Perched deep within the forestry of Trelawny, Jamaica, is the romantic cottage-like dwelling of the Higgins' family. Sitting on a steep landscape overlooking the picturesque harbour, Higgins’ residence had all the ingredients for an intimate dwelling that embraced nature.

 

Tasked with transforming the one-storey home to a

two-storey bed and breakfast, the design proposal has the Higgins’ family living on the upper level and prospective tenants on the lower or ground level. Existing and incorporated flora were
made to serenade from the road-edge, to the driveway, and along the entrance steps. Timber planks cladded some parts of the external facade and became the decking to sit, read, meditate and relax as the harbour’s ships made-the- rounds along Trelawny’s waterway. The southern exterior or entrance were also made to embrace nature’s purest forms by reshaping the existing pit to become an intimate outdoor courtyard. The proposed groundwork were white cobbled-stones bordered by walled horizontal accents of timber planks. Hugging the walls were spaces for vegetable gardens which together promoted an intimate, soothing, and sustainable environment.

 

With the homeowners being nature-lovers, optimizing the outdoor experience was paramount and helped set the precedent for nature’s intended embrace within the home’s interior.

 

Additionally, high ceilings, spanning fenestrations and a spacious layout helped make for a cool interior and became that final ingredient to an overall nature-conscious remodel.