Photography by Paul Crosby
From seaside homes in Costa Rica to luxury villas in Dubai to environmentally conscious abodes in Germany, international design comes naturally to the team at Charles R. Stinson Architecture + Design. So it was a perfect fit when a Minnesota family tapped the Wayzata firm to create a Cayman Islands escape.
After honeymooning in the Caribbean destination followed by years of vacationing there, the couple decided to create their own getaway on Grand Cayman’s northern edge. They scored a petite waterfront lot in a stunning, secluded locale with its own stretch of sandy beachfront.
The clients attempted to work with local designers but struggled to achieve their vision of a sculptural, architecturally refined residence that properly utilized the landscape and the available space. “Our team had the opportunity to create a home that melded with the powerful, strong horizontal lines of the ocean and the beach,” explains architect Charles Stinson. “The resulting structure is this beautiful sculpture with strong horizontal planes that epitomizes the modern beach cottage. The exterior is primarily white to blend with the sand and the clouds, while the blues and greens inside are very fitting of the site.”
The house’s square footage rings in right around 1,700 square feet, so the team focused on simplicity and unity, maximizing ocean views. “While the floor plan is relatively simple, we opened up as many rooms as possible to create expansive, scenic portraits,” says Stinson. “The great room features a higher room that faces north, so daylight from sunrise and sunset flows into the space.”
The practical challenges of building and owning an oceanfront property are manifold — and are only amplified with the additional curveball of an island location. “Because I started my practice in Florida and spent the first seven years of my career designing beachfront homes, my team is very attuned to what needs to happen on a granular level,” Stinson notes. “From remaining attuned to hurricane code to selecting materials that can hold up in the salty air to creating a convenient place to rinse off sandy feet, we thrive when it comes to the realities of indoor-outdoor living.”
The home is a favorite of island locals and a true gift for vacationing Northerners looking to spend some time by the sea. “The clients rent out the home on VRBO so that other families can experience the same magical feeling they have about the island,” says Stinson. “Some vacation homes are truly designed for unwinding, relaxing, and wholeheartedly refreshing the mind and soul. This special place is undoubtedly one of them.”
Read this article as it appears in the magazine.
