|
By Marie Moon
It is a beautiful Monday morning in Phuket and I am glad to be
driving around Cape Panwa enroute to Mr. Scott Bradley's house.
The drive is lovely, the wide road winds around the cape, sometimes
shrouded by a green canopy, sometimes open, yielding wonderful views
of Chalong Bay with its electric blue water and lazy yachts bobbing
up and down to the rhythm of the tides.
The owner, an engineer trade chose this location for his house
primarily for the peace and quiet of the by area. Working at the
Boat Lagoon every day, he and his wife, both love to come home to
their beautiful view and the sound of nothing but the birds in the
trees and the occasional dull hum of a passing longtail boat.
I arrive at the house and to my dismay it appears no one is home.
No doorbell, no buzzer. I gawk in confusion, did I get the time
wrong? The day? Suddenly the gate before me rolls aside allowing
entrance to the property. To either side of a large carport, landscaped,
terraced gardens provide a colourful frame for a pebbled walkway
that circumnavigates the entire property. The gardens were designed
by a local Thai designer and are composed of a delightful array
of tropical flowering species, palms, shrubs and verdant green manicured
grass.
I was greeted atop a short flight of stairs lined with large water
urns by Khun Toy, who is also a sailing enthusiast. The front door,
composed of fine teak wood, has glass panels etched with rolling
waves and dolphins, early evidence that perhaps this is a house
that has been designed and decorated to the specific likings of
the owners.
What dominated my first impressions of the interior was the feeling
of voluminous space. Ahead lies glistening Chalong Bay brilliantly
seen through double storey tempered glass windows. The windows and
doors stretch for almost the whole length of the seaside wall affording
each room an exquisite view. The flow of natural light streaming
in through these windows bounces off white walls, ceilings and marbled
floors adding a glow to the open plan area.
This pleasant radiance filters through to the dining room, which
showcases a beautifully crafted teak dining table and chairs. Detailed
hand-carved motifs decorate the smooth finish of this dining set.
The owners' appreciation of the richness and durability of teak
is evident throughout the interior; wardrobes, ceiling panels, skirting
boards and all the upstairs floors have been made from teak and
finished with marine-grade varnish.
All window and glass doorframes were installed by Phuket based
Aluzat. Made of coated aluminium, the frames are extremely strong
and easy to use. Aluzat also constructed a polycarbonate awning
that encircles the house and provides protection from the heavy
monsoon rain and wind.
The kitchen was designed and installed by Absolute Kitchens and
is a nice blend of exotic materials; green Italian marble countertops,
green and gold-flecked marble benchtops, cedar cabinets and an impressive
stainless steel, six-ring stove and oven. Just outdoors from this
Western style kitchen is the more practical Thai style kitchen where
one does all the cooking.
The living room features an enormous Sony television cradled by
comfortable sofas and a coffee table that was custom made to augment
the surrounding furniture and d?cor. One of three guest bedrooms
is situated between the living room and a poolside courtyard. This
bedroom, like all others in the house has an ensuite bathroom with
Shower Master shower enclosures and accessories. The view from this
room extends over the infinity-edged pool, through the graceful
curves of coconut palms to the waters of the bay. Flanked by an
attractive Thai sala the pool is a manageable size, yet large enough
to swim laps.
Upstairs is more of a mezzanine level than a second storey, the
expansive glass windows extend up from the ground and donate that
same glow, however up here the interior theme is more earthy; thick
teak doors and floors stand boldly among thoughtfully chosen decorative
pieces. Two guestrooms and the master bedroom, each with its own
balcony, are located on this level. The latter features more custom
made furniture and an enormous walk-in wardrobe with enough hanging
space, drawers and shelves to hold a countless number of clothes.
The master ensuite is tiled with Thai marble and sitting in grandeur
at the far end, capturing the extraordinary view is a big, deep
bath. After long days working at the Boat Lagoon the current owners
usually opt for a quick shower but that is not to say that they
don't love every minute of the rare occasions when they can appreciate
it.
|
|
 |
A patio extending from the master suite is home to some spectacular
orchids, blooming brightly under the gentle care of Khun Toy for
whom raising orchids is something of a hobby. The house is set into
a steep hill such that all the balconies run into the garden on
the left side of the property. The house design takes full advantage
of the topography and size of the plot. The house occupies almost
the entire block yet the gardens are skillfully terraced so as to
cascade around the building from the top to the bottom of the property.
The cavernous belly of the house is dark and cool and a perfect
site for a very well equipped home gym. Also located within the
many pockets of this basement are a storage area, laundry, pool
mechanics room and an adequate air-conditioned study.
Construction of the house commenced in March 2001 and the owners
moved in August 2002. They are sad to announce that the property
is now on the market but look forward to their next project: "this
is a beautiful house and we love it but it is too big for just the
two of us. We might build something smaller in a similar design
to this, but nothing is definite yet."
|
