Hi everyone, and happy Thursday!

Let me just preface this post with a little anecdote: we just got back from the hospital! We’re all good, don’t worry - Kevin sliced his finger on the router while he was working on the deck railings so we had to go get it cleaned and up and bandaged. The cut was a little too wide for stitches, but luckily it wasn’t too deep, so he got a tetanus shot and is all bandaged up, but okay! What that means though (besides the fact that I’m on diaper duty for the foreseeable future … joy), is that the time I had set aside today to work on the blog was cut super short, so forgive me if this isn’t my best work!

Onwards and upwards, though!

Anyways … I’m excited to announce that we’ve got something fun for ya in the works! Some of you who have been following us since the early days may remember that we originally started our Instagram account as a way to showcase our home/vacation rental. It has since morphed into our family account (which we love), but we’re pumped to announce that we’ve officially opened up a second account that will focus specifically on our home - remodel updates, our handmade DIY furniture, the styling/design/decorating process, rental info, and more!

So, for anyone interested in any and all aspects of our island home (including any of you who might be interested in a little island getaway!), this account is for you!

Follow us on our second Instagram account: @sunsetshantihome

In conjunction with this fun little announcement, I’ve chosen to write this week’s blog post as a sort of follow-up to Kevin’s post last week. Last week, Kevin wrote a blog post updating you all on the status of our home in the midst of this construction process. (See previous post: Challenge Accepted, if you haven’t already.) This week, I’m going to build on what Kevin has written and offer you an update from my perspective, with my role as style/design/decor/”vibe” creator. (Lol I don’t really know what to call it.)

While this is very much a collaborative process, to some degree we’ve split the work up between the two of us based on what we naturally gravitate towards, and what gives each of us that dose of creative kick. For Kevin, that’s building things, starting from scratch and creating what I would call, however biased I may be, a masterpiece. For Kevin, it’s also anything that involves making the house function (aka electric, plumbing, A/C, etc.).

For me, it’s a lot more about the aesthetic and the “vibe,” if you will - about the visual layout of the space, but also about the energy created within the space. (College Isabel would probably reference Emil Durkheim’s “collective effervescence” - I was an anthropology major.) What I mean by that is, while I am interested in what our guests see when they enter the space, what I’m most interested in is how our guests feel within the space we’ve created.

What sort of ambience do I want to establish? What affects or intangibles do I want our guests to experience? And what tangible pieces can I find (or ask Kevin to build) that will work together to create this ambiance, this atmosphere, this emotion?

These are the questions I ask myself as I walk through our brand new living room (which existed as a roofless outdoor “patio” for the past two years), into the framed structure of our new bedroom, and our newly covered, expansive deck, which faces westward, deliberately, to soak up the colors, lights, and shadows of each nightly sunset.

These are the questions that guide me as I search for everything from bed frames, to light fixtures, to candlestick holders. From wood stain, to furniture blueprints, so that Kevin can build handmade, one-of-a-kind statement pieces, deliberately customized to fit our needs. From decorative knick knacks, to throw pillow patterns, to lush plants. Everything in the space is calculated. Everything is deliberate. And all for the purpose of making our guests feel a certain type of way as they experience our home.

For example, consider the table Kevin’s been building (which you may be sick of hearing about by this point, after I’ve been ranting and raving about it for weeks on our Instagram stories). That table, a statement piece measuring 8.5 feet long by 3 feet wide, will be placed strategically in the open-air deck space. Along the far side will be an equally long, farm-style bench. Along the near side (the side that looks out toward the view), will be four vintage, antique, deliberately selected teak wooden chairs. The goal with this setup isn’t just style (though it looks pretty freaking cool, if you ask me); the goal, rather, is a feeling of togetherness.

What do people want while they’re on vacation?

The obvious answer is escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life at home, wherever that may be - a change of scenery. We offer that, as does just about every place you might find on an island like St John. What else do people want? I would argue that people want to feel connected to one another. They want to make memories.

I would guess that most people don’t book a vacation home with just anyone. People go on vacation with people they care about, whether it be friends, families, couples, honeymooners, etc. Therefore, the space we offer our guests, in my mind, should promote this sense of togetherness, of belonging, with a well thought-out design that encourages bonding, conversation, and shared unique experiences.

The beauty of our vacation rental, in my mind, is that we know the space inside and out. We know what it feels like to wake up with this view, to watch the sunset from the deck, to sit outside, late at night, drinking wine and watching the lights twinkle on St Thomas across the bay. We know where the best place to see the stars is. We know where people naturally congregate, whether it be just the two (now three!) of us, or a group, and at every different hour of the day. And as such, we are working hard to create a space for our guests that plays into all of these little nuances that only one who has spent a lot of time and has put forth a lot of love will be able to recognize. We know our home intimately, and we want our guests to experience our home at its very best. To me, this is what makes our space unique; this is what sets us apart from other rental homes on St John and elsewhere.

For many travelers, St John is the destination; where they stay is a byproduct, or an afterthought. My goal, personally, is the opposite. If I’m successful, guests will be drawn to our home in and of itself, and all that St John has to offer (beaches, hiking trails, National Park, etc.), will be a welcome (and awesome) bonus. We’re not quite there yet (obviously, we’re not even open yet and we’ve still got a lot to learn); but one day, this is what I want. And if you know me, you know I’m a hustler, and you know I’m gonna get there.

Thanks for reading this (sort-of thrown together) piece! Please please follow our new Instagram account (@sunsetshantihome), and follow along as we do our best to bring this space to life.

As always, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to comment, message us via Instagram or email … even come stay with us and check it out for yourselves!

Lots of love,

I