House was renovated to reflect couple’s changing tastes.
When Heather and Michael Halsey first built their family home on Canal Point Drive in 2007, it had a traditional English style with separate living spaces.
The home was the ideal place to raise their two young children, Ellen and Adam, now 14 and 12, respectively, but as the family evolved, so did their Cayman lifestyle and design tastes.
The canal-front home, which sits on a half-acre lot, underwent an extensive renovation in early 2018 over a nine-month period, transforming it into a four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom, 4,800-square-foot home.
Open-plan
Its modern, open-plan design now merges indoor and outdoor living, and is the perfect social hub for guests of all ages.
“As the kids grew, we found the desire and need for an open-plan living space that would have a light and airy feel to it,” says Heather. “We love to entertain so this design is much more suited for that.”
Efcon Construction led the renovation under the direction of Edwin Faustino, while Eddie Thompson of EKT Architecture offered architectural support; however, the couple re-designed the home mostly on their own.
They gathered inspiration by curating images they loved, pinning them to boards on the design website Houzz. They also kept a physical mood binder, gathering swatches of fabric, paint samples and images that moved them along the way.
The home now features rooftop solar panels, and new doors, windows, tiles, décor and furniture throughout. An addition of a second storey on one end of the home has resulted in another bedroom with adjoining bathroom (now Ellen’s room).
There is also a media-music-games room for the children, complete with a “hang-out” juice bar and foosball table, as well as a full gym on the second floor, which is often uses by Michael.
Off the master bedroom an expansive glass balcony has been added, where Heather and Michael enjoy lounging with a glass of wine as the sun goes down. Directly below there, lies a new outdoor kitchen and living space, which can be accessed from the balcony via a spiral staircase.
Glass retractable folding doors in the kitchen open the space to the outdoor cooking and seating area, with beautiful views of the backyard and canal.
Outdoor kitchen
The outdoor kitchen includes a Bull BBQ and extractor hood, cabinets with plenty of storage, and an ice chest. Retractable screens also help keep the bugs out at night.
The indoor kitchen and dining area were dramatically transformed during the renovation. The two rooms, which were once separated by a wall, were flipped in terms of space. The walls were torn down to create one large open area, and the result is a light-filled, white kitchen, which had long been Heather’s dream.
It has a large island, upholstered turquoise chairs, and high-end fixtures and appliances, including an induction oven with extractable vent. The white cabinets offer plenty of storage and create clean lines, while tinted glass pendants with teardrop bulbs hang over the island to create a unique focal point.
Dining design
The dining space has been fitted with an elegant temperature-controlled wine cellar that runs the length of the wall, and a white oak dining table that seats 10. Both are custom-made on island – along with adjacent built-in cabinets – by local craftsman Primo Castellan.
An eye-catching chandelier with large teardrops is suspended by cables and ties the kitchen and dining area together, creating another stunning focal point.
Elements of the original home’s warmth and comfort have been retained, including two relaxed family living rooms painted in shades of blue and white, and traditional teak wooden cabinetry bought from Sticks & Stones.
“We’ve always been surrounded by water; hence, the shades of blues throughout the home, which is reminiscent of our childhood,” says Heather, who was raised on the Isle of Man, while Michael grew up on Jersey in the Channel Islands.
The couple each have their own offices on the main floor, but Heather is also a creative soul. An abstract picture she painted hangs in the nautical-inspired family room. She also painted, by hand, a London skyline mural in her son’s room, and a wall in her daughter’s Paris-themed bedroom.
“We feel truly blessed to have been able to build our dream home and to raise our children in such a beautiful neighbourhood, and spend quality family time appreciating the indoor-outdoor living space that we created,” says Heather. “It’s a space that we absolutely love.”
Local Suppliers
A. L. Thompson’s, Apex, Ashley Home Furniture Store, BrandSource Home Gallery, Caribbean Impact Windows and Doors, Efcon Construction, EKT Architecture, Greentech Solar, Iberica Materials, Pooley Cabinets, Primo Castellan, Sticks & Stones, and Storage Solutions Cayman.
