Regarding theatre, a cynical critic once observed that it is only called experimental when the experiment fails. Could the same be said of interior design and decoration? Not in this case, where English design consultant Suzy Hoodless brings her bold new vision to a Caribbean home, and succeeds wildly.

She has done it before, with two estates in Scotland, a ski lodge, The Hospital in Covent Garden and private residences in West London and the counties. Before shifting careers about 10 years ago, Hoodless honed a related set of skills as interiors editor for the avant-trend lifestyle magazine, Wallpaper. In that capacity, she travelled the globe, creating interiors, styling shoots, and researching and reporting new trends, designs and designers.

Having observed the scope of design possibilities and assembling a network of international suppliers, she now puts it all together in startling ways. Suzy Hoodless has acquired a reputation for a strong aesthetic that is recognisable, yet defies definition. Unique and eclectic are the words most used, and yet they don’t quite do justice to her style. They don’t capture the suggestion that something new is emerging here, like a yet-to-be-labelled form of music that combines diverse elements and flows to a beat of its own.

She says “the essential element is the mix, and how the mix creates a rhythm, and each piece takes on a different form when combined with contrasting pieces’’. There’s a musicality in this rhythm, in the linked inflections of harmonious neutral tones, in the repetition of curves and accent colours. Imagine the orderly progressions of Satie, with elements of hip-hop’s bounce and penchant for sampling.

Her Barbados project, a property which must remain nameless, perches on a gentle rise in the west coast of the island. Designed by top architect Larry Warren, the main house is spacious but does not intrude, shrieking of grandeur, into its lush surroundings. Instead it hums of comfort, proportion, and grace. The building fuses classical and plantation house styles. White and airy, it makes use of levels to accommodate a large entertaining space, a media room, a master bedroom and study suite, working areas, and three guest rooms. Concertina doors open the sitting/dining room to the terrace outside.

What first struck Hoodless about the property was the “fantastic vista from the main entrance, through the house and to the ocean beyond. The house is extremely well laid out…and flows well in terms of aesthetics as well as practicalities. My brief was to make it an extremely comfortable, practical and informal family home”. The owners cleared out everything, giving her a blank canvas.

Re-doing the house meant not only décor, but a few structural elements as well. Except for Georgian fanlights, all of the glass was removed from the windows and replaced with working, wooden louvres. With this stroke, the house was further Caribbeanised. While doing double duty for privacy and security, the louvres also allowed air to flow through the house.

The references are global, and th ough it casts a retr o glance to the 1940s and 1950s, th e period feels like a timeless present. This is a zone of its own, suspended and cosseting, yet zapped with reality checks

The caressing breeze completes the tactile pleasures created by soft kilims and silk hangings on coral-rendered surfaces by textured fabrics and the smoothness of lacquered pieces. Except for a few pieces upholstered in leafy patterns, the décor itself is anything but Caribbean. “We didn’t follow the typical Caribbean style, although there are elements,” Hoodless said. “We wanted it to be very comfortable and practical for a beachside family home, as well as visually interesting. So we used classic pieces …mixed with bespoke upholstery and one-off finds. As with all our work, we mixed modern design with traditional, but they are all well-crafted pieces.”

The references are global, and though it casts a retro glance to the 1940s and 1950s, the period feels like a timeless present. This is a zone of its own, suspended and cosseting, yet zapped with reality checks. These sometimes take the form of large and arresting colour photographs that appear to have been taken in Eastern Europe, Afghanistan and the Middle East—ravaged scenes of dereliction and desolation. Some are by Simon Norfolk, some by Simon Roberts. Hoodless’s clients already owned some Norfolks, so she knew they would like the Roberts. “I don’t buy art to match the furniture, but because of the piece in its own right. These are powerful images.” Instead of tropical décor, the house is done in shades of khaki, greyed taupe, and meringue, with accents mostly in tints of cerise red. A lacquered dining room sideboard combines all those colours, geometrically.

Echoing them, at the end of the elevated entrance hall, is a marvellous piece that’s emblematic of Hoodless’s eclecticism. From the side, you could mistake its tan smoothness for a filing cabinet, something to be overlooked. From the front, however, it astonishes: stencilled across two thirds of the surface is the detailed image of a Rococo chair. It’s by Paul Smith, for Mondo.

Drama begins in the two-storey foyer. Around you curves a stairway to the master suite. Beside you is a chair from Goa, of weathered but elaborately carved wood with caning, and a marble-topped console table with gilded metal supports. On the wall hangs a late 18th century Suzani—an expanse of finely embroidered silk with paisley shapes and winding stems—from Central Asia. Above is a stunning Venetian glass chandelier, vaguely resembling a group of goblets. Ahead are
arches and a step down to another level.

Go in and what opens before you is an undivided area with dining to the left, sitting to the right, and a passage straight out to the terrace. A large, squat Chinese drum is the focal point—for a moment, anyway.

The dining area features a large, modern wooden table surrounded by sprightly red Thonet bistro chairs, designed in 1859. To light the table, there’s an aerodynamic-looking chandelier composed of shapely, tapering disks of champagne coloured parachute silk. The table’s pale shade of wood is echoed in the organic forms of a huge, naturally hollowed-out tree trunk that rises from the corner. The walls bear simple display cases of rare and beautiful sea shells. Underfoot is a beautiful Ushak kilim, whose hues tie the grouping all together.

The sitting area is occupied primarily by an inviting, contemporary, L-shaped sofa in khakitone flax. “The upholstery was practical, bearing in mind the property’s proximity to the beach and also the climate. The intensity of the heat affects materials and finishes as well as colours,” Hoodless explained. Bergere chairs, low standing lamps, Italian occasional tables fashioned from tree trunks and others of chrome complete the ensemble. The styles of this social space may vary, but the colours sing harmony with their mates across the expanse.

Throughout the house, lighting has been carefully considered. Nothing is strictly overhead; it’s either suspended, standing or sconced. One of the most interesting pieces is the Jean Royere 1940s wall light leading to the guest wing. That hall is warmed by suspended lights of amber glass. One of the bedrooms features carriage lamps as sconces, painted a creamy green.

Bedrooms are tranquil spaces padded with bespoke rugs in subtle geometrics that hint at art deco, while white waffle-weave spreads offer no competition to the more important furniture. These include chairs with character and exquisitely crafted Scandinavian tables, which, except for a mirror-topped, Danish 1950s vanity by Olga Molgaard, tend toward the perfection of simplicity. And then there’s the genuine Calder mobile in the master bedroom, moving, as it was meant to do, in the breeze.

That room’s private veranda overlooks the garden, pool deck, and beach. It’s meant for total relaxation, with deep sofas to sink into, and splitbamboo Roman blinds for shading the afternoon sun. A decorative frieze is painted in olive green, a shade that’s complemented by the pool below. Around that, eroded pink marble tiles add a rustic touch, and embracing it all is a splendid, terraced garden.

The entire property is getting a makeover, from main house to guest cottages and even the landscaping. To unify the whole effect, Hoodless worked closely with the architect, contractors, and landscape designer. Overseeing everything as project director was Roger Chubb of Belvedere Consultants. “Exceptional,” Hoodless called him. “He brought .in the best contractors on the island, as well as controlling the budget, works on site and time schedule. It ran like a military operation.” Military is the opposite of the final effect achieved, which in Chubb’s words is “luxurious,
stylish, contemporary, retro and comfy, with extraordinary objects mixed in’’.