Phuket Karon ButterFly Real Estate

But what about the actual units themselves?

Stepping into the cool spacious white of the Karon Butterfly condominium

showroom it's difficult to believe that it really is only 80 square metres. (In fact we had to get the tape measure out in order to be convinced). There are two reasonable sized bedrooms, one with ensuite bathroom, a further bathroom and the remainder is open plan kitchen/living space. There a number of alternative floorplans from which buyers can choose, but in each, no inch of space is unused and manages somehow to conjure up a feeling of effortless volume. A large comfortable chic looking white leather sofa fits perfectly into the sitting area, but when they bought it for the show unit, the staff of the shop were astonished that it was being bought for a condominium and told them that they had only ever sold them to be put into large villas.

This is perhaps where the Italian influence in the project is most evident. Whereas traditional Thai layout requires an abundance of space, a large amount of which is not really useable, Italy's densely populated cities have forced designers to come up with ever more and more efficient floorplans that are 100% useable. Cristina tells me that it seemed logical to apply these principles here and it really does show. Somehow, the show apartment with identical measurements to the finished apartments manages to feel larger than many other condo units of 120+ square metres. It's not an illusion though, the effect has been created through the use of sensible design principles and attention to detail. Such features as sliding floor to ceiling glass doors leading out onto the terrace and a sliding door for the guest bathroom, small details in themselves but all combining to avoid the cramped feeling that so many condo units suffer from.