As more and more people choose to live in Phuket, creating your dream home perfectly can be an expensive challenge. exotiqPhuket asked renowned Asian based British Architect, Jeremy Stowe, to cast a critical eye over one of the island’s most popular villa developers: Botanica Luxury Villas. Here’s his report
By: Jeremy Stowe
Having completed my own home in Phuket last year I learned the hard way how important it is to choose the right materials and keep on top of the design throughout the building process. Although I was confident enough (and had the time) to take on the project myself supported by local consultants, the first piece of advice I can give to anyone considering designing and building their own home in this beautiful island, is that there are significant benefits in teaming up with a proven developer company.
There are several good companies to look at; I decided to review Botanica Luxury Villas, not least because I drive past their Grand Avenue project every day on my way home. The nice thing about this project is that they have a variety of build styles and sizes, from the contemporary looking Grand Modern to a more traditional, open Balinese style villa with pitched roofs, called the Grand Signature.
I was initially intrigued as to why this company chose to call itself ‘Botanica’. A garden setting comes immediately to mind, and the Grand Signature certainly has a large garden, but ‘botanicals’ actually has a spiritual connotation, it is the study of the connections between plants and human consciousness, spirituality, and health. This is clearly a guiding mantra for Botanica Luxury Villas because the first thing you notice when you enter the estate is that there are mature trees everywhere; they have clearly invested heavily, and early on, in the estate’s environment. The botanicals theme reaches new heights once you step inside the Grand Signature villa. I did actually feel very calm, the plants were mature, the landscaping natural and boulders and gravel placed in exactly the right places.
The property’s internal spaces are designed with a series of connected pavilions, on one level, except a roof-top sala, which sits above the master bedroom. This is an open air lounge and BBQ area, and the sala has a distinctive ‘prasat-style’ roof, which has become part of the companies’ branding.
To give you a sense of the size of the villa, the usable (non garden) areas amount to 640 sqm, with just under 300 sqm of those being classed as ‘internal’ spaces. Land plot sizes vary around the 1,500 sqm mark
I was really impressed by the extent and quality of finishings used throughout the villa. Several of the rooms have high ceilings (which I love) and the developer has also installed high quality ‘engineered wood’ floors, which ensures durability and longevity. This is an important feature material in a tropical environment because with all the moisture we have here in the atmosphere, wood is often the first material to warp or lift and attract unwanted termites.
They use quality imported floor to ceiling windows throughout to maximise natural light. These can all be fully opened, either with sliding or concertina mechanisms, to create a seamless indoor-outdoor feeling. Personally, I would recommend the sliding versions, concertina windows I find can be awkward to open and close. Choices such as these are factored in by the developer, so you can decide how, and where you want your windows, no point having sliding windows in places where you don’t want outdoor accessibility.
The indoor-outdoor seamless quality of the villa is further enhanced by the use of beautiful sandstone flooring inside the living spaces and outside on the poolside patio, with absolutely no steps to worry about; all on the same level. Sandstone is an excellent material in the tropics, it is very cooling underfoot and non-slip; an issue if you have kids rushing in and out of the pool.
The pool is large, at 15 metres in length, and it has a Jacuzzi at one end, which is integrated into the pool, so you don’t have to climb in and out to experience the bubbles; I like that, don’t overcomplicate, keep it simple.
Perhaps the best aspect of this villa for me is how well appointed the four bedrooms are. The space is really cleverly designed; the wardrobes are quality and you don’t get a sense of claustrophobia in the smaller guest rooms. I like that the main guest room is located by the villa entrance away from the main family accommodation, this affords everyone a bit more privacy. The master bedroom is large and has its own TV lounge area.
I could go on for hours about the garden, and was glad to visit after dark because the lighting at night really captures the spirit of this home.
Overall, the attention to detail is impressive, and as I’ve mentioned the developer will work with you to alter layouts and materials. I’m a stickler for clean, seamless lines, particularly in the kitchen, so you can make sure that the appliances, such as fridges don’t stick-out like sore thumbs, but rather are hidden behind your chosen paneling.
The Grand Signature villa gives you classic tropical design, within a tranquil botanical setting. It is close to Layan Beach and within pitching distance to Laguna Phuket Golf Club. Definitely worth a look.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeremy Stowe grew up in England, and graduated as an architect at Kingston University in London. He moved out to Hong Kong in the early 1990s. He has been involved in the design of some of Asia’s most iconic projects, including the M+ Museum project developed as part of Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District. Jeremy retired to Phuket in 2022, and recently completed a 6-bedroom hillside villa overlooking Naithon Beach.