LE SERENO VILLAS

2004
Saint Barthélemy, West Indies
 

On St. Barth, three private villas sit atop a rugged hillside overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The architecture, like St. Barth itself, melds European sophistication with a relaxed spirit tempered to the rhythm of the tropics. Each two-story home is oriented to maintain privacy while expanses of sliding glass doors open lofty interiors to brilliant views.

A streamlined, yet complex façade system of motorized shutters and movable slatted-wood screens are a contemporary take on traditional plantation shutters. Clean horizontal lines of Ipe wood siding and decks wrap the villas and wooden trellises around the upper-level great room provide shade for the decks. A private swimming pool opens to sweeping views of the Caribbean.