Property profile

Address: Lot 2B1-031, Northbridge Communities, Sangkat Teuk Thla, Khan Sen Sok. (Also for sale: Lots 2B1-029 and 1B2-029)

Cost: US $850,000 (sale)

US $3,000/month (rent)

Bedrooms: 4 plus guest room.

Bathrooms: 5

Features: pool and whirlpool hot tub, master bathroom whirlpool bath, indoor pond/fountain, glass railings, air conditioning, solar powered water heater, generator.

Agent: Hem Kosal, Cambodia Estate Agent (012-996-787)

The three-storey villa set within the secure residential enclave of the Northbridge Communities, stands tall on the curve of a cul de sac, quiet, private, imposing and surrounded by a fence of brick, yellow wood, and white metal lattice.

But while the house is what agent Hem Kosal would describe as “American-style” – gesturing as he steps up and through the wooden doorway toward the living room – the first impression is of the exterior and that is distinctly Mediterranean.

In fact just as the estate agents have advertised: yellow adobe-style exterior, white trim, curvy pillars, and a red tiled roof.

“People will spend most of their time here after work,” he said of the room, which sits beneath vaulted ceilings painted light blue, imitating the sky.

The palatial home is in Sangkat Teuk Thla, Khan Sen Sok, an area of Phnom Penh about 6km from the city’s commercial centre and Kosal believes it is the people most likely commuting from Northbridge Communities to the city centre who are looking for a place to relax.

Every room looks upon the living room. All three levels have a balcony looking outside as well as in – the living room is the bottom-floored courtyard to the palatial floor plan. It is the centre of the house, its “American-style” selling point.

Windows line the walls, streaming the beige-painted villa with light. A kitchen branches off to the right of the living room. Its cabinets, which come from the United States, according to Kosal, are stained dark red, and white and yellow tiles sit above the marble countertops.

The house comes furnished with a solid dark wood dining table and cushioned chairs.

Dark wood is a theme throughout: dark hardwood floors, a wooden bed frame in the master suite, and wooden closets and doors.

Light colours on the walls contrast with the mahogany accents. As you step up to any level of the three-storey house, however, the colours become more and more playful. The spacious master bedroom on the second floor has a baby blue master bath suite attached, complete with a whirlpool tub and shower.

At the top level, all three bedrooms are painted a different colour with a corresponding theme: the “sun” room (red, with a pink-and-red tiled bathroom and bright red ceiling ornamentation), the “moon” room (yellow, with a half-moon shape in the ceiling), and the “star” room (silver-grey, with a star shape protruding from the ceiling). The “sun” and “star” rooms also have their own balcony.

Kosal said the rooms were playful for a purpose – the top level is ideal for a family with children. The kids who can have their own balconies and bathrooms, no less.

A bridge leads the visitor from the top level back to the criss-crossing staircase, down to the main level. At its base sits a traditional Khmer pond and fountain.

Three balconies overlook the pool and whirlpool hot tub that is surrounded by a tiled patio. Palm trees wave in the wind.

Another garden sits next to the pool, below the patio and nook emerging from the kitchen.

Future homeowners would also have access to the Northbridge community pool and gym.

Going green was a goal of the builder with other amenities including a solar-powered water heater and generator in the case of electrical failure.

Covering 884sq m the internationally standard designed home combines the needs of privacy and personal space with being a family home ideal for entertaining.

Situated on Lot 2B1 031, it is, as Kosal claimed, a slice of residential Americana but with a distinct Mediterranean flavour on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.