CARIBBEAN

HOUSE BUILD

FULFILL LIFELONG DREAM TO LIVE, WORK AND RELAX IN PARADISE

Fulfill your lifelong aspirations of creating a luxury dream home overseas in a remote location on the beautiful tropical islands of the Caribbean. Imagine yourself living and working forever in an exotic location, basking in the sun; dipping in your toes in the glistening pool - the gentle breeze of the luscious green palm trees caressing your skin, surrounded by gushing sounds of the turquoise sea waves dissolving away your daily stressors and simply enjoying the peace, calm and serenity living on a Caribbean Island has to offer.

Developing your first property abroad, especially in the Caribbean can be an exciting experience but first, you will have to overcome various building challenges that come with purchasing and renovating a property in such an exotic climate.

A typical Caribbean build goes through similar phases like any other European or UK based build, however with additional challenges to consider from geological surveys and specific environmental planning permissions, which aim to preserve the natural beauty and cultural heritage - always the pinnacle of our clients personal brief and included in our all our bespoke and sustainable designs concepts. At Saint & Noire we have decades of experience in international design and build, especially of residences planned in tropical environments, including Caribbean islands, such as the Cayman Islands.

The Cayman Islands attracts over 2.5 million tourists every year and boasts luxurious resorts and residential properties along the vast stretch of the “Seven Mile Beach” and is a second or third home to some of the world’s most famous and wealthy people, who seek an exceptional standard of living, relaxation, and privacy.  This month we take you exclusively behind the scenes and share our tropical property building experience and essential planning recommendations for the Cayman Islands.

GRAND CAYMAN – PRIVATE VILLA No.1

Saint and Noire have been appointed to project manage, plan, design, procure and source our first luxurious villa project; working closely and collaboratively with the property owner and its 6000 square foot, to create a modern and stunning family home, for work, leisure, and pure relaxation in an exquisite coastal marina.

The project, initially a brief for a kitchen and living design concept, soon unraveled into a five-year dream home new build - including 3d designs of the bathrooms, bedrooms, studio, entrance, pool, exterior, architectural detailing of exterior and landscaping.

The design concepts were bespoke and tailored - constantly evolving into more and more unique living spaces - especially the ground floor kitchen layout and implementation of exquisite concrete spiral stairs to suit the supporting space, created an exceptional flow and which wonderfully led up to the top “tower” - the client’s personal request for a home office with a breath-taking view of the ocean. 

Saint & Noire sourced all the bespoke furnishing, appliances, and architectural details from exclusive European suppliers; some of the client’s requests included handcrafted kitchen cabinets - a combination of dark stained European oak veneer with Bianco lacquer and Corian worktops and classic bathrooms vanities with bespoke Bisazza mosaics, from Italy and a one-of-a-kind Alpine Pine Timber from Austria. All items were shipped from Liverpool Port to Miami and then to George Town in the Cayman Islands to reach the final destination of this magnificent Caribbean home, facing one last challenge- the USA customs before reaching the final port.

GRAND CAYMAN – PRIVATE VILLA No.2

With the successful completion of Grand Cayman Villa No.1, Saint & Noire was approached again to create a luxurious property for a neighboring plot for what would become our second project in the region. 

“Caribbean architecture is very specific and the materials, resources vary from Island to island….When we were at the start of the planning, we started with the General housing arrangement Concept, which is based on the analysis of the site surroundings, neighborhood space usage, community activities, and the layout of the existing buildings surrounding the area, as well as the structuring principle of settlement in estuary” - Lenka Marsh, Founder of Saint & Noire

In this property developing article, we can share some of our expert experience and recommendations on the factors that are critical to consider when it comes to designing and building your dream home in the Caribbean.

Having become familiar with the legalities of building a new home in the Caribbean Islands, we were able to support a detailed site plan which included several critical design components to consider in a Caribbean new build home site plan:

CLIMATE - The villa design had to accommodate the tropical climate and put in parameters for heat control.

NATURAL LIGHTING - Saint & Noire took into consideration the shape of the house to best embrace the natural sunlight, by creating functional yet appealing openings and closings.

AIR CIRCULATION & HUMIDITY CONTROL - The design allowed for optimal healthy air circulation - essential for indoor activities; the lower side of the building accepted the air to flow inside, whilst the upper side, pulled the air out of the building. 

MODULAR SYSTEM - Intended to maximize the function and flexibility of the room by offering integrated storage solutions that are stunning and statement-making.

ZONING - The villa design was segmented into three zones; the public zone, the semi-public zone, and the private. Zoning can help to reinvent the rooms within the home and the concept has long been utilised in open-plan spaces to create different atmospheres within one environment.

DESIGN CHARACTER AND FACADE - The house design must represent the local cultural richness by applying it in the design. The house shape and character should still be maintained while integrating original and new elements.

BUILDING MASS & FORM - The concept of the building mass expressed the traditional aspects - for example the house floor is elevated at the maximum height of the seawater, as a reactive response to the wet soil conditions. 

CONSTRUCTABILITY - At Saint & Noire we highly recommend the building material must be fixed and surveyed in the earliest part of the design process. This will determine the outcome - how large or how tall the building will be. The building material we choose for this project, most popular in the region -  wood. This natural material adapts to the weather conditions, providing style and comfort.

The Caribbean is a luxury destination for some to take a vacation but for residents, a place of living and utilising the outdoor space is essential in the design of a Caribbean build and to potentially increase the value of the home, whether to resell or rent in the future.