Set on a hillside promontory high atop St. Barts in the French West Indies, the home of Kathrin Bruss, owner of Hamburg’s high-fashion emporium Petra Teufel, and her husband, automotive executive Oliver Bruss, commands seriously seductive views of the island pleasure dome. From one side, the house looks out to the venerable Eden Rock hotel and the cerulean waters of St. Jean Bay. From the other, it affords sweeping vistas of Saline beach.

The views in and between the various pavilions that comprise the Bruss compound aren’t bad either. Designed by Vanessa Alexander of Los Angeles–based Alexander Design, the home presents an idiosyncratic vision of classic St. Barts chic, with pitched roofs and exposed beams, peppered with glamorous accents and a few hints of flash.   

Alexander worked with local architect Johannes Zingerle of Design Affairs to craft the compound, which encompasses a series of interconnected pavilions that celebrate the best of indoor-outdoor living. The main pavilion—the only structure with a second floor—has a living room and kitchen on the main level and the primary bedroom suite above. 

Vintage Mario Bellini seating, upholstered in olive green leather, anchors the living room, accompanied by a striking Lindsey Adelman wall light/sculpture, a shapely Pietro Franceschini console, and a Paul Matter floor lamp. The primary bedroom on the second level radiates a similar vibe of restrained luxe. 

A floor of ebonized gray French oak coupled with walls sheathed in pale textured plaster create a backdrop of dramatic chiaroscuro for the furnishings, a spare assemblage highlighted with a jewel-like Gabriel Scott chandelier, a brass-lined portal to the primary bath, and other luminous accents.The humbly-scaled guest pavilions follow a similar aesthetic path, allowing the views to do the heavy lifting for dazzling beauty but not capitulating to natural splendor entirely.