Dream House | Ja captured Darlene Rhoden’s heart – and inspired her St James dream home

This is the story of Darlene Rhoden, a travel specialist from Toronto, Canada, who journeyed to where her heart took her, falling irresistibly in love with two objects of desire – the human element and that of an architectural presence.

That place of passion happened to be Jamaica, 20 years ago, on her maiden visit. The intense affection she felt back then was for a Jamaican fellow who had swept her off her feet, and more recently, the building of her consummate dream house in the west evoked intense, almost uncontrolled emotions for the favoured few on its guest list.

The angular family home, built with love in 2021, in the classy, gated, 24-hour guarded address of Spring Garden, St James, is 15 minutes outside of Montego Bay. The 7,500-square-foot building footprint on half an acre strikes an attractive pose as it aims for the heavens on an idyllic hillside, way above sea level.

Fulfilled wishes include five bedrooms, some accessing extended glass-railed balconies and terraces through sliding walls of glass. On average, we fall asleep within 10–15 minutes, but these bedrooms, forging an unbreakable bond with the hypnotic waterfront panorama, will have you asleep in half that time. There are five en suite bathrooms and a powder room, with the primary extolling the virtues of ‘his’ and ‘her’ combination shower with a huge picture window, a soaking tub, and a quartz basin vanity.

The design stimuli are sustained with living and dining spaces, winning your affection as they lead you outside to covered terraces. In addition, admire the angled, island quartz kitchen, with its two-tone green and white cabinetry. But there’s more: a fully equipped gym, a bar room, and a children’s play room.

Bringing the outdoors to life is the sheer extravaganza of a vanishing (infinity) edge pool, complete with bubbling fountains within it; a foamy hot tub; and a barbeque grill provision. The surrounding timber deck and a trellised porch encourage entertainment while drawing gasps of amazement and admiration.

The residence took one and a half years to construct, and Rhoden was personally involved daily throughout the entire process.

Today, Rhoden calls Jamaica home – French Canadian by birth, Jamaican by choice. Her love story with the island and the dream home she built atop its hills is a testament to how architecture and emotion can truly intertwine.

Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barryrattray1@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.