Sentosa Cove home with ‘triple views’ for $19.8 mil

By Cecilia Chow

/ EdgeProp Singapore |

May 25, 2019 10:00 AM SGT

Located at Lakeshore View, the bungalow boasts a 39.2m frontage, with direct views of the golf course, the lake and the sea from every bedroom.

The house at Lakeshore View with the longest frontage of 39.2m and offers views of the golf course, lake and sea (Credit: Albert Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

While most people at Sentosa Cove put a premium on direct sea views, Niki Harding and her husband prize privacy, the tranquillity of the golf course and lake views with the sea beyond. These were the reasons they chose their bungalow plot at Lakeshore View 13 years ago.

“When we first came to look at Sentosa Cove, we were mesmerised by the fact that it’s so private here [at Lakeshore View],” says Harding. “There’s only one entrance in and out; it’s a very exclusive cul-de-sac and we thought that it would be nicer here than on the main street.”

Of the 364 bungalows in the whole of Sentosa Cove, only 38 are located at Lakeshore View. And only those with even-number addresses at Lakeshore View can boast of having “triple views” – views of the sea, the lake and the golf course, says Rowena Chan, associate vice president of List Sotheby’s International Realty (List SIR).

Choice site

The Hardings’ property is one of them. The site has a 39.2m frontage facing the golf course – the longest at Lakeshore View – which means the house commands “a unique, panoramic view of the sea, lake and the most popular and challenging hole of the Serapong championship golf course”, says Chan, who is is the exclusive marketing agent for the property. This lends to the “serene and tranquil feel of an oasis”, as opposed to the busier and less private waterway and sea view residences on the rest of Sentosa Cove, she adds.

The facade of the house fronting an exclusive cul-de-sac has a 38.4m frontage (Credit: Albert Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

The Hardings chose their particular site also because it was not overlooked from any direction. “When we bought our plot, the one next door hadn’t been built yet, but we felt that the plot was big enough that the house would be located further away and wouldn’t be looking over ours, and it hasn’t,” says Harding. On the other side, a tree-lined park separates their property from the neighbour’s house.

The couple’s property sits on a plot with an area of 10,180 sq ft. While the side fronting the golf course is 39.2m, the side fronting the cul-de-sac is 38.4m. “As the house is surrounded by greenery, this makes the property feel even larger than it is,” says List SIR’s Chan.

To design their home, the Hardings engaged their personal friend and architect, Shaun Shahrome, founder and managing director of Soho Design Partnership. It was Shahrome’s first bungalow project in Sentosa Cove. Construction of the property took just 18 months from start to finish, says Harding. The family moved in when the house was completed in August 2008.

‘Built to last’

Shahrome created a 10,800 sq ft, 2½-storey house with an attic and basement. When the house was being designed, Harding’s children were very young. “We would talk about the practicalities [of having young kids], and he advised us very well on the materials,” recounts Harding.

The living room has a neutral palette with pops of colour from the cushion covers and art pieces (Credit: Albert Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

The façade wall is of imported granite and the first-level living and dining areas have full marble flooring, while staircases, wall panels and flooring on the upper floors are of teak wood. “The materials have lasted well,” says Harding. “We have had very little maintenance issues and we have never needed to repaint the house in the 11½ years we have lived here.”

The first level contains the living room, dining area and kitchen. “We like an open plan because we want to see and hear the children even if we’re in the kitchen and they are in the living room or dining room,” says Harding. “When we have dinner parties, we can close off the kitchen if we want to.”

While the dining area is the heart of the house, Harding’s favourite space is the living room. “Quite often, I can be found asleep on the sofa or doing my mental relaxation and meditation exercises. This part of the house has a soothing feeling.”

The five en suite bedrooms, including the master suite, are on the second level. All the bedrooms have full-height, glass sliding doors framing a view of the golf course and the trees outside.

The kitchen can be closed off during parties, otherwise it's an open concept kitchen and dining area, which is the heart of the house (Credit: Albert Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

One of the bedrooms has been turned into Harding’s office, with connecting doors to the master suite. Her master bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe for her clothes and another for her collection of designer handbags and shoes.

The basement is the family entertainment area. It contains a temperature-controlled wine cellar with a capacity of more than 2,000 bottles as well as a bar, home theatre and pool table. The room is sound-proofed and “you do not have to worry about singing karaoke here”, says Harding.

There is also a pantry in the basement, ample storage space, a utility area for the helpers as well as the helpers’ bedrooms and bathroom. A separate staircase from the helpers’ quarters leads directly to the garden and kitchen.

At the attic level is a television room for the children. As there is provision for a bathroom, it could be converted into a sixth bedroom if needed, notes Harding.

For price trends, recent transactions, other project info, check out the Sentosa Cove project details page

The wine cellar can accommodate more than 2,000 bottles (Credit: Albert Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

A neutral palette

The house is north-south facing, which allows for cross-ventilation. To further reduce the sun’s glare, the windows and glass sliding doors have UV protection. The ceiling height is 3.2m and every room has a ceiling fan. “Over the Christmas period when it’s cooler, we just have the fans turned on instead of the air-conditioner,” Harding says.

Having an interest in interior design, Harding furnished the home herself. “When you have a beautiful shell, it’s not difficult to do the interiors,” she says. “I wanted a neutral palette for the interiors so that I could add colour using the cushion covers and art pieces.”

She professes to being “quite particular” about cleanliness and keeping the house in “a beautiful condition”. “We take pride in the things we have,” she says. “We don’t take anything for granted.”

Given the wide frontage of the house, the garden can accommodate an 18×34 ft swimming pool as well as a water feature. Harding enjoys watering the plants in her own garden, even though her helpers are already doing it. “I’m always in the garden,” she says.

The home entertainment area comes with a bar, a pool table and is soundproofed for movie screenings and even karaoke (Credit: Albert Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

Call of family

While the family has enjoyed living in the house and held many parties there, Harding feels it is time to return to the UK. She left London for Sydney, Australia, in 1993 and moved to Singapore with her family in 1998. “We have been away for nearly 27 years,” says Harding. “It’s time to go back.”

Family members are also beckoning her to return. Her elder son is already at university in the UK. “He’s asking me when we’re coming over,” says Harding. “We think it’s important for us to be there for our children. And it’s time for us to do our duty to our parents too. My father is in his 70s and he’s asking me when I’m coming back so he can see the grandchildren more often. My in-laws, who are older, are not very well and they can’t travel as much. They have also been asking if they can see their grandchildren a bit more.”

As such, the Hardings have decided to put their Lakeshore View home on the market. The asking price for the house is $19.8 million, says List SIR’s Chan. “Because of the property cooling measures last July, the owners have adjusted the price from $22 million six months ago,” she says. “They are serious sellers, and $19.8 million is a very comfortable quantum for such a house in Sentosa Cove.”

According to List SIR director of research, Han Huan Mei, such houses in Lakeshore View used to be sold at $2,922 psf at the peak of the market for Sentosa Cove in 2013. The current asking price of $19.8 million ($1,945 psf) “is definitely very competitively priced given that in 2017, another bungalow at Lakeshore View of a similar size was sold at $21.24 million in an estate sale”, adds Han.

The 34x18ft swimming pool fronting the golf course (Credit: Albert Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

Exclusive enclave

According to Chan, most of those who have viewed the property, especially foreigners, are impressed by the fact that they could just move in without having to do any additions or alterations to the house as it is in such good condition.

“Potential buyers are also impressed as it’s one of the rare few, if not the only one, on Sentosa Cove, where all five bedrooms enjoy the same view of the golf course,” adds Chan. “Usually, some of the common bedrooms will have a view of the road.”

Lakeshore View is on an exclusive part of Sentosa Cove – with views of the golf course, the lake and the sea as well as Singapore’s city ports beyond, says Chan.

The view of the Serapong golf course, lake and the sea beyond from the garden of the house (Credit: Albert Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

Sentosa Cove is a 117ha prime waterfront enclave situated on the eastern coast of Sentosa Island. It comprises of two parts – North Cove and South Cove – covering five man-made islands. Sitting in the North Cove are Coral Island, Paradise Island and Treasure Island. In the South Cove are Sandy Island and Pearl Island.

While there are only 364 bungalows on Sentosa Cove, there are about 50 terraced and cluster houses and 1,800 private apartments, according to List SIR Research.

“There is a healthy level of interest among foreign and local investors who are waiting for the right opportunity to enter the market and buy their dream waterfront home for owner-occupation or long-term investment,” says Chan.

For the latest listings near Lakeshore View, click here

Tags: