Home Sweet Home, A Creole Heritage

The old adage states “There’s no Place Like Home”.  But for us the adage couldn’t be any further from the truth.  We love to travel, and more specifically traveling throughout the Caribbean, and we love everything that goes with it.  Well I guess not really everything, we’re not that much on flight delays, lost luggage, and crying babies.  But that aside, travels are a compelling part of our annual agenda.

Traveling always sets my mind to wandering.  I wonder who has been here before me, what was life for them like, and how was their day to day existence different from my own.  And so naturally there is something about the old Creole styled Caribbean homes of old that causes my mind to dream about its former inhabitants, and of days gone by.

Like all travelers we love meeting all the great people along the way, and the ensuing friendships that develop.  And of course we are fascinated by all the new sites and tastes that make a trip a true vacation.  But as a huge fan of the history of these warring islands, I cannot help but fall in love with the simple old historic Creole homes that dot these islands.

In many parts of the Caribbean, the term Creolean is used to refer to a French-speaking person of primarily European ethnicity born in the Caribbean islands.  The term Creole is sometimes used to describe anyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, who was born and raised in the region.

These Creole floorplans are distinctive in that they tend to be asymmetrical, and they always lack interior hallways.  Windows and doors are placed solely for the needs and convenience of the interior layout, and without regard for the architectural effect on the exterior.

Sadly these old homes are rapidly declining

and finding their way into obscurity.  For us however, we see these and can’t help but think.  “Couldn’t I be happy to live out my days here, with just the sea as my doormat, and the breeze as my companion?”  We have a photo project underway for a client in St. Martin, seeking to document in pictorial record, some of these old relics of the past.  So if you know of one of these old gems, drop us a line at info@myislandart.com.  We’ll hunt it down and try to include it in our record.  So start scouring the hillsides with your eyes off the beaten path.  Maybe we’ll find our new home!

Live the Life,
JVbyTheSea

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