Thu | Sep 25, 2025

Dream House | Sisters reimagine a classic home with seascape views

Published:Sunday | June 29, 2025 | 12:12 AMBarry Rattray - Contributor
Pause
The “perfect” house, which took four lengthy years of searching to find.
Contributed
The “perfect” house, which took four lengthy years of searching to find.
We just cannot ignore this entry hall, with its winding, double stair design.
Contributed
We just cannot ignore this entry hall, with its winding, double stair design.
The primary bedroom with its own balcony and bathroom.
Contributed
The primary bedroom with its own balcony and bathroom.
The primary bathroom soothes with its soaking tub, while being boosted by double vessel sinks in a floating vanity.
Contributed
The primary bathroom soothes with its soaking tub, while being boosted by double vessel sinks in a floating vanity.
An angular, glass-walled in dining room.
Contributed
An angular, glass-walled in dining room.
1
2
3
4
5

Two sisters set out to fulfil a long-held dream. With spirited determination, they hunted here, there, and everywhere, eventually taking all of four lengthy years to find the ‘perfect’ house. Built 60 years ago, the residence had lost much of its former glory when the sisters first set eyes upon it. Admittedly, it appeared in need of love, care, and architectural treatment, but the ladies, despite all that, could see the gem of a building that it once was.

The siblings – one an event planner and the other providing reserve power for communication facilities – collaborated during the renovation, bringing into being the consummate retreat for ‘peace of mind’.

Situated quietly on a fruited two acres, by Shaw Park Ridge, on a high altitude on top of Ocho Rios Bay and beyond, the 3,400-square-foot aspirational house is excitingly designed with a central garden courtyard, with angular-shaped rooms that surround and open onto a red-brick-floored open-air area.

At the charming formal entrance, with double-front doors, a miniature waterfall flows into its own lily pond in full view. What an optical welcome for visitors!

A swimming pool, also in your peripheral vision, patiently waits for a dip in its sparkling blue waters.

Fall asleep soundly in any of the four tray ceiling bedrooms, with three en suite bathrooms.

The primary bedroom parades its own balcony, and its private bathroom soothes with a soaking tub while being boosted by double-vessel sinks in a floating, wood-finished vanity countertop. Other features include a television section with its exclusive outdoor patio, a family room, a glass-walled dining room, with a separate breakfast area, and a quartz countertop, island-style kitchen.

The most important facet of the overall design is that each turn in the house brings the lure of knockout seascape vistas. Also, we just cannot ignore the entry hall with its winding, double-stair design.

The interior walls are painted white with a hint of blue and adorned with Jamaican artwork, while the exterior features an off-white shade. The floors combine porcelain and stone materials. Acquired in January 2024, the property stands among other splendid estates in a classy neighbourhood of beautiful homes.

It has been said that the only thing that keeps men and women from experiencing the fulfilment of their dreams is a thin veil of belief.

Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barryrattray1@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.