Luxury Indian Ocean LUXURY INDIAN OCEAN #8 EDITION 2019 | Page 103

Eureka la Maison Créole (Moka, Mauritius) même bleu pare les maisons coloniales en Caroline du Sud, les protégeant ainsi des insectes… « et des esprits » ! L’architecture créole des îles de l’océan Indien est un héritage commun qui mérite d’être protégé et valorisé. Il contribue non seulement à la construction d’une identité propre à la région, mais aussi à la promotion de ces pays à travers une off re culturelle unique au monde. A palette of dwellings As you roam across the islands, diff erent types of traditional buildings come to sight, from administrative buildings to Creole cottages and elegant plantation homes. Remarkable by their impressive sizes, the colonial administrative buildings combine comfort, elegance and functionality. Often located in town centres, they boast a rather understated and impersonal neoclassic façade with high colonnades. “Such buildings are meant to last and impress”, writes Jean-Michel Jauze in reference to the Government House of Port-Louis (Mauritius), which was erected in 1730, and Saint-Denis' Town Hall in Reunion, the plans of which were approved in 1846 by King Louis-Philippe himself. Some of these buildings' hallmarks - such as the absence of ornaments, high ceilings, the symmetry of openings that favours natural ventilation - are also typical features of plantation homes. EDITION #8 La varangue La varangue s’inspire des jardins d’hiver, des porches et des conservatories européens. Cette pièce fraîche et lumineuse, abritée par des baies vitrées, des persiennes ou des voiles en raphia, agrémente la façade ou ceinture entièrement la maison – comme c’est le cas à Eureka (Maurice). Lieu de lecture, de réception et de détente, elle est synonyme de convivialité créole ! The verandah The verandah is modelled on Western glass houses, conservatories and porches. Tucked behind glass panels, louvres or raffi a blinds, this fresh and luminous living space graces the housefront or wraps around the entire building, as it can be seen in Eureka (Mauritius). A convenient spot for reading, chilling and receiving guests, it is the expression of Creole-style hospitality. 103