Dream House | John Horne’s vision becomes elegant reality

Buff Bay, the small town in Portland, has a population of 2,757. One of its home-grown householders is John Horne, a gentleman whose quiet life excites curiosity.

He was born and bred in desperately poor circumstances in a two-bedroom board house devoid of indoor plumbing, with a pit latrine (pit toilet), in Buff Bay. His mother was an informal trader (higgler), peddling her goods in Kingston’s Coronation Market, and his father, who had migrated, was never seen or heard from ever again.

As a youngster, Horne and some boys, when hungry, begged for bread from the famous Lee’s bakery in the town. He would, in time, enrol at the Runaway Bay Heart Academy (renamed HEART College of Hospitality), where he studied food and beverage. He would also work at leading hotels on the island.

Horne, at the age of 20 (he is now 55), emigrated to the United States, working as a factory employee, and then as a supervisor. But the man had a pellucid vision of his tomorrow, and with resolve and determination, he sought to better his life by becoming a serious real estate investor. He also owns a popular Jamaican restaurant.

Ironically, 20 years ago, he purchased the same Lee’s bakery that sustained his soliciting habits earlier in life, tearing the building down and substituting it for this edifice that we can now favourably fix our gaze on. Call it fate, call it destiny… or whatever, the truth is indeed stranger than fiction!

The house, on an acre, holds within its walls of cream and white, nine bedrooms and 13 bathrooms, some with marble finishes. Living and dining rooms intersect with the professional kitchen with its quality stainless steel surfaces. Balconies, verandahs, and a porte cochere help configure the external visuals. The swimming pool (with waterfall) and hot tub, brings out the child in you.

Horne married Antonate, a restaurateur, 18 years ago, meeting her for the first time in her home town of Buff Bay on one of his trips to the island. He offered to buy a foot bath, and she accepted – a soothing relationship from that day, soaking their troubles away.

Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barryrattray1@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.