, which Tay designed as a child’s bedroom, he moved the wardrobe to a more prominent location at the opposite wall. “Instead of being overlooked, the wardrobe should be something that is beyond functional, something that children will enjoy putting their things in,” he adds. He added a touch of the whimsical by designing the bed frame of the bed like a house.

Within the master bedroom is a feature wall of champagne coloured steel, a continuation of the one outside. This time, it has a contrasting matte and highly polished finish. “You can still see the light reflected on it,” says Tay.

Designing trophy homes

He has turned the entertainment room on the upper level into a sanctuary. “You can come here, sit down to read or admire the view outside,” he says. “I wanted the space to be simple and clean.”

The entertainment room opens out to a spacious private roof terrace of 230 sq m (2,476 sq ft). “It’s ideal for a corporate penthouse, as the roof terrace alone can hold an event for at least 50 people,” says SingLand’s Lim.

Three years ago, Tay had also designed the penthouse next door on the 53rd floor, while Topic Studio had fitted out the unit on the 52nd floor directly below. Both units were purchased by the same owner in December 2019.

In fact, Tay has been behind the design of many super penthouses: “I just finished the design of the super penthouse for Binance CEO [Zhao Changpeng] at Hilltops,” he says. “I did the super penthouse that James Dyson bought at Wallich Residence.”

The price for the 6,814 sq ft penthouse designed by Tay is $20.8 million ($3,053 psf). That includes the $1 million worth of furnishings and fittings incorporated into the design. “We envision this penthouse to appeal to the successful global entrepreneur, and this could be one of his trophy homes,” says SingLand’s Lim.

The first penthouse sold at V on Shenton was also the largest — a 7,255 sq ft, duplex penthouse. The owner purchased it for $13.418 million ($1,849 psf) in August 2012. It was leased out for $48,000 a month in April this year, according to URA rental data. The unit was said to be just partially furnished.

The next penthouse to be sold was in January 2019, when a smaller, 3,918 sq ft, four-bedroom simplex fetched $10.08 million ($2,573 psf). That deal was brokered by SRI.

Priced just over $3,000 psf

SingLand has appointed PropNex, Huttons and SRI to handle the marketing of these two remaining penthouses at V on Shenton.

According to Bruce Lye, managing partner of SRI, owner-occupiers who want a fuss-free, ready-to-move-in penthouse are likely to be attracted to these units.

Given the development’s location in the heart of the CBD, and proximity to Tanjong Pagar, the pricing of the penthouses at just over $3,000 psf, together with interior design, “is a steal”, he says. “The views are also stunning, with one penthouse having unblocked views of the sea and Sentosa, and the other, of the CBD and Marina Bay.”

Lye reckons the two penthouses will appeal to foreigners, given the convenience of its location in the CBD, which is where most new arrivals want to set up their new office.

Nearby at Wallich Residence in Tanjong Pagar, two junior penthouses of 3,509 sq ft on the 61st and 60th floors were sold for $17.5 million ($4,987 psf) and $17 million ($4,885 psf) in January 2020 and October 2021 respectively. Meanwhile, the triplex penthouse of 21,108 sq ft on the 62nd to 64th floors was first purchased by Dyson for $73.8 million ($3,496 psf) in 2019, and sold over a year later to Indonesian-born Chinese American Leo Koguan for $62 million ($2,937 psf).

Recent units at Wallich Residence sold by the developer have been at prices ranging from $5.1 million ($2,854 psf) for a 1,787 sq ft unit on the 40th floor to $7.8 million ($3,875 psf) for a 2,013 sq ft unit on the 59th floor, according to caveats lodged.

Units at V on Shenton have changed hands in the resale market at prices ranging from $1.8 million ($1,900 psf) for a 947 sq ft, two-bedder on the 10th floor to $3.918 million ($2,200 psf) for a 1,765 sq ft, three-bedder on the 40th floor, according to caveats lodged in May.

  

Besides the two remaining penthouses, only one three-bedroom unit at V on Shenton is still available from the developer. It is a 1,765 sq ft, three-bedroom unit on the 49th floor. SingLand has engaged UNO Interior to design the unit, which is on the market for $4.45 million ($2,521 psf). The unit has views of Marina Bay and Raffles Place, says SingLand’s Lim.

For such high-rise luxury homes, it is the views that command a premium. According to Lim, the view of the two penthouses at V on Shenton would not be blocked by any upcoming developments. “The view of Marina Bay and the Greater Southern Waterfront is going to be priceless,” he says.

Check out the latest listings near V on Shenton, Wallich Residence

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