How a Swinging ’60s Villa in the Bahamas Became an Architect’s Vibrant Family Home
Dee Dee Taylor Eustace, an architect, designer, and founder of Taylor Hannah Architect Inc., has been visiting this very beach on New Providence Island in the Bahamas for more than 30 years. The Toronto native grew up coming to the island as a child and has continued to bring her children there since they were young. Eustace and her husband of 15 years, Bobby Genovese, recently built a permanent residence on the island, which they called the DBG House. Though their primary residence is in Toronto, Canada, the family spends at least several weeks of the year in The Bahamas.
The home is located within the private, members’-only residential enclave of Old Fort Bay Club and has 100 feet of ocean and canal frontage. It was originally built in the 1960s in a Balinese style, and Eustace recognized the potential the first time she saw it.
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The couple has a blended family with a total of four children, and the DBG House—a blend of their initials—is the first house they’ve built together. Completed in 2024, the home took three years to build and spans a commodious, light-filled 9,000 square feet with seven self-contained bedroom suites, a massive outdoor pavilion for gathering, and many internal lounging spaces to accommodate both large and small groups.
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“When you start with really great architecture and work within the design vernacular of that country, The Bahamas in this case, a property feels very holistic and genuine,” Eustace tells Robb Report. “After our renovation, the property feels timeless, yet modern.” Major aspects of the renovation include replacing Spanish clay tile roofs with cedar shingles; swapping small, traditional windows with large expanses of modern glass; redoing the layout to incorporate concrete terraces; and a complete reconfiguration of the interior spaces, including converting the home’s garages into bedrooms.
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Eustace was careful, however, to preserve key elements like vaulted ceilings and tie rods in the main pavilion that maintain the roof’s structural integrity, thus connecting the home’s past and present. The home was also fortified to withstand hurricanes with concrete walls, anodized metal windows, and stainless steel railings for added durability.
The home is divided into a series of pavilions, with the 2,500-square-foot main space housing a huge living room, a dining room, a gorgeous kitchen, a family room, and a media room. The stark-white home is punctuated by bright, colorful accents without overpowering the space or pulling attention away from the water views, which are visible from nearly every room. There are touches of cheery green, yellow, blue, and coral in the living room, and each room has its own color palette. Artwork was sourced from local artists.
Multiple terraces and outdoor dining spots are complemented by tiered gardens and an infinity pool. And by night, the immaculate landscaping, also handled by Taylor Hannah Architect Inc., and the accent lighting give the home a serene glow.
Click here for more photos of the Bahamian home.
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