This villa on Saba was the first project that Lyongo designed by himself. It is one of the projects that we share in celebration of our 25th anniversary. A special project for Lyongo, because it reflects the warm bond he has developed with the client.
“The client had a clear vision for what she wanted as a home on Saba. When we started, she gave me an initial drawing of her ideas. I made a first design and a model. In this design the house was next to the road. Our client didn’t want that, but we were on the same track as far as the design goes. She decided to let me design the guest house first so she could collect adjacent land to build the main house.”
One gracious lady
Once the guest house was done, I moved to the Netherlands from the Caribbean in the meanwhile. But the client still wanted to continue to work together on the Green Flash House. We made a design for the main house and the garden with a large swimming pool. “I still remember that I would wake up in the middle of the night and be scared that the heavy pool would fall down from the steep hill.”
“The nature and landscape surrounding the property are picturesque. When we started the project the greenery was being planted, now years later the greenery is lush and fully part of the design. The house itself gets more beautiful over time. It ages like a gracious lady, as the client says. One of the main things that stands out are the arcs everywhere. This was an important part of the design for my client since she comes from the Mediterranean area. She wanted to blend the Mediterranean with the Saban architecture. But I never drew an arch before. I researched a lot on how this works and to make it fit into the Saban architecture. I got inspired by the organic shapes of arches. And in my work now I add this into my new designs like the Campus of Saba.”
A working relationship
“It was the largest villa I have had the pleasure of designing so far. But what I remember most is the relationship with the client. I still use this relationship and way of working together as an example for new projects. We always respected each other’s ideas, designs and talked about what the possibilities were. We also became friends over time. She always says: this is your house too. Every time I visit the island I am welcome and invited to stay.”
When Lyongo visited the Green Flash House in May 2024, he asked the client in an interview for our documentary how she felt about our relationship and this project. “The house became above my expectations. I was not used in working with new-build projects, only restoration projects. So, it was new for me as it was new for you as a young designer. I liked working with you, you listened to what I wanted. Once you moved away and finished the guesthouse, it was never a question about working with someone else. We were going to finish it together. If you ask me, we were meant to meet and work together”, was her response.
