S E
O F
rising
H E
H O
T
U
sun Vintage meets visionary at Sunrise House in Mustique. Words by Juliet Austin Photography courtesy of The Mustique Company
E
xuding an easy classicism redolent of the colonial Caribbean, Sunrise House descends the steep curve of Mustique’s undulating hillside in tiers from its dramatic seat in the Heavens to the secluded sandiness of Simplicity Beach below. Formerly a pocket of decadence for pop stars, aristocrats, socialites and royalty, Mustique’s tranquil easterly coast seems a lifetime away from the shenanigans of its carousing past, ruled over by its uncrowned monarch, the late Lord Glenconner. Here, cradled in the palm of nature like some fantastical open-air auditorium, the sun illuminates a sea of wild, endless aquamarine, the “ever-fixed mark” that is, paradoxically, both scene-stealing backdrop and star of this sumptuous tropical getaway. Inspired by unrivalled, sweeping vistas and Mustique’s reputation for guarding privacy at a premium, the owners sought the expertise of US-based architects, Jay Dalgliesh and Mark Bittle of Dalgliesh Gilpin Paxton. Sensitive to the nuances of site, landscape and regional vernacular, lessons learned renovating Les Jolies Eaux – formerly Princess Margaret’s celebrated sanctum designed by Oliver Messel – translated into the scheme for Sunrise House. “From the top looking out to the ocean and then to the palm shaded shore >
RL