WEST End Road, south of downtown Negril, is known as the cliff area. It is lined with resorts offering a great deal of privacy, and the area offers easier access to waters for snorkelling and diving, with jumping-off points reaching over 40 feet.

Welcome to Little Waters on the Cliff — the newest addition to Negril’s West End. This three-bedroom private villa on one acre of land, nestled as it is on the cliff, is more readily seen from the ocean. It offers stunning views of the Caribbean Sea from every room and every bathroom. One of the most spectacular views is seen as you walk through the villa’s main entrance. As you open the grand entry door, the view through oversized glass swivel doors extends to the swimming pool and sweeps across the deck, lawn and cliffs to the ocean.

From the outset its owners envisioned an open feel, one that would offer views from all angles and would take advantage of the cool breezes. Architect Eladio Walker helped them achieve this while designing a particularly unusual house. From some angles it appears to be two different buildings as the design of each wing is completely different. For the interior design I worked with them on defining the uncluttered contemporary style that they desired.

We chose an off-white colour scheme throughout in keeping with the free-flowing end results that we wanted, with accent colours applied in specific areas: Walls and soft furnishings were neutral shades of white of varying texture, providing a contrast with the dark wooden frames on the windows and doors, flooring and furniture.

On the ground floor the villa has a grand kitchen with a vaulted ceiling that adds to the volume of the space. The room features the finest finishes and appliances. Given the light palette in the kitchen, we chose a red stainless steel finish on the island with black granite countertops throughout. A wavy silver-tone ceramic backsplash creates a lot of movement and reflection with lighting.

The kitchen was designed to cater to families and small parties, as well as events such as weddings and cocktail parties.

The adjoining dining room leads onto the pool deck, and is separated from the living room by the swimming pool. Ten-foot high (10′ ) folding glass doors run the width of the living room, thereby offering fantastic views of the surroundings. An aquamarine accent wall was created to mirror the colour of the ocean and merge the room with the landscape. Like most of the villa’s Balinese furniture — typically dark wood decorates this room — we wanted the contrast that it would create against the pale walls, and we used aquamarine touches throughout this space.

One bedroom is situated on the ground floor. It offers direct access to the gardens, and features a dramatic en suite bathroom with a semi-circular walk-in shower and a 6′ glass window at one end, with views overlooking the ocean. We wanted this bathroom to simulate an outdoor/ rainforest shower — so to create the look we used a combination of taupe, beige and cream 4″ tiles placed diagonally and at random, as it would be in nature. It was finished with a rain showerhead with jets throughout. The bathroom counter with double sinks is of concrete, and finished with porcelain tiles to add refinement to the outdoor look. The toilet is placed in a separate room within the bathroom for added privacy. This suite was designed to accommodate guests who are physically challenged; the bathroom and shower allows direct wheelchair access.

The master bedroom features a king-size, four-poster bamboo bed, positioned in the centre of the room. This bed was custom-built by the Original Bamboo Factory at Caymanas Estate. The only other furnishings are a pair of night tables and a corner unit for a television. Polished bamboo flooring and three glass walls that open up to a wrap-around balcony (that appears to be an extension of the bedroom) completes the decor. A few steps from the bed will take you onto the balcony.

The en suite bathroom, which features a whirlpool tub, overlooks the sea and has a separate rainfall shower. The cabinets were also designed to reflect the open concept. We had a lot of fun finalising the layout of this bathroom area because we all had to decide and agree on how to accomplish an unobstructed view for someone lying in the bathtub, without compromising the design of the adjoining balcony.

A second upstairs bedroom, like the rest of the space, is finished with Brazilian hardwood floors. The ‘Blue Room’ is the only one which deviates from the neutral colour scheme. Depending on the time of day and position of the sun, the walls appear blue or green. Another spacious bathroom with separate shower and soak-in tub completes this suite. Both the bedroom and bathroom offer views of the ocean.

Beyond the patio and pool deck is the garden area, which will be used to accommodate functions and special events. There are several staircases leading either to the ocean or directly into the beautiful grottos at the point where the ocean meets the rocks.

Little Waters is a very welcome addition to Negril, as, unlike other resorts, Negril does not have an extensive list of stand-alone luxury villas.

— Marjorie Allen interiorsbydesign@cwjamaica.com

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