Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1506595
Davidson, an islander who trained in South Africa at the University of Cape Town, transformed the property's craggy topography into a lush and welcoming environment with native, endemic, and exotic plants and trees. The six-bedroom compound was designed as a series of connected pavilions, each with private verandas and rooms that frame the views. An existing carriage house on the property was converted into a private guest cottage. This flexible composition accommodates two or 20 people comfortably and allows for both privacy and communal family gatherings, inside and out. Campbell's modus operandi is to ask a lot of questions, then listen. "I feel rather more like a tailor," he says. "We take your measure and your cut, then out you go looking beautiful. The house is comfortable because it fits them." This is a highly personal house where even the scenery is arranged to the homeowners' preferences. Davidson says, "The client wanted sweeping views, so one of my jobs was to eliminate railings but still make the site safe. We worked hard to sculpt the landscape, using vegetation as barriers." The property's existing flora was saved and strategically replanted closer to the house, including oleanders, palmettos, bay grapes, banana trees, and cedars. She planted milkweed to attract Monarch butterflies and added "igloo" nests to the cliff face for the island's native longtail birds; orchids are tucked among the palmettos to protect them from the salt wind. Fragrant lilies, oleanders, and Champney's pink cluster roses flourish in the courtyards and verandas; a salmon-color hibiscus, a favorite of the client's Early houses were built of stone and cedar — materials in limited supply on the island — but Campbell, who grew up on the island and studied architecture at California Polytechnic State University, designs modern-day houses to withstand hurricanes, with concrete blocks clad in layers of weathered plaster. Steeply pitched lapped rooftops, once made from the island's more fragile limestone, are now fabricated from securely fastened synthetic material that is just as breathtaking against the deep cerulean sky. Completed in 2020, this house looks as if it's been on the island forever. "The clients wanted a contextual home that would sit quietly in the landscape without a big fuss," Campbell says. "Our design approach was to be subtle, gracious, and to look for the right scale." As architecture director for the Bermuda office at the 87-year- old firm OBMI, he specializes in designing discreet private residences and hospitality projects throughout the Caribbean, North Atlantic, and waters beyond. For this house, Campbell teamed with Dallas interior designers Emily Summers and Jeffrey McKnight, who was project manager. OBMI landscape architect Jennifer Opposite page, from top: The living room's tray ceiling is ash. Holly Hunt table, Lawson-Fenning sofa, Beauvais rug. Handmade Zellige tiles in the powder bath reference the ocean's distinctive turquoise color. This page: The upper-deck pavilion is ideal for daytime dreaming and stargazing at night. Dedon table and chairs.