Review of unit layouts at The Botany At Dairy Farm
The Botany At Dairy Farm Showflat: 3-Bedroom Flexi (C6F) - 1033 sq ft (96 sqm)
No. of units:
- 40
Who is it suited for:
- Mid-sized families with two or three children
- Mid-sized families with a helper
We'll start with the 3-Bedroom Flexi showflat as 3-Bedroom units are the predominant unit types at The Botany, making up 45% of all unit types. There are seven 3-Bedroom unit layouts ranging from 883 sq ft to 1,281 sq ft, which means that there's a good mix of layouts to cater to different family sizes and their needs. There are four stacks of 3-Bedroom Flexi units at The Botany.
Entrance has a long foyer
As you enter the unit, there's a long foyer which greets you where a storage cabinet is provided, great for storing shoes and hiding the distribution box (DB). This is a provision across all units at The Botany. There's also additional space for more storage or for placing an ornament table like what the ID has done.
Although a foyer is good for extra storage and welcoming guests, some buyers might see it as wasted space. Most 3-bedroom unit layouts at The Botany have a long foyer except the C5 and C7 unit types.
Enclosed kitchen with yard
All 3-bedroom units come with an enclosed kitchen and a yard, suitable for bigger families who might need the extra space. For those with helpers, having a yard also gives them ample space to do laundry or ironing. The yard is also connected to the Flexi room, which we'll talk more about below.
All the kitchen appliances are by Electrolux and you'll get the standard provisions like a fridge, a built-in oven and a washer-dryer. There's also a gas cooker hob and cooker hood, perfect for 3-bedroom households which might cook more often.
The list of provisions includes a dish rack above the kitchen sink. It's a convenient addition, and we've only seen it in a few new launches.
Another interesting feature is a glass window behind the sink. While glass panels are common for the kitchen in new launches, this is the first time we've seen a glass window. Not only does this bring more light into the kitchen, but it's practical as you can easily place your used plates into the sink from the dining area without having to walk to the kitchen.
However, it might be a little awkward if you have guests over and you need to do some washing. It would have made more sense if the glass window was behind an empty countertop and the sink was on the right instead. This way, it would feel a little like a "dry kitchen", and you can still entertain your guests while preparing food in the kitchen.
If you don't fancy the glass window, you can also wall up the kitchen at your own expense.
Living and dining areas and balcony
The dining area can fit a six-seater table, which is what you might expect from a 3-bedder. However, one thing to note is that the ID has installed a built-in sofa on one side of the dining table (against the kitchen wall), which saves space.
However, most households would have a conventional dining table and chairs, which means you'll need more space between the kitchen wall and the table. Hence, you'd have to consider an appropriate size for your dining table. If your family is smaller, perhaps having a four-seater or an extendable table might be a better option so you'd have more walkway space.
A three or four-seater sofa will fit nicely in the living area, enough for a family of four or five. If you need more space, perhaps you can get an L-shaped sofa or have an additional armchair.
The balcony is decently sized and can be an area for additional seating, a home gym or a work-from-home corner. What's great is that two stacks will face outwards. One has a view of Dairy Farm Nature Park, while the other has a view of the Chestnut landed housing estate.
Flexi room can be converted into any room to fit your needs
The Flexi room is one of the highlights of this showflat unit. As its name suggests, it gives buyers as much flexibility as possible, depending on their needs at any stage. While most projects might have a study area, a flexi room allows buyers more freedom to do whatever they want with the additional space. We've also seen this concept in several new launches like Lentor Modern and Baywind Residences.
In the showflat, there's a 100mm glass wall separating the flexi room and the corridor. What's great is that buyers can opt to remove it. This will be perfect if you want an open-concept study area or a larger communal space which connects to the living and dining areas.
As mentioned, the flexi room is also connected to the kitchen yard, and a foldable door will be provided. So, it will be convenient as a helper's room as they can easily head to the yard and kitchen to do their household chores. The flexi room is about 43 sq ft (4sqm), so it's possible to fit a single bed.
Master bedroom and common bedrooms
The master bedroom is the average size for 3-bedders; there's sufficient walkway space around the king-sized bed. However, we would have loved it if there had been more space for a dressing table beside or in front of the bed.
You could install some shelves or a mini dresser area in front of the bed like what the ID has done in the showflat (pictured above).
All master bedrooms at The Botany also come with a side wardrobe panel with a full-length mirror where you can store smaller items like belts, jewellery and make-up items. Since there won't be sufficient space for a dressing table, this is a practical provision to store your items. We would love to have seen more provisions in the wardrobe though, like an accessories drawer.
One thing to note is that the master bedroom wardrobes are not equipped with built-in LED lights. So buyers will need to install their own lights if they wish to have them.
As for the master bathroom, we like that it comes with a window with frosted glass. This is great for natural ventilation, and at the same time, you don't have to install blinds for privacy.
The other provisions in the master bathroom are pretty standard such as the rain shower, vanity mirror cabinet and quartz countertop.
The common bedrooms are 97 sq ft (9 sqm) each, and both are able to fit a queen-sized bed. Both bedrooms also come with full-length windows, which means you'll get plenty of natural light during the day. One thing to note is that you can't hack down the walls of the bedrooms as they are built using PPVC.
Both common bedrooms will share one bathroom. A plus point of the shared bathroom is the top-hung windows above the vanity mirror cabinet, which is great for natural ventilation. Hence, it won't get so stuffy, and moisture won't be trapped in the bathroom. We've rarely seen top-hung windows for shared bathrooms, so it's a pleasant surprise.
The Botany At Dairy Farm Showflat: 4-Bedroom (D2) - 1,292 sq ft (120 sqm)
No. of units:
- 57
Who is it suited for:
- Larger families with three or four children
4-Bedroom units make up 15% of all the units at The Botany, and the showflat unit is the larger of two unit types, at 1,292 sq ft. There are three stacks of the type D2 4-Bedroom units. The other 4-Bedroom unit, type D1, is 1,270 sq ft.
Dry and wet kitchen concept
The 4-Bedroom showflat unit does not have a huge foyer space, so once you enter the unit, you'll be able to see the dry kitchen, living and dining areas. The dry kitchen is decently sized with sufficient cabinets and counter space. There's also a two-door fridge here instead of in the wet kitchen.
As 4-Bedroom households are larger, this could serve as an additional dining space for family members. If you have guests over, the dry kitchen will be perfect for serving drinks and light bites as you can still entertain your guests while still preparing some food. We'd loved to have seen more provisions in the dry kitchen, though, like an oven or a wine chiller.
The wet kitchen has an efficient L-shaped layout, which makes it easy to move around between the sink and the cooking area. Thanks to the glass partition wall, there's plenty of light in the kitchen. A bonus provision in the kitchen is the dish racks which are more sizeable than the 3-bedder and have more space for plates and utensils. Other standard provisions are the built-in oven and gas cooker hob, and cooker hood.
There's also this small countertop area which can be turned into a coffee-making corner. There's a power point here, so you might also want to place other appliances here, like a microwave oven or a mixer.
There's also a yard attached to the kitchen, which has the household shelter, WC and washer-dryer. There's enough space to hang some clothes here on those days when you're not making use of the dryer. You or your helper can also use this space to do some ironing.
5.5m width in the living and dining areas
For the 4-Bedroom units, the developers have created a landscape concept in the living and dining areas, which spans the width of the balcony. According to the developers, they took a lot of feedback from buyers and agents and found out that homeowners for this unit type value their sense of space. The width of the living and dining areas is about 5.5m, so residents can enjoy as much natural lighting inside the house as possible.
The dining area can comfortably fit an eight-seater table which is more than enough for the number of people expected in the household. The living area is not too shabby either, with sufficient space for a four-seater sofa.
The typical ceiling height for all units at The Botany is about 2.81m, but top-floor units will enjoy a high ceiling of around 5m.
Thanks to the 5.5m width, the balcony in the 4-Bedroom unit has a generous amount of space. In fact, you might even consider placing the dining table here in order to have a larger living room. What's more, some units will face Dairy Farm Nature Park, so you'll get to enjoy lots of greenery.
Master bedroom and common bedrooms
The master bedroom in the 4-bedder is quite spacious; it can fit a king-sized bed along with a dressing table beside it. There's ample walkway space around the bed and in front of the dresser. This could be enough space to do yoga or other exercises in the master bedroom.
There's also considerable length from the back of the bed to the wall in front of it, which is perfect if you plan to have a TV in the master bedroom.
One thing that stands out in the master bedroom is the "wardrobe corridor" just outside the master bathroom. While this is no walk-in wardrobe, having a wardrobe on each side of the bathroom entrance creates a "his and hers" concept, so couples can have their personal space while getting ready.
Similarly, in the master bathroom, the sink and shower areas are also on opposite sides. Hence, couples can be in the bathroom simultaneously and go about their morning routine without disrupting each other.
Here, you can expect the typical provisions such as the rain shower, vanity mirror cabinet and a window with frosted glass.
As for the common bedrooms, two of them are 97 sq ft (9 sqm), while one is slightly smaller, 86 sq ft (8 sqm). All three bedrooms can accommodate up to a queen-sized bed, but by doing so, you might have less room to move around.
One thing to note is that three bedrooms will be sharing one bathroom. Alternatively, the WC in the yard also comes with a shower.
We would have loved it if two common bedrooms were connected to the shared bathroom as this would make it great for multi-generational families, especially those who live with seniors. In this case, the 5-Bedroom units would be better for multi-generational families as they have a junior master bedroom.
The Botany At Dairy Farm Showflat: 2-Bedroom + Study (B3S) - 743 sq ft (69 sqm)
No. of units:
- 34
Who is it suited for:
- Young couples
- Small family with one child
- Tenants
2-bedders make up 27% of all the units at The Botany, and there are three unit types. The showflat unit, type B3S is the largest 2-Bedroom layout and the only one with a study.
Dumbbell layout
All 2-Bedroom units have a dumbbell layout, which is popular across many new launches today. The efficient layout attracts both homeowners and investors. For small families, the parents and their child can have their own personal space as both bedrooms are on opposite sides of the unit. For investors, they can choose to rent out the whole unit to two tenants or just rent out one bedroom to a tenant while still occupying the master bedroom.
Semi-enclosed kitchen
All 2-Bedroom units at The Botany have a semi-enclosed kitchen. When you enter the unit, the kitchen is tucked away on the right side of the entrance. This way, it's not exposed to the living and dining areas. This is great for buyers who prefer a dedicated space for preparing meals.
However, do note that the kitchen does come with a door, so you'd have to install your own if you want a fully enclosed kitchen.
Open-concept study area
The study area is open-concept, and it's situated outside the common bedroom. For families, this arrangement isn't an issue, but for tenants, this space only makes sense for the one in the common bedroom. Alternatively, if only one person needs to use the study area, you can consider building a wall so you'll have a bigger common bedroom.
