Dream House | Noted music producer Shane Brown builds house of dreams

“A house is made with walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams!” A quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882), essayist, philosopher and poet.

This, my friends, is the retreat where adoration, inspiration, and a sense of accomplishment coalesced for the concretisation of Shane Brown’s house of dreams.

For those connected to the reggae and dancehall music fraternity, Shane Brown is a household name as an award-winning, ace audio engineer and producer. He has been professionally associated with literally almost the entire list of top Jamaican recording artistes. You name them, Shaggy, Beenie Man, Beres Hammond, Popcaan, Capelton, Dennis Brown, Morgan Heritage, Taurus Riley, Dean Fraser, Shabba Ranks, etc.

Internationally, it’s the multi-Grammy-winning Lauren Hill, Fugees, and Chaka Khan, as well as mixing initiatives with Geffen Records, Sony, and Universal Music Companies.

His 6,830 square-foot solar-powered home is comfortingly arranged with five bedrooms, and five bathrooms. The large main one has a walk-in closet, with its en suite bathroom relieving all pressures by massaging you with its oval-shaped, invigorating whirlpool spa tub. The double vanity sinks are nearby.

A portico (a roofed structure supported by columns at the house’s entrance) greets you before entering the entrance hall with its dramatic, circular wall cut-out. This leads to an imposing two-floor-height living room, another living room upstairs, the TV room, a study, a powder room, and the dining room with its angular alcove. The mahogany-built island kitchen (with wine bottle cooler) allows for a granite top eating counter. Brown loves cooking.

The salient feature of a twisting, floating staircase with illuminated waterfall pond underneath, indubitably adds to the visual stimulus.

In addition, there is an enclosed patio, balcony, an automated door double car garage, and needless to say, an impressive music studio.

Blueprints called for Brazilian teak wood to lift staircase to appealing heights. Marble, porcelain and ceramic, tiled all areas. Ceilings are highlighted with recessed lights, emphasised by exquisitely carved, wood crown mouldings.

Construction in 2000, took nine months on this just under one third of an acre, wall-enclosed lot, in Red Hills, St Andrew.

Another dream manifested, another house brought to light. We continue to track them and their stories.

- Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barry-rattray@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.