Cairnhill Nine Review

The showflat for Cairnhill Nine is located along Ganges Avenue, next to the Boys Brigade, instead of the actual location. It was officially launched on March 12^th but prior to that, the VIP showings have been occurring, with much promise for the development.

Cairnhill Nine showflat at Ganges Avenue

Three showunits are available for viewing in the posh showflat; 1BR + guest, 2BR + guest and a 4BR.

Every bedroom type is designed with a different motif. The 1BR and 1BR + guest are covered in darker marble so as to elicit a cosier and more professional look for the single executives that tend to prefer such units. The 2BR and 2BR + guest units have a more vintage look, with the colours being predominantly champagne and white while the 4BR and penthouse units have what is considered a Scandinavian look.

Even though the 4BR types are as bright as the 2BR versions, the aesthetic is more of a blend between the light and dark styles of the other two types to deliver a familiar and yet contrasting theme.

Motifs aside, there are other consistent design choices in all the units. Firstly, all units are outfitted with Air Door cabinets by ernestomeda. As a first in Singapore, Air Door is a type of breathable cabinet that allows airflow to enter the cabinets when closed to keep certain foods fresh. More importantly, it helps to ventilate the interiors to keep the smell of food down to a minimum, if not removing it altogether.

Air Door facts

The cabinets are located above the stove, which according to Air Door facts, makes it work even more efficiently as the variations in air pressure increases the air exchange inside the cabinet to ensure “optimal conservation of foods”. The perimeter seal is airtight, so dust and dirt is kept out.

Secondly, all units come move-in ready with a whole list of appliances and furnishing installed. A shoe cabinet is provided for every unit including the biometric door and CCTV that come as part of the smart home feature. Other smart features are available, though they’re likely to be installed at the owner’s cost.

For appliances, all units have an oven and coffee maker, the brand of which is Miele. The washing machine/dryer (separated for 4BR and penthouse) are Bosch.

1BR + guest living room with sliding doors

In the smaller units, especially the 1BR + guest, much of the walls that separate the living and kitchen area from the bedroom and bathroom can slide open and close. This ‘walling off’ of the living area is useful when there are guests over and/or when privacy is needed. The sliding walls are certainly part of the feature set of Cairnhill Nine as they make their presence felt in one way or another in all units that have them.

The highlight of the units however has to be the one-of-a-kind modular wardrobe. This unique addition is found in all the master bedrooms.

Modular walk-in wardrobe

First glimpsed as a walk-in wardrobe, the space allows for clothes to be hung on both sides, with some drawers installed for under garments. But when more space is needed, the entire wall can slide forward to reveal a hidden compartment for additional storage.

Modular walk-in wardrobe hidden compartment

This effectively blocks access to the bathroom but the ease at which it can be moved makes for yet another incredibly exciting new feature for Cairnhill Nine.

Consistent design elements aside, each unit stands well on their own merit.

1BR + Guest (743 sqft)

The 1BR + guest showunit is a beautifully designed home with smart layout planning that makes it look incredibly spacious. Marble flooring is used throughout the unit (only for 1BR and 1BR + guest) including the bedroom and guest room. As this unit type has a darker and more professional look, the lighter marble floor helps to brighten it up considerably.

1BR + guest kitchen

For 1BR units, an open kitchen is the standard now. The open kitchen here is particularly well thought out. The preparation area is substantial as a parallel induction cooker is installed instead of a horizontal one, which would take up more space.

And due to the length of the larger living area, there’s quite a lot of space from where the kitchen ends to where the living room begins. Even with a dining table in between, the space is barely hindered. CapitaLand obviously understands this given their choice of a more visually stylish and larger dining table in the showunit.

The guest room in the showunit was converted into a study room. The interior designing choice however shows that if the owner intends to turn the room into a smaller bedroom, that it is possible.

1BR guest room

A queen size would however not be practical as doing so would limit other furniture that could have been fitted inside. A super single or a custom bed would be a better use of the space.

The master bedroom is more than capable of accommodating a king size bed. It does this without compromising on walking space. With the wardrobe being both walk-in to the master bathroom as well as modular with the sliding hidden compartment, the bedroom exudes that professional executive feel with ease.

1BR + guest master bedroom

In addition, given that the bedroom is directly behind where the TV is installed in the living room, CapitaLand built in a swivel on the TV’s feature wall so the resident can simply turn the TV to face the bedroom should they want.

This eliminates the need to install more cabinets to mount a separate TV in the bedroom which would only take up more space. This ergonomic design is simple but surprisingly rare in Singapore. Its inclusion here is yet another bullet point extolling Cairnhill Nine’s marked differences that sets it above its competitors.

2BR + guest (1,044 sqft)

The size for the 2BR + guest unit is typically seen as a 3BR unit in other developments and while standing in the cavernous living room, it’s easy to forget that this is indeed a 2BR unit. Part of this is attributed to the guest room having the walls removed. But even with it up, the layout which allows for a more clearly separated cooking, dining and living areas looks and feels big.

BR + guest living and dining area

The lighter champagne colour only works to make a big unit look more spacious. It certainly helps that the living and dining area combined is 172 sqft. The guest room is 56 sqft so adding that to the greater living/dining area begets more depth and size to the common area.

The kitchen area is particularly impressive. It’s a neat setup which includes a unique dining siting arrangement. Showunit interior design aside however, it’s nice touch that the kitchen and dining area occupies their own space rather than segueing into the living room. The decor might not be for everyone but the unit delivers exceedingly well in functionality and livability.

2BR + guest kitchen and dining area

A common issue about open kitchens are that cooking aromas can sometimes become overwhelming if the dish is question is particularly heavy. Fortunately, its distance from the living room helps to mitigate any smells from the kitchen. The closeness to the balcony means better ventilation in addition to the installed hood above the induction stove.

All in all, the way the unit is laid out, ventilation should not be an issue.

While marble flooring is used for the common areas, the bedrooms are timber for 2BR units and above. The showunits are carpeted however.

2BR + guest common bedroom

The common bedrooms are fairly large and capable of holding a queen size bed. A wardrobe is built-in though unlike the master bedroom’s modular walk-in wardrobes, the ones in the common bedrooms are the standard types.

The master bedroom has a sort of L-shape with the walk-in closet facing the entry way, next to the master bathroom entrance. This view is blocked from the bed, which helps to imbue the room with a simple and uncluttered aesthetic.

2BR + guest master bedroom

The bigger space is useful here in the event the resident wishes to install shelves and/or to mount a television. While this unit also sports the swivel on the TV console, the guest room is the one that benefits from it instead of the master bedroom.

TV swivel

Thus, the additional space in the master bedroom gives residents the wherewithal to install their own shelves and TV console should they want. There’s certainly more than enough room to do so.

4BR (1,528 sqft)

To illustrate the size of the unit upon entering, consider that should the walls around the wet and dry kitchen, including the washing area and yard be broken down, this area looks like it might be a small 1BR serviced apartment.

4BR kitchen

The kitchen comes as seen, minus the bar countertop. This unit type is equipped with similar kitchen appliances but with a wine chiller included as well. The washing machine and dryer are two separate appliances stacked above one another.

4BR yard with washer and dryer

Those things are situated at the back of the wet kitchen. However, there are no partitions between the wet and dry kitchen which makes moving to and fro easier. The 4BR units come with the traditional gas cooker instead of induction for more heavy duty food preparation.

4BR wet kitchen with gas cooker

But as large as the cooking and yard areas combined is, the living room is even more luxurious. In the showunit, the bedroom behind the couch in the living room was broken down to be used as a dining area. This is mainly the reason why the living room comes across as extremely commodious.

4BR living area

However, even with that room up the living room which is connected to the balcony teases a fantastic view. The view is one of an Orchard Road rife with hilly buildings and taken in from a space that presents many further furnishing options.

4BR living room

Should the resident choose not to customize further, the default living room already works extremely well with CapitaLand’s aesthetic for this unit type. The contrast between the light and dark styles makes the showunit pop and the higher ceiling with cove non-LED lighting further elicits a warm and welcoming mood.

Aside from the two bedrooms, there’s the master bedroom and a junior master bedroom. Both of these come with en suite bathrooms although only the master bedroom has the modular walk-in closet.

4BR junior suite

The junior suite sports a more traditional built-in wardrobe in a room that is just slightly less spacious than the master. Visually, it’s the same as the master bedroom, with the large casement windows that are used in every unit type admitting a substantial amount of sunlight that will serve to make the room feel bigger and allowing ample ventilation.

4BR master bedroom

This bedroom type also comes with an electronic safe in the wardrobe. The electronic safe is available for unit types E, F & G only. The master bathroom for the 4BR and penthouse units are designed to be far grander than their smaller counterparts.

Rain showers are almost a necessity when luxury units are concerned and it’s no different here. A marble bath tub is also part of the ensemble. What CapitaLand adds to the bathrooms however is notable. A TV screen commonly known as a ‘Magic Mirror’ is situated at the foot of the bathtub, above where the tub’s shower head is.

4BR master bathroom with magic mirror

While the magic mirror is only provided for the master bathroom in every 4BR and penthouse units, its addition is yet another special feature to a long list of special features CapitaLand has seen fit to imbue Cairnhill Nine with.

Such things are common in luxury hotels, so having it here helps elevate the development to a tier above common luxury developments in Singapore.