Luxury Locations issue 26

ABOVE: Giorgio Armani is credited with being the inspiration behind Cecilia’s High Point Café RIGHT: Cecilia Nord with long-term friend Giorgio Armani

a “very kind and honourable person” with whom he had developed a friendship spanning 20 years. Hadeed also paid tribute to Armani’s generosity – which included a US$150,000 donation to help rebuild Barbuda’s airport after catastrophic Hurricane

Perhaps it was Armani’s intensely private personality and dislike of crowded places that also drew him to Antigua, along with islanders’ renowned laissez-faire attitude to celebrityhood. The island’s natural beauty certainly stirred his inspiration. He may have been a multi-billionaire but his love for the organic, the authentic and the unembellished kept him returning to the 108 square miles he considered a second home. As a self-acknowledged workaholic, the island’s tranquillity allowed him space to flourish while living the relatively modest life he preferred. The simple lines, timeless elegance and perfect proportions encapsulated in the designer’s Armani/Casa home décor brand are reflected in his Antiguan coastal retreats, Villa Flower and Villa Serena. Designed in the 1990s by architect Gianni Gamondi, Armani expanded the two properties, connecting them via a central main pavilion. The interiors elicit his pared-back elegance with all- natural materials, unobtrusive furnishings and a palette of muted greys and soft beige. Armani once told Architectural Digest that he wanted the villas to be in sync with the “spirit” of their location, to create an environment that harmonised his aesthetic “with the sensibilities of the West Indies”. Family was important to Armani and his nearest and dearest were at the forefront of his mind when creating his overseas abodes, always ensuring they exuded a homely and comfortable ambience. Indeed, ownership of Flower and Serena remains with a real estate company left to Armani’s sister, niece and nephew. Many Antiguans hold cherished memories of the style guru – among them hotelier, restaurateur and developer Jeff Hadeed who managed Armani’s villas for him. Shortly after Armani’s passing in September, aged 91, Hadeed described the designer as

Irma in 2017 – along with the care shown to his local staff during the Covid pandemic who he continued to pay throughout.

Local restaurateur and former model Cecilia Nord credits Armani – whom she first met in 2004 – with inspiring her business, charming waterfront eatery Cecilia’s High Point Café. “Mr Armani was actually the one that told me I should open a restaurant. He said it needed to be by the water so he could come by boat,” she smiles. “I opened in late 2007.” Prime Minister Gaston Browne also recalled meeting the prolific designer, noting that Armani chose Antigua for “rest, recreation and to have nature imbue him with creative new ideas”. “Unknown to many of us who call Antigua and Barbuda our home, the magical powers of our tropical paradise frequently ignite the creative juices of those who live in crowded cities, in places of challenging personal security, and with constant noise that distracts,” Browne added. He’s not wrong when one considers the volume of artists who frequently flock to these shores. Last summer, Instagram posts of American record producer DJ

27

www.luxurylocations.com