Situated on a prime stretch of Grace Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos, directly in front of Smiths Reef, Beach Cake is small in footprint but big on charm. Built in 2015, it was acquired by new owners in 2019. “We fell in love with the unique upside-down layout and the various deck spaces,” they recall. “|t looked like an architectural jewel set against white sand, tropical trees, and the blue water.”

The inverted layout – with an open plan kitchen and living room that flows out onto a large terrace and pool upstairs, and the sleeping spaces downstairs – ensures that the area where most waking hours are spent has the most unobstructed views and privacy from passing beach goers.

At 1600 square feet, the property was modest in size, yet with two bedrooms and three bathrooms, it had all the space the couple needed to enjoy with their two children, with friends, or as a solo retreat.

Despite its excellent bones, the new owners felt the all-white aesthetic lacked warmth, and the interiors were tired. Nothing that a clever refurbishment could not resolve, however.

Inspired by their travels to Indonesia, they wanted to create an exotic retreat and a place that would be alluring not only for its tropical surroundings, but also because it would be filled with extravagant features that one would not typically have at home: multiple chill out spaces, outdoor bathrooms, four-poster beds, and lots of warm, tactile hardwood.

In 2020, while much of the world cocooned indoors, Beach Cake underwent its metamorphosis. Although no structural work was required, it was stripped back to its concrete walls and refinished with flair. Floors were covered in marble tile, decks and ceilings were clad in rich, amber-toned teak, and existing furniture was replaced with custom-made beds and sofas from Indonesia.

Self-confessed ‘wood snobs,’ the couple wanted tropical hardwoods but didn’t want old-growth forests to be chopped down to acquire it. Fortunately, their travels around Bali and surrounding islands meant they were well connected with suppliers of teak and ironwood salvaged from old homes and boats, and with artisans who could build furniture according to their specifications.

They also added outdoor bathrooms based on examples they had seen in Indonesia. With the sides and roof made from slatted ironwood, no structural work was required to install them, yet the effect is intoxicating. One can stand under the rain shower or soak in the stylish Kohler bathtub outdoors, lit by beautiful copper lamps, and look out at the surrounding foliage, safe in the knowledge that nobody outside can see in.

“When you’re in the Caribbean, you want to feel like you’re outside even when you’re inside, and this gives you privacy whilst enjoying being in nature,” the owners note.

Dark timber ceilings, cool stone floors, and regal four-poster beds draped in mosquito nets create cool, elegant retreats in the bedrooms. These open onto an expansive teak deck set over the sand and furnished with a huge sectional sofa and two shaded Balinese day beds.

Upstairs, brightly coloured vintage rock posters that the owners had collected over the years found their ideal home on the walls of the open-plan living room. The combination of these funky pop-art prints, vivid fabrics, timber ceilings and the views of tropical trees outside add up to a joyous, vibrant space. In the kitchen, where a teak-topped breakfast bar is centrally positioned to look out onto the terrace, fully pocketing doors allow interior and exterior living spaces to become one.

“It means one person can be swimming under the stars in the pool and another prepping dinner, and you can be connected and talking,” the owner remarks.

From this elevated position, the pool achieves a true infinity effect, its outer edge blending with the shallow seas behind it. Built-in benches make it an inviting space to sit and cool off, and a gazebo over one corner offers the option of being in the water and in the shade simultaneously.

The icing on the cake, however, has to be the roof terrace. Previously an under-utilised space, considering it had the best views in the house, the owners took inspiration once again from the joglos of Java and built an open-sided timber structure shading a giant couch. At sunset, with a wet bar conveniently at hand for mixing cocktails, chill-out tunes playing, and glass railings affording unobstructed ocean views, there are few other places one could wish to be.

Beach Cake may be petite, but it’s a powerhouse of charm. From its quirky design to the extensive use of hardwoods, relaxing day beds and extravagant outdoor bathrooms, it’s a property brimming with character: a tropical oasis that succeeds in being vibrant, serene, and sophisticated while also being playful, and above all irresistibly enticing.