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this West-Indies-infused domicile has all the makings of paradise — and it
should. One Landfall family spent oceans of time on holiday, resorting
and researching the architecture and details that would become their
dream home. With stacks of pictures and a few mental notes collected
during a 20-year period, the family enlisted the calculated precision of
architect Chuck Dietsche and the manpower of builder/contractor Chris
Martin. Together they turned the family’s vacation dreams into a home
to love for years to come.
Each detail from the louvered shades, the expansive windows and the oh-so-soothing
color palette was designed with one intention — relaxed elegance; a concept Dietsche
says began when European culture arrived in the West Indies.
He explains, “There was a tradition of giant palatial land ownership with big houses
in England and France. When they came to the Caribbean, they couldn’t quite build
up to the level of what was in Europe, but they still pushed it to the extreme.”
That desire to mimic giant, country estates resulted in a style that is grand in scale,
but simple in finish. Many of those details have been carried over into Dietsche’s latest
project, which he spent a year and a half planning that includes an open concept that
was palatial in size rather than palatial in finish. It’s more about the space and its connection
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to the outdoors.
With roughly 130 pages of blueprints, builders vied to construct the project, and
Chris Martin won the bid. He laughs at a running joke he shares with another builder
who told him, “The only reason you got the job is because you were the only one
Opposite, the home’s grand scale is defined by the elegantly
appointed foyer. Above: From the curb, palatial details
come into focus, from the articulated tower and Old World
chimney pots to the lush tropical landscape designed by
Buddy Jackson.
» Continued on page 50