If you want outside space but don't want to take a lawnmower with you to your next home then an apartment with a variety of balconies, and even a good-sized terrace, is definitely worthy of consideration. The mower can go on eBay then. But for the best balcony view your new abode obviously needs to be located next to or near something amazing and being waterside with a sweeping view of Cardiff Bay can surely be called that.
Not in the noisy hub of the bay around the Wales Millennium Centre but tucked away at the end of a road to nowhere, further along the shoreline, you will find the block of luxury apartments called Watermark. And the clue is in the name – from the balconies and stepped terrace on each level, the building offers the occupants some of the best bay views from its central position.
Look one way, past the posh St David's Hotel, to view the distinctive buildings of the bustling area of shops and restaurants clustered around the Pierhead building. Then gaze in the other direction and the recognisable skyline of Penarth marina and the barrage come into focus.
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And this trendy apartment in this cool building has a front-row seat to it all – sunrise and sunset, speedboats and cruisers, wild weather and starry nights. It is located on the eighth floor and shares this level with only one other apartment so it's somewhat more like a semi-detached house than a flat.
The building steps up each level from a larger ground floor up to the penthouse that crowns the property and at each level the lucky end apartment gets to boast about a large curved end terrace borne out of the building's stepped design.
The terrace is, of course, the prime spot to drench yourself in Cardiff Bay views and drink in all the activity playing out all around you, presumably with an actual drink in hand, but the dream home apartment also has two additional balconies for extra choice on where to sit and relax or socialise.
Enter the home and the choice to turn right gets you straight into the open-plan kitchen diner and lounge that is undoubtedly the core of this abode. The lounge area is a joyful visual experience from the curved wall of glass that mimics the curve of the outside terrace and even the bay itself to the large space that is a hub of socialising via the massive sofa that the space can easily accommodate.
Instantly the trendy and colourful interior design style of the current owner makes an impact – one that is repeated in each room. The home confidently welcomes you with colour, pattern, and texture embellished with intriguing treasures and curios and a maximalist, electric style that is exuberant and no doubt reflects the owner's engaging personality. The glass wall is home to sliding doors that open directly out onto the sunny terrace – an outside space easily large enough for al fresco dining and social gatherings lit by the moon as well as the external lighting.
Back inside, if you can drag yourself away from the view from the terrace, and the lounge flows into a kitchen diner via a broken-plan layout and this 'best of both worlds' is achieved by the existence of a partition wall. This important design choice allows the dining area to feel more intimate, creating a cosy corner, but the open, full-length and super-wide doorway means the lounge and kitchen diner also feel effortlessly connected.
The kitchen has a curved kitchen peninsula that continues the underlying structural design choice of gentle shapes and soft lines that are easy on the eye while offering an amazing view while you peel the spuds. The kitchen diner also continues the trendy and notable décor, with highlights in this space surely including the gold glitter wall that is the backdrop for the dining area that, with the right-shaped table, can easily seat six people. The rich jewel accent colours and tactile textures continue in the kitchen diner too – as does the access onto the terrace via a dedicated set of sliding glass doors.
Back into the hall and the striking blue walls and absorbing artwork lead you down to the sleeping and bathing zone of the apartment. The home is spacious and offers two bathrooms and a cloakroom plus three bedrooms – one of which is currently being used as a home office.
The principal bedroom is found at the end of the central hallway and it's a bit swish – not only able to impress with its own, probably expected, luxury en suite but also access to the second balcony. The sumptuous fabrics and gem tones continue into this main bedroom with the super-colourful geometric feature wall surely the main influencer on the room's overall interior design.
So the guest bedroom next door can also access this outdoor space but if you don't feel like sharing simply lock the guest bedroom balcony door before your friends or family arrive – they'll probably never know what they're missing. The guest bedroom has its own incredible bay views as well as an en suite so really your mates can't complain about lack of facilities. This bedroom is another posh space in the home – this time a mix of timeless and elegant design dressed in more neutral tones but continuing the dedication to sumptuous textures.
One design element that might surprise a guest is the choice of a glass wall between the bedroom and the bathroom but the outcome of this option is an expansion of the view directly from the pillow that extends across the two rooms. The en suite's bath is a statement piece that has been placed in a statement location, next to the full-length window, so a view from the bubbles is guaranteed.
Into bedroom three, currently the more practical home office, and the mood is creative yet restful, cloaked in a dark heritage green shade but with the unique home owner's design flair injected via artwork and furniture. This room has access to a balcony too. This outside area is a semi-private space that has been created at the end of the large terrace by the creation of a half-wall with an opening so this balcony can be accessed via the third bedroom or by the living area next door. Currently this space is being used for al fresco dining.
The apartment is practical as well as pretty with punches of personality with two storage cupboards, a hidden kitchen larder, a laundry room, and two parking spaces within the secure gated residents' parking area. Each room, each outdoor space, each attention-to-detail design such as the abundance of curves and smooth visual lines illustrates that the apartment has been created with great thought. The current owner has then moved in and treated it to an injection of engaging and eclectic colourful and charismatic interior design character that makes the home sing.
The Watermark apartment is for sale with a guide price of £850,000 with Savills. Call their Cardiff branch on 029 2036 8900 to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, auction properties, renovation stories, and interiors – join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter which is sent to your inbox twice a week.
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