Dream House | Cantilevered Hanover haven

Our curiosity has undoubtedly been excited by what we have unearthed breathing and living on the inside of this unorthodox home, and it has nothing to do with human life!

The interior environment has brought the natural world in, contoured by the abundance of aromatic plant life pervading everywhere – purifying the air, and adding colour to the décor. The indoor plants also sooth and reduce anxiety, while advancing well-being, and optimising the living spaces that encompass you.

The concrete, Caribbean-style, partly cantilevered house with cedar louvred windows, amplified by timber and cut stone walls on a three-acre hillside, eyes zealously the mountains to the south, the sea to its north, alongside the Great River scenery; all seemingly within touching reach. Designed by an esteemed architect as his dream house back in 1961, its split-level dimensions entails a courtyard with surrounding recreational verandahs taking great pleasure in the mesmeric, circular, brick-surrounded swimming pool.

Five spacious bedrooms (some with balconies) enjoying their own sitting areas, have you sleeping soundly in dreamland. Their bathrooms are fitted with marble counters and the world’s leading luxury facets and rain showers from Germany. The living, dining, family room, and library, as with the rest of the house, are all furnished in antique Jamaican pieces. Art gallery displays abound throughout, as you simultaneously admire the panorama outside. The colour scheme is white on the inner surfaces and cream on the outer walls.

First and foremost, this is a farm, and its landscaped areas feature a vegetable garden, a plant nursery, 300 mature trees, and a stirring fish pond teeming with 100 koi. A separate one-bedroom self-contained cottage is a treat.

The canine family is represented here with dogs who have been rescued from much abuse – now free from fear in their own loving atmosphere.

This hidden home on Tamarind Hill, Hanover, was previously owned by Jamaican model and fashion designer Sandra Kennedy and her mother. In 2020, as God would have it, it changed hands to landscape architect and former adjunct professor Mark Martin, and his wife, Michelle Colangelo, an interior designer who also specialises in cruise ships.

We applaud its presence on the Jamaican residential architectural scene, as we have been enriched by the story shared with us.

Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barryrattray1@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.