Guesthouse on Bequia

St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Caribbean

The new guesthouse on the Island of Bequia in the Caribbean has recently been completed. An existing property (once owned by Sir Anthony Eden) was already on the site, but rather than extend, a new building was designed to nestle in the coconut palm grove edging the beach, benefiting from sea-breezes and making the most of views across to Mustique.

The new building is intimately related to the palms, from the variety and arrangement of spaces, the rhythm of the balustrade, to the use of their leaves in the shuttering of the concrete ceilings. The building can be thrown open; rooms opening at their corner by means of sliding slatted timber walls, or shuttered up tightly against a storm and the drawbridge raised. Much of the furniture used in the house has been made locally.

The project benefited from an increasingly enthusiastic contractor and was run on site by local executive architects.

See also:

• 'New Eden House', in 'The New Modern House' by Will Jones, 2006
• 'Expanding Eden', Architects' Journal, 11th September 2003
• Concrete Quarterly in Architects Journal, 4th September 2003