One of the reasons I started WI Artisan was to ensure that my home reflected my West Indian heritage in a modern, non-touristy way. As part of my exploration of what that means in practice, I've been confronted with with fact that modern, non-touristy and West Indian don't naturally go together.
Whenever I think of West Indian homes that look and feel West Indian, the images that come to mind are almost always from pre-independence. Think chattel houses, colourful facades, verdant gardens, gingerbread houses and the like. When I try to overlay that with 'modern', what comes to mind for me are villas or concrete boxes that could be found almost anywhere. I struggle to bring to mind a modern, yet obviously West Indian example. In fact, without some kind of environmental context, such as a famous beach or mountain view, I would argue that many of our newly built homes would not be recognizable as ours.
My research so far has suggested that there are multiple factors contributing to this, which deserve a dedicated post rather than this short piece. But the end result is that newer homes no longer seem to have a sense of place. And what is interesting to me is that some people do not perceive this gap. I follow a lot of architects and interior designers from around the region and many of the homes they showcase adhere to a global modern aesthetic. There are usually no verandahs or roof overhangs; the roofs tend to be flat rather than pitched; and they try to achieve architectural interest through painting the facade different, contrasting colours. This is a global trend found from Nigeria to Las Vegas to right here in the Caribbean. We're not the only region losing its sense of place and it is increasingly become a topic of discussion amongst home design aficionados.
So what do we do about it, if anything?
My two cents is that there is no avoiding the massive influence of global design trends on our new home designs. However, we still can anchor those designs in the climate, geographical conditions and cultural realities of the West Indies. We have to face the fact that temperatures are rising and our homes need to be adapted for that reality. The interaction between our gardens and indoor spaces shouldn't be ignored in new designs. Hurricanes, floods and droughts are an ever increasing yearly reality and need to be planned for. Even how we socialize inside and outside of our home should be factored into our designs.
We have been forged out of many people and cultures in a beautiful, yet often challenging, geographical context. Our homes really shouldn't look or feel like anywhere else.