The Cottage, Meads Bay Beach, Anguilla BWI - Pool Reveal
We have a pool at The Cottage!
To see the earlier post regarding the construction and design of this beach house, click HERE. We also installed a retaining wall (not visible) which is very important for a beach house in a hurricane zone.
We’re so excited about this addition and so are our guests. We decided to use the same natural coral stone as the veranda. It’s an infinity pool and we kept the design simple. No need for something over the top when you have these views.
Keeping with the interior design, I picked blue and white striped umbrellas and yellow side tables to go with the chaise lounges. We moved the round indoor dining table to the deck and changed the living room sofa. The new one is larger and it’s great to have to have two chaises instead of one.
Here’s a BEFORE without the pool.
AFTER
A few updated photos of the living room, dining area, and kitchen.
We re-shot the primary bedroom in order to include the furniture at the base of the bed. The pieces were delayed and arrived after the initial shoot.
Photos by KSHARP Media
Staging by Aline Geyer at Properties in Paradise
To see more photos on our updated portfolio page click HERE.
2024. A New Year. A Reboot.
Greetings from the Caribbean!
Last year I felt I aged ten years in ten months. On a personal level, losing our mom was heartbreaking. She died three weeks after her diagnosis (and we were/are worried about our dad’s health). My foot surgery, strikes, stress, the sense that everything’s a dumpster fire, multiple wars and geopolitical conflicts, extreme weather, the normalization of fascist policies and politicians, the dearth of empathy, the viciousness of online discourse, Covid, racism, sexism, ageism, etc. etc. it’s all too much. Constant flight or fight is not healthy.
A few weeks before my mom died, she said she worries about me. That I worked too much and I needed to take time to have more fun. WHAT?!
I knew then that my mom was really sick. I mean, what Caribbean mom would say this? I told her so and she laughed. She also said she had no regrets as she had a wonderful life. My mom had a point on the fun thing but who can think about having more fun while the earth is burning (literally)?
I was apprehensive about this trip, my first time since the funeral. I’ve been in a weird space most of the year and thought being here would make things worse. Instead the opposite happened. It’s as if a fog has lifted. Being in the village where my family has lived for generations is healing and grounding. I appreciate being in my paternal grandparents’ garden, happy that their trees are bearing fruit again post Hurricane Irma. I spent a few days at The Cottage and was grateful that my great grandmother, grandmother, and mom held on their land.
Of course I don’t know what 2024 will bring. I do know that I can only control how I react to what life throws my way. Even if 2024 is another struggle year, it will still be a better year. I cannot have another year like 2023 and I refuse to. I’m usually a cynical optimist but last year I went hard in the paint for cynicism.
2024 is the year of the reboot (the good kind).
Moving forward I’m going to limit my time on social media. There are some great things about it but doom scrolling doesn’t do anything but raise our blood pressure.
I’m going to do my best to stop obsessing about things I have no control over. I will donate and volunteer.
There are wonderful things happening with some of my projects and I shouldn’t feel guilty about it. I’ve worked very hard to get to this point. I used to believe that being a broke creative person was somehow keeping it real. ahahaha. Nope. I’m entering my Rich Auntie Era. Being a Rich Auntie doesn’t necessarily mean one is rich. It’s more about a point of view, a way of life. That said, run me my coins! No, really.
Between my surgery and the strikes my budget took a hit. I want to take more day trips/weekend trips this year. Italy can be a chaotic country but one thing she does very well is having an accessible high-speed train system.
Losing a parent and facing your own mortality is no joke. I need to stop waiting for the perfect time/moment to do things. The perfect time is the present as tomorrow is not guaranteed.
I intend to pay more attention to the joy, wonder, and beauty of this world we live in. It still exists but I didn’t see, or seek, much of it in 2023. 2024 will be different. Last month I said to to my friends and family that 2024 will be a great year, even if it isn’t. I’m warning people now, I will be leaning hard into the woo-wooness, feminine energy, inspired vibes of my Caribbean background and Italian life. The American can do spirit is fantastic but balance is key. I going to embrace the upside of these different cultures instead of the negative ones. Let’s see how this works out. It might be the best thing ever or a complete disaster. Either way, I plan to enjoy the process.
Here’s to a new year!
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria - How to Help
Hurricane Season 2017 was devastating. On the personal front, my parents (in St. Martin) do have electricity again but still no phone service. I haven't spoken to them since the day before Hurricane Irma.Most of the power is back in St. Martin, over 90%. Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, 80% of the island is still without power, there's a lack of running water, and people are dying one month after the hurricane. This is unacceptable. The United States is a wealthy country. However, the administration's response was/is so slow, international organizations like Oxfam had to step in. Oxfam normally works in places like Yemen, South Sudan, Bangladesh, etc.Hurricane Cat's (from Houston) face sums up how we feel about this hurricane season.
I've received many emails/texts/DMs asking how to help. Thank you! I thought it would be a good idea to have a place to list relief efforts. If you have any to add that focus on helping those on the ground (and not administrative costs), please do so in the comments. HARVEYHouston Food BankUnited Way of Greater HoustonYMCA of Greater Houston IRMARebuild AnguillaRebuild St. Martin/St. MaartenUnited Way Miami-Dade MARIANew York State Relief for Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsSave the Children Hurricane Relief in Puerto RicoUnited for Puerto Rico Charities that are working in several impacted areas:All Hands Hurricane reliefAmericaresOne America Appeal. A fund supported by the USA's ex-Presidents.Salvation Army
Stromae - The Greatest News Out Of Belgium Since Jean-Claude Van Damme, Waffles, and Fries
Please forgive my geek out over Stromae (aka Paul Van Haver).Last week I was in St. Martin to see my family and in Anguilla for work. All week my sister, brother-in-law, and I, kept hearing this killer French song... in the car, at beach bars, etc. The first time I heard it I was hooked. It was so different from anything else out there in pop.This morning I woke up to an email from my sister saying she Shazamed it but the clip didn't show up until she returned to DC.I went to iTunes because I had to buy the single. While I was there I noticed there was another single that was number one. I clicked on it and "discovered" it was a song I've been hearing a lot in Italy lately. I've been trying for weeks to track down it down.Stromae was born in Belgium to a Belgium mother and a Rwandan father. You can hear the influences of Euro dance music, African music, Caribbean music, and American hip hop in his work.I am OBSESSED with his album Racine Carrée. Obsessed. It has been a monster hit in Europe, including the non French speaking countries. I wonder if he will have a hit in the States. I cannot remember the last French song to do so. It also reached the top ten in Canada.I will always associate this song with being in Caribbean. It's only March but it's in the running to be my summer of 2014 jam. The drums are giving me life. Seriously.[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEucb8qtBmA&w=560&h=315] Stromae studied music and film in school. This video moved me. His father was killed during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiKj0Z_Xnjc&w=560&h=315] And the song that is currently a huge hit in Italy. Stromae showing both sides of a relationship.[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAMWdvo71ls&w=560&h=315]Despite studying French for seven years in school, I speak at most ten words. I looked up the translations to Stromae music. His lyrics address a variety of issues, most of them pretty heavy. There is substance to go with the beats. I get why he has received both critical and commercial success.I haven't been this excited about a new (to me) artist since the first time I heard Amy Winehouse.