Coastal Living

Talk about a home-away-from-home run. When Josephine and Stephen Hislop spied a cluster of tiny lots (originally intended to host a shopping center) across the road from Grand Cayman’s famed Seven Mile Beach, the experienced home developers spied a chance to do something more fun—and much, much prettier: Botanica Luxury Cottages, a new collection of stylish, serene little getaways amid the island’s big resorts and over-the-top villas. “We began with Cayman style and did a reconnaissance trip to Alys Beach in Florida to pull inspiration,” says Josephine. Mission accomplished; the cottages’ architectural lines and white-on-white shiplap interiors are like a master class in tropical stage-setting. From there, Josephine took soothing, sage green notes from the natural world outside her back door. “We looked at humble botanicals,” she says, “not the hibiscus…

TABLECLOTH Amanda Lindroth Batik Tablecloth in Blue, $200 (108" round); amandalindroth.com PLACE MAT Tory Burch Raffia Place Mat, $228 for a set of four; toryburch.com CHARGER Bordallo Pinheiro Cabbage Charger Plate in Natural (30.5), $55; us.bordallopinheiro.com SALAD PLATE Dodie Thayer for Tory Burch Lettuce Ware Salad Plate in Pale Pink, $158 for a set of four; toryburch.com FLATWARE Juliska Bamboo Flatware, $215 for a five-piece setting; juliska.com NAPKIN Amanda Lindroth Jasmine Napkin in Coral, $60 for a set of four; amandalindroth.com NAPKIN RING Pottery Barn Tava Handwoven Rattan Napkin Ring in Honey, $39 for a set of six; potterybarn.com SEA URCHIN (on plate) Riccio Caprese Small White Sea Urchin, $65; landofbelle.com WATER GLASS Tory Burch Spring Meadow Water Glass, $128 for a set of two; toryburch.com…

You’ll find glimpses of Pierre Sophia Demirtas’s Haitian upbringing in just about every aspect of her life. But when it comes to her designs for Fanm Mon, where she serves as founder and creative director, the influence is undeniable. “All of it is somewhat reminiscent of my childhood and that feminine energy that I was very blessed to have around,” she says. To say the Caribbean has a hold on Demirtas is as true today as it was when she was a child. The name Fanm Mon comes from a Haitian phrase meaning “mountain woman.” “I really grew up seeing, in many ways, the power these women possessed that’s strictly from their knowledge and their interactions with nature,” she says. That same affection for nature has stuck with Demirtas and…

Menu Minty Frozen Lime Mojitos, p. 20 Grilled Avocados with Pickled Red Onions, p. 20 Miami Cubano Tacos, p. 20 Papas Aplastadas, p. 20 Lime Flan, p. 24 MINTY FROZEN LIME MOJITOS These gorgeous lime slushes include Key lime–flavored rum, frozen limeade, and a swirl of fresh mint. SERVES 4 ACTIVE 3 min. TOTAL 5 min. 1 (6-oz.) container frozen limeade concentrate¾ cup Key lime–flavored (or other light) rum⅓ cup fresh mint leavesGarnish: fresh mint sprigs and lime slices Combine the limeade, rum, and mint leaves in a blender. Fill to the 5-cup mark with cracked ice. Blend until smooth. Garnish as desired. GRILLED AVOCADOS WITH PICKLED RED ONIONS If you haven’t tried an avocado kissed by the grill, you’ve missed out. The fruit soaks up the smoky flavor, and the heat enhances its creaminess. SERVES 6 ACTIVE 15 min. TOTAL 1 hour, 25 min., including Pickled…

A LAKEFRONT GREAT New Buffalo, Michigan What further evidence do you need of a Great Lakes superstar than that it lures Californians away from their fabled coastline to build homes and businesses and raise families? The magic of New Buffalo, a tiny township of just 1,433 residents, is real and growing as fast as the local grapes in season. Occupying a catbird seat just 70 miles from Chicago along the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan near the Indiana Dunes, New Buffalo’s appeal to urban escapees has never been greater. An influx during the pandemic has fueled a rise in real estate prices, yes, but also a fresh(-water) wave of civic improvements, including a new boardwalk across its dunes and STEAM building for the highly rated school district, plus new shops and smartly…

Designer Lisa Henderson had two words in mind when she set out to redesign her clients’ Palm Beach town house: fun and dressy. “My clients wanted this house to be comfortable, but they really wanted it to feel refined,” says Henderson, who already had designed the family’s New York City home and knew their tastes and sensibilities. “They did not want a casual beach house or that vintage Palm Beach look. Instead, they wanted it to be polished. But we didn’t want it to look like a showroom, so we focused on layering color, pattern, and texture to make it warm.” Henderson worked closely with an on-site contractor to redo almost every element “except the bathroom,” she says, including repositioning the stairway and orienting the kitchen toward the ocean view. Henderson…