For Tom Balon and his family, quiet and leafy Savannah was the perfect place to make a home.
As co-owner of landscape and design company Vigoro, with premises on Walkers Road and in Lower Valley, the Savannah plot he purchased in 2017 is ideally situated.
“We’ve always lived out this way…it’s quieter…peaceful,” Tom says. “And the lots are typically larger and areas less congested.”
The family, consisting of Tom, his wife Jody, and two children, started the design process on the home in 2019, working through COVID to complete the plans, and broke ground in summer 2022.
“The build was absolutely painless,” says Tom. “From pilings to move-in was 15 months. (We had) an awesome contractor and project manager.”
MODERN ARCHITECTURE
The resulting home is of modern architectural design.
The flat concrete roof aids in hurricane-proofing, and also houses concealed solar panels which optimise the energy usage of the home.
“I never thought we’d build one like this,” says Tom. “But through the years and seeing several similar really well done, with the functionality and use of space…this turned out really well.”
Architect Stace McGee of Equiterra Design Colorado created the original concept design for the home, before being joined by Daniel Campbell of Darius Development in Cayman.
Daniel took the project forward through the engineering and planning permission/ permit coordination and construction phases.
FUNCTIONALITY
Tom says the exceptional functionality of the home is one of his favourite features, and this aspect was no happy accident.
“We analysed the property, orientation, sun path, wind direction and proximity to neighbours, and made conscious decisions on locations of rooms and position of windows to maximise light, shade and views,” explains Daniel, who commended Stace’s initial designs.
INTERIOR DESIGN
When it came to the interior design, the family started with a very simple base of white walls and core furniture pieces from Restoration Hardware.
“We knew we needed someone special to arrange, add, wallpaper and finish it all…make it come together and finish the house, and so we hooked up with Erika Valdez Crockett at Lydia Uzzell Design,” says Tom.
“Once she got to know us and saw what we had and liked, she was great, and it was way too much fun finishing it all. She really knows her stuff and is quick and efficient.”
Erika believes the resulting home perfectly captures the family’s distinct personality and charm.
“As I learned of their passion for funky and quirky art, it directed us to an art gallery feel with statement pieces throughout the home, which provided colour to the spaces without being overwhelming,” she says.
Statement pieces of note are the authentic Japanese fishing floats which fill the face of the kitchen island, as well as features such as Roxanne the giraffe which gazes out the window from a perch on the stairway.
“Art, like beauty, is very much in the eye of the beholder and, in building that rapport and relationship with Tom and Jody, I got a feel for what they liked. This was a really fun project to help finish and a pleasure to be part of it,” says Erika.
“Everywhere you go, it’s like strolling through a museum and has your head turning every direction.”
GARDEN
The garden is a favourite feature of both the family, and the architects.
“I love the space, it’s relaxing,” says Tom. “We’re out there a lot, there’s lots to enjoy… and tend to.”
Daniel refers to Tom as a “landscape guru”, and this knowledge and experience created a seamless experience when it came to incorporating exterior and interior flow.
“He envisioned the yard space early, and we were able to position the house in the optimum location with the full landscape design in mind,” says Daniel.
“The interaction between the indoor and outdoor spaces and the sizes of those spaces lend to the lifestyle they wanted to achieve.”
The two also collaborated extensively on the design of the pool, with hours spent reviewing options, layouts, lighting and systems to integrate the pool and hot tub with the floating steps.
Designing the exterior was a labour of love for Tom, being able to utilise his professional interests and experience in his personal realm.
“It’s what we do…and what we love, it was a lot of fun…and should be, right?,” he says. “Gardens should come together easily when designed well and approached properly.”
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Peter Plunkett, Core Construction
ARCHITECT: State McGee, Equiterra Design Colorado
ARCHITECT: Daniel Campbell, Darius Development Cayman.
INTERIOR DESIGN: Erika Valdez Crockett, Lydia Uzzell Design
