Dream House | Old Wharf cottage frozen in time

In this dry terrain, interposed between the Santa Cruz Mountains/Pedro Plains and the seacoast of St Elizabeth, is a sleepy district known as Old Wharf.

It is here that we find a lonely, far-removed house, frozen in time, representing many of the colonial architectural constituents lost to today’s dwellings. It is a quaint cottage, reliving memories of a disappearing slice of an old-time Jamaica.

Imagined and finished in little concrete, the home is dominated by the eco–friendly wood building material invented in the 17th century known as clapboard. This aesthetically appealing component cosily hugs the occupants within its homely, tranquil atmosphere.

Rising dramatically above the double front-door entrance porch appears a cupola (whose origins date back to the eighth century) – that tiny ‘house’ crowning defining the roofline. It enables constant ventilation on the inside and permits the sunbeams in.

Also adding nostalgia is the elaborately carved, ornamental fretwork, otherwise known as gingerbread trim, adorning the gabled roof eaves. This type of embellishment has its genesis in buildings some 3,000 years ago.

Look closely at the play of stained zinc roofing; gable walls stepping in front of main walls and supporting timber posts, highlighted in the colours of yellowish-green and blue.

The structure lifts off the ground as in vintage Caribbean houses by way of structural support, keeping interiors cool, insects, etc, out, and being prepared for any hurricane eventuality. Calabash Bay Beach is just three minutes away.

All enveloped by a picturesque floral, scenic element, reminiscent of great 18th-century English gardens, where nature and artistry befriend one another.

The interiors – with guango wood floors (on top of concrete), with timber ceilings and light painted wood walls (showing all knots and grains) – houses two bedrooms (with Nasa developed, body-hugging, memory foam mattresses for that perfect night’s rest. There are two bathrooms (with outdoor showers under the skies). The kitchen/dining space joins a sitting area, with the laundry room hiding away.

Furniture throughout (from pictures taken inside old houses) is all handmade by local furniture men, with a painting technique used to produce that aged (distressed) look.

Let’s now meet the owners, Jamaican-born Tia and her Italian-born husband, Paolo Del Grande. Together, they envisioned and designed this dream environment.

Here’s the story: Tia, a real estate manager, loves photographing old houses and is upset when one is torn down. Paolo is a retired fishing tour operator who draws pictures. These two hobbies would result in the erection of this three-year-old cottage, a tribute to standing or demolished dwellings of our distant past.

Almost 2,000 years ago, a Roman architect and theorist named Vitruvius described one of the principles of architecture: not only to provide shelter but to elevate the human spirit. That is still true today, right here in this abode in Treasure Beach.

Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barry-rattray@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.