THIS PAGE: High backed oxblood leather banquettes break up the space in the Smoak Bar & Grill where the design mixes references to British industrial heritage with vintage Americana
Masterful organic architecture and ingredients, contemporary open- to-the-air spaces and private infinity pools – Jade Mountain delivers luxury in an entirely modern way.
Jade Mountain’s infinity pools offer stunning views of The the famous ‘Pitons’ – the two volcanic plugs which define St Luci’s tourist image
(although, be assured, behind the scenes the wizardry is there: see ozone-cleansed pools, for starters). This Caribbean property lets the landscape do the talking. Tropical hardwoods – purpleheart, kabukali, mora, ebony, monkey pod, locust – and gemstone-coloured soft furnishings reflect the flourishing exotic flora and the coastline view ramps up the drama. Nick Troubetzkoy, the creator and owner
N
of Jade Mountain, headed to St Lucia in the Seventies as a junior Canadian architect to help design holiday villas. He never left. First he remodelled Anse Chastanet into an artful eco-resort. When he first encountered the place in 1974, there was nothing but a clutch of small bungalows on five acres of rainforest. Troubetzkoy’s priority was to celebrate the full splendour of the surrounding 600 acres of nature and the Caribbean Sea, and he quickly demonstrated a gift for bringing the outside
ot only is the whole project environmentally conscious, but Jade Mountain doesn’t rely on hi-tech frippery to impress
in: one suite still has a red gommier tree growing through the floor and up through the roof. After transforming Anse Chastenet into a thriving luxury resort with soul, in 2007, he took hospitality to the next level. Literally. This is when the beachfront resort’s elegant little sister, Jade Mountain was born. “The beauty of its landscapes, the warmth and character of St Lucia’s people and the unlimited potential to create something very special here has always captured my imagination,” says Troubetzkoy. When he began planning Jade Mountain at the top of the hill above Anse Chastanet, his aim was to dispense with as many walls, windows and doors as possible. Walkways lend a sci-fi feel while coloured Aztec-y glass sculptures enhance its other-worldliness. Ruby, emerald, amber, turquoise, created in collaboration with David Knox of Lightstreams, the tiling also helps give each room a different personality.
Each of the 29 suites at Jade Mountain is truly individual, all with 15ft-high ceilings.
Forget TVs, radios or telephones – this get- away-from-it-all paradise is a world removed from could-be-anywhere homogenous chain hotels. Even the five lowest-category pool- less rooms are high on charm, sporting the signature raised-up ensuites and convivially proportioned Jacuzzi tubs that are blessed too with that grandstand Piton-facing look-out. Bathrooms are furbished with fittings unique to each ‘sanctuary’ – the suites here couldn’t be labelled with a term as humdrum as ‘room’. European manufacturers Hansgrohe and Duravit play a big part, and the suppliers of the porcelain sinks and vast tubs are a roll call of the great and the good in design: Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Andreas Dmitriadis, Tom Schoenherr. Ablution festishists, consider Jade Mountain your Mecca.
“From the start, we wanted Jade Mountain to feel like a natural extension of and a tribute to its island environment,” Troubetzkoy explains. “That ethos influenced every aspect of the design, especially when it came to
WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2012 073
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148