Resort Living

OIL NUT BAY, VIRGIN GORDA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Brand: Victor International Corporation, victorintl.com

Architecture: Ken Kao

Interior Design: Victor Interiors (through Oil Nut Bay, oilnutbay.com)

Square Feet: Up to 15,000 allowed

Bedrooms: 5, plus a 1-bedroom guest villa (this home)

Baths: 6.5 (this home)

Scope of Project: 107 homesites

Pricing: $2.95 million (1 acre)–$45 million (existing home)

Special Features: A full-service resort ($61,000 annual fee, or $31,000 if the home is put into the rental program for hotel guests); a homeowner-only clubhouse and a state-of-the-art, on-site medical clinic. The locale is also in close proximity to Anegada island, which features one of the largest reefs in the Caribbean.

David V. Johnson has built 43 developments over 40 years and he considers Oil Nut Bay “my grand finale.” It’s a paradisiacal setting where, he says, “I am dedicated to creating a unique multigenerational community in harmony with nature.” Though homeowners have the freedom to create their dream home here, they must incorporate a certain amount of local stone and fit organically into the landscape. Johnson’s own futuristic house, Halo, was designed with a 7,450-square-foot green roof, integrated boulders and glass by the late Ken Kao, and outfitted inside by Johnson’s wife, Pamela, in conjunction with French luxury furniture firm Roche-Bobois. It also has a state-of-the-art Gaggenau-appointed kitchen and landscaping by Raymond Jungles. The house and guest villa, named Rainbow, are for sale as is, with three additional villas to be built within the year. “This is what the site wants to be,” believes Johnson. “The beauty is in the land and the sea.”

BAHA MAR RESIDENCES, THE BAHAMAS

Brand: Baha Mar Residences, residences.bahamar.com

Architecture: Michael Hong Architects, mhongarchitects.com

Interior Design: (Rosewood) Wimberly Interiors, watg.com; (SLS) Avenue Interior Design, avenueid.com

Square Feet: 752–6,400

Bedrooms: 1–6

Baths: 1–6, plus powder rooms

Scope of Project: 198 residences

Pricing: $726,500–$25 million

Special Features: VIP benefits at places such as Nexus Club and Baha Mar Casino’s Club Blu; the 213-foot superyacht Eternity I; a print of owner’s choice from The Current, the resort’s gallery and arts center; and the opportunity to apply for residency in the Commonwealth.

Bahamian architecture and culture informed the design of the residences at the nearly 1,000-acre resort complex Baha Mar. For the SLS residences, says Ashley Manhan, principal designer for Avenue Design, “The use of pastel colors in the surrounding buildings, mixed with classic architectural elements, acted as a perfect backdrop for clean white interiors and colorful whimsical accents.” The effect is youthful and hip with a regional twist. For the Rosewood residences, Wimberly Interiors chose a more layered and plush design, with furnishings that reside somewhere between contemporary (tailored sectionals) and traditional (wingback forms, albeit made of beachier rattan) with a more-neutral palette and lots of textures. The interiors feel elevated yet still island casual and are in no way stuffy. In their separate ways, SLS and Rosewood appeal to multigenerational occupants, albeit from different perspectives.

SIX SENSES ZIL PASYON, FÉLICITÉ ISLAND, SEYCHELLES

Brand: Six Senses, sixsenses.com

Architecture & Interior Design: Studio RHE, studiorhe.com

Square Feet: 7,535–15,070

Bedrooms: 3–5

Baths: 3–5

Scope of Project: 28 villas

Pricing: $5.4–$12.43 million

Special Features: Ownership comes with full access to resort amenities—including the branded Six Senses spa—at no extra cost, as well as a variety of outdoor activities in one of the world’s most pristine environments.

Zil Pasyon is the local dialect for “island of passion,” and it’s clear the cosmic architect who conjured this archipelago—its dramatic black granite outcroppings and lush foliage—poured a lot of creativity into the physical landscape. This backdrop was Richard Hywel Evans’ touchstone for the contemporary villas he designed using the same black granite. “The concept for the residences seeks to integrate their forms and materiality seamlessly with this environment, to the extent that they are virtually unseen from the sea,” he says. “Built sans excavation or foundations, the building form is a direct result of the topography.” The interiors, which filter light through glass-bottomed swimming pools overhead and also feature dramatically lit outcroppings that rise right through the floor, are appointed with what he terms “natural modern” furnishings and fittings that are “timeless and classic.”

GRACE BAY VILLAS, TURKS AND CAICOS

Brand: Beach Enclave, beachenclave.com

Architecture: SWA Architects, swa.tc

Interior Design: Domino Creative, domino-creative.com

Square Feet: 10,000

Bedrooms: 4–7

Baths: 4.5–7.5

Scope of Project: 1 remains

Pricing: $9.65 million

Special Features: The three-mile-long Grace Bay Beach has been consistently voted the World’s Leading Beach Destination by the World Travel Awards and also ranks highest on Trip Advisor’s list of the best beaches in the world.

Properties on this pristine white-sand beach don’t last long. Beach Enclave, a homegrown brand with three projects in the archipelago, has only one parcel left at Grace Bay.

Taylor Drotman, director of Domino Creative, says the interiors there were guided by a question: “What is the best version of yourself on vacation? There’s a lot of ease for people around that self,” she says. “The hand of everything is soft because you’re less dressed on vacation. The villas are very desaturated because the intention is not to grab your eye with a colorful pillow; everything is neutral to be more harmonious and relaxed.” The soothing effect of this is entirely intentional. Drotman continues, “The houses are easy to use and easy to enjoy.” Beach Enclave has just broken ground on four new villas in Long Bay, where the brand also has villas available for resale, as they do in the nearby North Shore Villas.

ANDAZ TURKS AND CAICOS AT GRACE BAY

Brand: Andaz, andaztcresidences.com

Architecture: RAD Architecture, Miami, radmiami.com

Interior Design: Modus Operandi A+D Inc., modusoperandiinc.com

Square Feet: 492–6,411

Bedrooms: Studio–4

Baths: 1–4.5

Scope of Project: 74 residences

Pricing: $450,000–$6.8 million

Special Features: Bight Reef, just to the west of Grace Bay, is called Coral Gardens for a reason. Teeming with marine flora and fauna, it’s the most popular spot for snorkeling in the area.

“Each Andaz resort has to have a story,” says Francisco Jove, founder of Modus Operandi, which designed these residences and others for the brand in Mexico and Costa Rica. “This island had a mix of different cultures and peoples. Historically, the main economic activity came from salt pans [or flats]. So we picked up that color on the floors.” Jove looked to indigenous clothing patterns that featured multicolored stripes and explains, “We translated that onto walls behind the beds that have a series of variously sized slats in four different tones of wood.” Woven rugs and lighting fixtures reflect the local artisan culture, as “Andaz is the hippest of the company’s brands,” Jove says. He also mixed in mid-century furniture forms and West Indies art with the island’s African-based cultural influences “to make interiors feel sophisticated yet not too rustic.”

MONTAGE RESIDENCES LOS CABOS, MEXICO

Brand: Montage Residences Los Cabos, montageresidencesloscabos.com

Architecture: Idea Asociados, ideasociados.com

Interior Design: Twin Dolphin Los Cabos, twindolphinloscabos.com

Square Feet: 2,783–3,610

Bedrooms: 2–3

Baths: 3–4

Scope of Project: 52 residences

Pricing: $1.75–$3.85 million

Special Features: The 40,000-square-foot Spa Montage; three restaurants; 20,000-square-foot multilevel swimming pool (Twin Dolphin Club membership: $75,000 initiation fee; $20,000 annual fees)

“While a lot of developments have design coordination services,” notes Anna Ruby, design director for Twin Dolphin Los Cabos, “we offer in-house customization levels that are really versatile. You can start with a base package or enhanced package and use our team to further customize. We can create a completely new environment, but we’re also happy to be the on-site extension of a homeowner’s own design firm.” Two design packages that currently exist are a more neutral program that boasts “massive amounts of layers and artwork, and another that’s a fun, young Malibu-surf-chic vibe with lots of color and art.” Both, she says, have the same finishes and millwork, locally sourced indigenous materials, and “a lot of bohemian global textures and fabrics.” And, Ruby adds, “The millwork is a standout. We play off that too.”

THE RESIDENCES AT MANDARIN ORIENTAL, HONOLULU

Brand: Mandarin Oriental, mandarinoriental.com; moresidenceshonolulu.com

Architecture: [au]workshop architects+urbanists, auworkshop.co; Architects Hawaii Ltd., ahldesign.com

Interior Design: Dianna Wong Architecture + Interior Design, diannawong.com

Square Feet: 1,542–6,629

Bedrooms: 2–4

Baths: 2–4

Scope of Project: 99 residences

Pricing: $3.5–$35 million

Special Features: Largest spa on Oahu; two Michelin-star-chefs’ restaurants (one public; one resident-only); located in the midst of city’s arts and culture scene.

“A favorite metaphor of the architectural and interior design process,” says Dianna Wong, “is the creation of an exquisite perfume within a crystalline bottle: We gathered exotic materials and curated all the best-in-class elements to create a beautiful new essence that will represent The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Honolulu.” One of those elements is Molteni&C|Dada kitchens, which, she observes, bring “a form of high-fashion couture to interior design,” along with Gaggenau cooktops (programmable in 30 languages) and Sub-Zero refrigerators. Wong also bucked the usual white-on-white aesthetic that, she notes, “often comes to mind when you think of design in tropical locations. Because this development is not at the ocean’s edge, but offers an elevated, urbanized perspective of Hawaii with panoramic ocean views, we created a refined interplay with contrasts: dark woods against white marbles, jewel tones, and dark stones with white veins.”

THE RITZ-CARLTON RESIDENCES, MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA

Brand: The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach, theresidencesmiamibeach.com

Architecture and Interior Design: Piero Lissoni, lissoniassociati.com

Square Feet: 2,000–10,000+

Bedrooms: 2–5

Baths: 1.5–6.5

Scope of Project: 111 condominiums, 15 villas

Pricing: $2–$40 million

Special Features: World’s first residential art studio; 36 private boat dockages; private on-site captained day yacht; ecological food forest and garden; half-acre pool deck.

Adaptive reuse of buildings is always complex, and reimagining the former Miami Heart Institute (before it, the Nat King Cole Hotel) into private homes as “a new Portofino town,” says Piero Lissoni, was no exception. But, “Restrictions are what provoke innovation and lead to truly unique solutions…they invigorate my thinking.” The fruition is residences that exude personal character in a way atypical of branded real estate. “There is a common design language that emphasizes simplicity and elegance,” he says. Within that there is much individuality that makes rooms feel like private homes rather than formulaic pieds-à-terre: built-in bookshelves, unique art and artifacts, varied furnishings, and lighting. “But a person’s home is theirs and must always be a reflection of their personal tastes and style. There will be turnkey residences that have the interiors curated, or… you can buy it as a blank slate to furnish yourself.”