Van Holland Project Review

Developed by the award-winning local developer Koh Brothers, Van Holland is a luxury, 69-unit boutique condominium in the heart of prime District 10’s Holland Village and located with walking distance to Holland Village MRT station via a sheltered overhead bridge.

Slated for completion in the year 2023, the developer has upped the ante of this luxury development with the rarely-seen inclusion of bookmatched marble tiles sourced from Italy’s legendary Mount Altissimo and designer Italian bathroom fittings with Swarovski crystals for all units.

Van Holland floor plan and unit layout:

Van Holland’s offers a range of unit types from one- to four-bedroom units, but the biggest difference here is the collection of 16 Exclusive units that are located in the same block. These units have private lifts and foyers.

Ceiling height: Throughout the development, all units will have a 3.1-metre ceiling height in the living areas and bedrooms (including all balconies). (Above 3 metres is considered par for the course for luxury developments.) The ceiling height at the foyer will be 2.75 metres, whereas bathroom ceiling heights measure 2.6 metres.

The living room of a four-bedroom unit at Van Holland.

Van Holland: Site plan and facilities

Van Holland is located on the site of the former Toho Mansion along Holland Road (Koh Brothers purchased the site in an en bloc sale in 2018). The new 69-unit development will consist of three low-rise blocks, with units oriented in a north-south direction (with the exception of stack 7 and 8, which is east-facing).

Two of the three blocks, which front Holland Road, are joined. These two blocks will house 53 of the 69 units (1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom types) across five storeys and 11 stacks. Via a second storey sky terrace, residents can also access the elevated walkway that takes them to Holland Village across the road.

The remaining block, situated at the rear of the site, consists of 16 units across four stacks, comprising of two and four-bedroom unit types, unit in this four-storey block are branded ‘Exclusive’ by the developer and boast a larger floor area and private lifts. Also of note: Two of the four-bedroom units come with attics.

Van Holland’s rooftop infinity pool.

Van Holland site plan: What else we noted

The developer has obtained approval to build a link bridge that joins to an existing footbridge to Holland Village, giving residents direct access to the condo via a security gate. This small but significant feature lets them bypass the bus stop and main entrance at street level, saving them from navigating an additional flight of steps.

Meanwhile, the waterfalls along Van Holland’s façade, including a two-storey high cascade at the main entrance, are clever architectural additions that we feel will provide a sense of separation between the development and the Holland Road thoroughfare, while also serving as a ‘wow’ factor for anyone arriving at Van Holland.

Van Holland is designed to offer residents physical and sensorial separation from Holland Road.

Van Holland site plan: What we like

There’s a tendency for smaller condo developments to scrimp on swimming pool size, but Van Holland is a welcome change. Owners can expect two 26-metre lap pools, in addition to a children’s pool, jacuzzi spa and aqua gym area. One of the pools is an infinity pool atop the larger block, with an adjoining Sky Gourmet Pavilion and clubhouse with two full-sized air-conditioned lounges.

For the young ones, there’s also amenities such as a junior rock-climbing wall. The architect has also made full use of the elevation around the condo to create lush landscaping that is reminiscent of natural valleys.

We also like the luxuriously appointed arrival lobby of the condominium. Situated behind the dramatic 10-metre tall waterfall, the entrance additionally features dramatic bookmatched marble walls and sculptural lighting.

Also noteworthy is how the architect has elevated the first floor of the blocks so that all units sit one storey above the Holland Road street level. Additionally, most of the front-facing units are separated from Holland Road by a lap pool and waterfall—a design that ensures all units retain a sense of exclusivity and tranquillity in sight and sound despite being physically at the doorstep of Holland Village.

Van Holland Floor plan and unit layout: What we like

Overall, we find that common bedrooms at Van Holland are good-sized and can fit a queen bed without having to flush it against the full-height windows.

The 4-bedroom Exclusive units are also well thought-out, each with a powder room and a generously sized dry kitchen that provides a fitting stage for luxurious home parties. For units with an attic, this is where the master bedroom is located. It is worth highlighting that the private lift also serves the attic, which heightens the appeal of the ‘Attic’ unit configuration.

Van Holland’s 1,593 sq ft 4-bedroom exclusive unit type.

Van Holland interior finishes, fittings and appliances:

Characteristic with luxury developments, Van Holland units come with premium interior finishes, fittings and appliances, including Miele combination ovens, dishwashers and hobs, Duravit bidets and sanitary wares, as well as smart home features that let residents access a variety of functions and services via their smartphones.

The developer has also decided to embellish the usual chromed bathroom fittings with Swarovski crystals. While this might stylistically not be everyone’s cup of tea, these are admittedly valuable pieces that are made in Italy by tastemakers F.lli Frattini.

Van Holland’s Swarovski crystal bathroom fittings by F.lli Frattini.

Van Holland interior: What we like

Sourced from Italy’s Mount Altissimo quarry, the large-slab marble tiles used in Van Holland’s units are bookmatched, which means that they cut from the same slab of stone and laid out in a manner that forms a distinctive mirrored pattern. This attention to detail on the part of the developer is not something we see nowadays, and we applaud them for going to such an extent to position Van Holland as a luxury condo.

Units at Van Holland feature bookmatched Italian marble flooring in the living area.

Aside from the bookmatched marble floor, we also admire the black marble used for the bathroom walls. We also like how the developer has incorporated details such as an in-wardrobe dehumidifier and pull-down hanging rail that optimises the use of space of the high ceiling.