Dream House | Sandy Bay seafront estate marries water, wellness and design
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Islamic arched walkways float over individual pools of water.
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A soaking tub fully enclosed in glass draws you into nature.
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The heated swimming pool leaves the seafront and enters the garden courtyard.
This address is worthy of the international stage, with a design interwoven into the natural landscape, certain to blow your mind.
Erected in 2015, this seafront estate sits on three acres of manicured gardens and boasts its own white-sand beach cove in the seaside town of Sandy Bay in western Jamaica.
The 10,800-square-foot residence, which includes a separate cottage for the gym, is defined by a series of pavilion-like, peaked wood shingle roofs, with extended verandahs. A large garden courtyard embraces a heated swimming pool, with a beach entry feature, leading all the way to the sea.
The home fuses sophisticated Caribbean villa-style design with romantic and symbolic Islamic architecture. For instance, we see pointed horseshoe arches connecting the interior and exterior; detailed hand-forged Moroccan lanterns offering illumination; and a private hammam (Turkish steam bath) for ritualistic body regeneration and purification.
Water, a symbol of purity and life, cools the house with arched walkways floating over individual illuminated pools of water.
Other elements include hand-cut stone floors, a Sonos 23-speaker music system throughout, and floor-to-ceiling sliding glass walls framing sweeping marine views and flooding the interiors with sunlight.
Wake up refreshed and energised in five bedrooms, with the principal suite boasting a private sitting room. All en suite bathrooms are fully air-conditioned and come with his and her basin vanities, a walk-in rain shower, a full glass-enclosed soaking tub, and an outdoor shower. Added to this is a media room, a wet bar, a gourmet kitchen, and an outside kitchen, extending the culinary experience.
Humankind has sought the healing powers of water in architecture for spiritual, psychological, and physical well-being for over 10,000 years. Water is present everywhere on this estate. Love is also deeply embedded in this architecture, and I am reminded of a quote by the late British-American poet W. H. Auden, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.”
Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barryrattray1@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.