Article and photographs reproduced courtesy of House Beautiful - www.housebeautiful.co.uk

We love our barefoot lifestyle in the sun
Lusan Corbett, 32, and her husband John have turned an unusual property on the tropical island of Bequia into a home that sizzles with Caribbean colour

Tranquility Villa - www.tranquility-bequia.com
Type of house: Four-bedroom house with pool

Main: To make the most of cooling winds and spectacular views over the sparkling Caribbean Sea, the multi-levelled house is built into a hillside. The music room on the top-but-one-level is a magical place for Lusan to relax in while John plays the piano

Living abroad
Living in this house is wonderful. On a clear day we can see 20 islands, and nothing beats lying in bed and watching the sunrise. I’ll never forget the day, 14 years ago, when my husband John, now 67, brought me to see it for the first time. He’d acquired the house just before we got together, and it hadn’t been lived in for years. Local fisherman had been storing their gear in it, and people had lit fires in some of the rooms – it was disgusting. After a look round I said, “If you think I’m going to stay in this house, you’ve got to be mad.” We were living in another house on the island at the time, but I didn’t like it because it got unbearably hot in the afternoons. One of the things that persuaded me to move here was that the southeast side of the house gets the trade winds and there’s always a cooling breeze blowing through. But there was a lot to do if we wanted to make the house into a home.

John is from Birmingham originally and came out to the Caribbean, where I was born, to work as an accountant and management consultant. He bought a boat and got to know people on Mustique and Bequia as he sailed from island to island. Many ended up becoming his clients, and in time he set up his own consultancy on Bequia.

Our house is part of a private development built in the 1960s by American photographer and conservationist Tom Johnston. It was Tom who chose the name for the house – Tranquility – and who called the development Moonhole, after the huge natural rock archway on the beach where the moon sets twice a year. Most of the houses are built from stone like ours and follow the natural contours of the land. If there was a tree in the way, Tom would simply build round it. He believed passionately in recycling and put any discarded materials he could find to good use, which is why you find whalebones and conch shells in the walls.

Before his death, Tom formed a foundation (which John is now a director of) to conserve the buildings and protect the natural environment. But despite his best efforts, all the wood in our house needed treating or replacing. We also had to install new concrete beams because the cement used for the original ones had been mixed with saltwater and had deteriorated. The kitchen was just a dark hole. Luckily, we knew a group of fi ve guys who were crewing for a yacht and needed extra work. We gave them three months to fi x the house up and make it habitable. There’s no mains water on Bequia, so we have to do our best to be totally self-suffi cient. We have eight tanks to collect rainwater – they hold 50,000 gallons in all – and recycle everything. Even our shower water is used to water the garden. We haven’t had to buy any water yet, but during the dry season some islanders have to, and it’s expensive because it’s brought over by boat from the neighbouring island of St Vincent. A wind generator provides us with electricity, although we also have a generator as backup. Our hot water is heated by solar panels, and it’s so hot you can even make a cup of coffee with it.

Lusan reveals the only downside to living on an otherwise idyllic Caribbean island. ‘Wherever you go on Bequia you get the salt-laden winds, and they make everything rust. We have to buy a new cooker at least every two to three years, which gets kind of expensive. Laptops are a better choice than computers because the fans in computers suck in the salty air. Ours started to go after six months.’

We’ve been improving the house for the last 14 years and I’ve done a lot of the work myself. DIY skills are passed on at an early age in Bequia. I worked with my parents on all kinds of house projects, from plumbing and planting to masonry. I even used to fix the Land Rover when it broke down. Since moving here I’ve laid 40,000 fl oor tiles in the house. I chose them not only because they’re cool but because they introduce some colour – the original fl oors were dull concrete and stone.

John’s three youngest children grew up here. When they were small, we took each child down to the local paint shop and gave them a chart so they could choose the colours they wanted for their room. Joseph fell in love with a papaya colour so we called his bedroom The Papaya Room. Andreas liked the sea and chose blue for his bedroom, so his room became The Turquoise Room. And Naja opted for yellow, so hers is The Sunflower Room. Even though the children are grown-up now and living abroad, we’ve kept the colours. My happiest memories are of being with the children in this house, and laughing and playing with them on the beach nearby.

Lusan shares her tips on where to go and what to see on Bequia

Where to eat Try Fernando’s Hideaway. The atmosphere there is totally relaxed, with candles in sand-fi lled fl our bags for lighting. Nando catches and cooks some of the freshest fi sh, and that for me is what Bequia’s all about – quality without pretension.

Best beach Moonhole, because it’s quiet, secluded and just yards from the house.

Where to stay A stay in a private home is a great way to discover the island. For more information, visit www.bequia-information.com.

Getting there: Virgin Atlantic fl ies to Barbados from Gatwick and Manchester.
Flights cost from £532 return. SVG Air runs scheduled services between Barbados and Bequia. Flights cost around £162 return.

Lusan and John rent their house out when they go away. For more information, visit their website at www.tranquility-bequia.com or email info@tranquility-bequia.com

The living room opens on to a tiled patio, with views of Mustique and – on a clear day – Grenada. A local sailmaker made the cushions on the curved stone seating. Try Fired Earth for similar

Airy and cool, the dining room connects with a claytiled patio that leads to the pool and sundeck. The chairs were bought locally. Insert: Breakfast Caribbean style – pancakes and fresh mango. The pewter tea set belonged to John’s mother.

In the music room – which is also home to an extensive collection of books – a roof light lets in beams of sun that bounce off the painted wood and cast ever-changing coloured shadows across the walls. The steps lead to The Papaya Room and The Sunflower Room on the next level down

Coconut-husk candle holders flank a vase of ginger lilies from Lusan’s garden. Rough stone walls give the house a cave-like feel that keeps it cool.

The air around the pool and sundeck is scented with the delicate jasmine-like fragrance of frangipani blossom throughout the long, hot summer .

Coconut plams destined for the garden sprout in terracotta pots from English potter Mike Goddard. His clients also include Sir Mick Jagger

Please e-mail us for availability or booking enquiry.

For more information, visit the website at www.tranquility-bequia.com or email info@tranquility-bequia.com