The Art of Living

Is it the distinctive artist Italian Piero Fornasetti, whose iconic portraits of Lina Cavalieri insert themselves into conversations across the walls and spaces of the house; or is it the design hallmarks of Sandy Lane Hotel, whose characteristics are seen throughout? Or, perhaps it is the thoughtful personalization of each area of this dwelling, which boasts an aura of welcoming serenity. Whichever the token, 42 Sandy Lane is charming and purposefully built for tranquility and happiness.

I entered through the glass and iron double front doors into a cosy foyer where the inviting scent of brown sugar and vanilla subtly permeates the air. I was greeted by Rob, in The Great Room of the main house, which was arranged with ivory sofas, that were tossed with plush white throw pillows. The room was further punctuated with large moody wall art, black wooden mirrors and silver table accents, which introduce you to the monochromatic palette elaborated around the house.

With a rich history, 42 Sandy Lane is a luxury estate with a lot to take in. The most striking semblances are its architectural motifs, which borrow much style from the renovated Sandy Lane Hotel of ’98. Its columns, architraves, marble floors and foyer mosaics all mimic those of the island’s most luxurious hotel. It was not surprising to find this level of quality and attention to detail,  given that 42 Sandy Lane was famously built by the same developers. 

We moved through the Great Room and settled at the outdoor Dining Terrace, where the house’s acquaintance with the lush gardens and soothing sounds of the tropics are instantly noticeable. The integration of the home with nature is a feature that the owners treasure. Rob explained that although the affiliation with Sandy Lane Hotel is indeed interesting, it was equally important to them to also celebrate the island’s scenery and traditional Barbadian architectural style. Much of that style is featured in the home’s wooden balustrades and shutters – a nod to the design of the Barbadian chattel house – whose unmistakable attributes can be seen anchoring the internal and external façades.

Rob and his wife Monica hastened to explain that they owe the fine exterior craftsmanship and interior renovations to the work of local builders, notably Seon McEnd and his handpicked team of craftsmen, who demonstrate an ability to follow the imagination of a client from paper and pencil to a finished result far surpassing customary building standards. Settling at 42 Sandy Lane 4 years ago, Rob and Monica enhanced the home’s six detached  areas: a two-bedroom cottage,  dining pavilion, poolside bar,  cigar lounge, pool house and staff quarters. This allowed them to carefully personalize their abode so that, as Monica says: “each area has a reason and a purpose to exist, seamlessly integrating spaces within nature”.

Our conversation broke and our attention shifted across to the glistening glass-tiled pool, then upwards. It was a beautiful morning and the clock tower seated on top of the bar stuck out like a beacon. Clad on the eastern side of the tower is a portrait of Lina Cavalieri with a soft, dreamy expression on her face. “The beauty of art gives pleasure and makes one happy”, Rob said, answering my thoughts, and that’s what they’ve sought to engineer into the house. To him, “the main aim of living in Barbados is the pursuit of happiness”.

Rob continued to gush about his love for Barbados, which began when he was in his twenties. What dazzled him about the island was more intimate than one would expect. It was more than the customary love for Barbados’s blue skies, seas and white sand. It was the quality and courtesy of the people and the casual nature of the Caribbean lifestyle ~ where you often happily run into people you know and enjoy the intimacy of friendships and experiences.

The lavish crystal chandeliers shifted quietly above us as the breeze ran through the Georgian-style fixture. The quaint echo of chirping birds filled the background like a ballad. The sun’s rays danced between the precision cut glass crystals highlighting the beauty of the distinctive Timothy Oulton piece. A spectrum of his stylish, time-honoured furnishings can be found boldly throughout the home. The works of the high-end designer compliments the vintage and monochromatic antiques found in the overall interior design which, Rob explained, was initially developed by Barbadian company Coral Island Interiors.

They inherited a home with a neutral decor treatment that made it easy for them to introduce their own personal style, where traditional and modern collide to create a space of homeliness. It is a marriage of clean modern monochromatic lines that mingles with timeless Italian, Georgian and Japanese art which showcases the breadth of the couple’s aesthetic sensibility.

The main social areas of 42 Sandy Lane comprise of a great room, an entertaining room – with indoor dining and an elegantly designed bathroom, hidden behind a pair of fluted solid wooden doors – an outdoor/indoor dining and lounge area and a library, which holds floor-to-ceiling bookcases, telling of the couple’s years in academia. The Warendorf kitchen is a deliberate counterpoint to the house, with its clean, modern lines, flowing from a main area to a separate supporting Chef’s kitchen.  All of the bedrooms on the north wing enjoy garden views, with two having exclusive panoramas of the outdoor water garden with an illusionistic floating slab. The north wing includes the couples’ Primary Suite with separate ‘his and her’ bathrooms, dressing rooms and a spa, along with two ensuite guest bedrooms ~ one with a tasteful masculine motif and the other glamorously feminine which both fragrantly express the respective themes of the room with leather and floral tones.

The painting and decor flanking the walls in the private living wing of the home introduces the couple’s collection of rare Georgian and Japanese antique kimono paintings, which date back to the early 18th century. To this day, they remain unflawed and unchanged, wonderful one-of-a-kind handmade pieces which fuse embroidery and print patterns together.

The sophisticated and alluring 42 Sandy Lane is unquestionably a beautiful property. It inspires one’s sense of peace and calmness, and influences one’s perception of modern and historical art through the curation of impressive artworks. Emboldened with the Monica & Rob’s design, this home is truly one I will never forget.