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| Image: island*atelier |
A few years ago, I wrote here about my design ADD and the need to have a change of scene every few years or so. At the time we were moving from a stunning almost 200 year old historic property to more modern digs. Almost two years later to the date, we have moved again, this time to a most unique and modernist property, a rarity on the island.
We moved from the 200 year old house largely due to problems associated with a building of that age and so chose a modern home. While comfortable and convenient, I often found myself lamenting the fact that the house was unremarkable - many similar homes had been built here in cookie-cutter style over the last ten or so years. That home was also situated in a densely populated area which made me feel claustrophobic. While hedges and trees afforded some measure of privacy, the shutters which had been added to the house for additional privacy had the unfortunate effect of making the house, particularly the downstairs, dark.
With my design ADD flaring up again, we started house hunting again late last year. The house we have eventually settled in has been a real revelation. I had seen a photograph of it online and will be the first to admit that it doesn't have much curb appeal, at least not until you reach the entryway. The house is completely lacking in any of the traditional features found in homes here. It is a pure example of modernist living with minimal lines and linear forms. It is effectively a rectangle but has been cleverly sub-divided. The public spaces are open plan and outward-oriented while the private spaces are more inwardly-focused creating a sense of intimacy and retreat.
Due to the fact that the property's garden abuts a nature reserve there is a fantastic sense of space. Large picture windows and sliding doors, typical of modernist design, ensure that the home is flooded with light and help to blur the distinction between the indoors and out. Some renovations had been undertaken shortly before we moved in, but thankfully certain original touches like the teak-panelled entryway and feature walls in the living and dining rooms and the Mondrian-inspired room divider (pictured above) were spared from destruction.
Perhaps at last I've found a cure.
We moved from the 200 year old house largely due to problems associated with a building of that age and so chose a modern home. While comfortable and convenient, I often found myself lamenting the fact that the house was unremarkable - many similar homes had been built here in cookie-cutter style over the last ten or so years. That home was also situated in a densely populated area which made me feel claustrophobic. While hedges and trees afforded some measure of privacy, the shutters which had been added to the house for additional privacy had the unfortunate effect of making the house, particularly the downstairs, dark.
With my design ADD flaring up again, we started house hunting again late last year. The house we have eventually settled in has been a real revelation. I had seen a photograph of it online and will be the first to admit that it doesn't have much curb appeal, at least not until you reach the entryway. The house is completely lacking in any of the traditional features found in homes here. It is a pure example of modernist living with minimal lines and linear forms. It is effectively a rectangle but has been cleverly sub-divided. The public spaces are open plan and outward-oriented while the private spaces are more inwardly-focused creating a sense of intimacy and retreat.
Due to the fact that the property's garden abuts a nature reserve there is a fantastic sense of space. Large picture windows and sliding doors, typical of modernist design, ensure that the home is flooded with light and help to blur the distinction between the indoors and out. Some renovations had been undertaken shortly before we moved in, but thankfully certain original touches like the teak-panelled entryway and feature walls in the living and dining rooms and the Mondrian-inspired room divider (pictured above) were spared from destruction.
Perhaps at last I've found a cure.
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