Full scope interior reconfiguration · Grand Cayman
A full re-plan of a beachfront rental unit at Seven Mile Beach. New plumbing lines, two boutique-hotel-inspired ensuites, and a kitchen and living space finally opened up to work as one room.
Back directly onto Seven Mile Beach, the layout it launched with worked against the space at every turn, a closed-off entry, a kitchen boxed in by plumbing runs, and two bedrooms that felt like an afterthought rather than a retreat. Because the unit sits on the main floor, KEMPA Design had the rare approval to relocate plumbing and interior partitions outright, rather than decorate around the constraints.
The brief covered the unit from the studs out: new flooring, doors, trim and paint throughout, a reflected ceiling plan built entirely on LED fixtures, and all-new furniture selected specifically for a rental, durable, renter-friendly, and still worth the room. Kitchen, living and dining were combined into one continuous space by removing the entry wall and relocating the electrical panel, AHU and laundry out of sightlines.
Both bedrooms were rebuilt around how they’d actually be used: the guest room gained its own ensuite and two beds that push together cleanly for either configuration, while the primary suite was reworked as a boutique-hotel retreat, anchored by a freestanding tub and a fully separate shower.
Project details
Project type
Full-scope interior renovation, beachfront rental
Location
Size
Scope
Design focus
Status
Completed
“The layout had never worked for how people actually live in the space. Once we had approval to move plumbing and walls, the real design could finally start, and everything had to hold up to renters without feeling like a rental.”
01
Living, kitchen & dining
An entry wall came down, the kitchen was rebuilt around a marble island, and the panel, AHU and laundry all moved out of sight, turning three closed-off rooms into one continuous space.
With the entry wall removed, the living area now reads as one continuous room from the front door through to the kitchen. A slim TV wall with integrated back-lighting and a marble-topped coffee table keep the space feeling considered rather than furnished-by-checklist, a look that has to survive turnover after turnover of renters.
Warm brass sconces and a soft, low-set sofa give the room the same hospitality-driven warmth carried through the rest of the unit, while herringbone wood flooring runs underfoot from the entry straight into the kitchen.
The kitchen was rebuilt from scratch once the panel, AHU and laundry were relocated, a full marble waterfall island with a brass pot filler, twin gooseneck faucets, and a run of counter stools finished in warm walnut and brass. Two brass pendant fixtures hang low over the island as the room’s single decorative gesture.
Book-matched marble runs the full backsplash, with a bank of ribbed cabinetry either side keeping storage generous without competing with the stone. The result is a kitchen built for entertaining renters and their guests, not just servicing a short stay.
Dining was kept as its own moment rather than folded entirely into the island, a dedicated table sits within the open living space, close enough to the kitchen to stay connected, but set apart enough to feel like an actual sit-down meal rather than a stop at the counter.
The island’s run of walnut and brass stools does double duty as overflow seating for bigger groups, but the table is where dinner happens, carrying the same warm, renter-friendly materials as the rest of the open-plan space.
02
The primary suite
A boutique-hotel-inspired retreat built around a freestanding tub and a separate glass shower, with a black-framed window that borrows light, and the floral wallpaper, from the bedroom beyond.
The primary bedroom carries a channel-tufted teal velvet headboard against a backlit jungle-print wallpaper, with a single brass wall lamp doing the work of a bedside lamp without eating into nightstand space, a small but deliberate move for a room that has to reset itself between every guest.
A king bed replaces what was previously an oversized closet, in line with the brief’s call for less storage and more room to actually inhabit the space, boutique-hotel style.
The ensuite was reconfigured entirely around a freestanding soaker tub with a brass floor-mount filler, set beneath a black steel-framed window into the bedroom, a single move that connects both rooms and doubles the sense of space in each. A fully separate glass-enclosed rain shower keeps the tub as a dedicated soaking moment rather than a shared fixture.
Warm walnut panelling, a floating stone-topped vanity and brushed brass fixtures throughout carry the same boutique-hotel language as the rest of the unit, finished with amenities styled for a rental guest rather than a homeowner.
03
The guest suite
Reconfigured to carry its own ensuite, with two beds that push together cleanly and a walk-in shower built for a curbless, low-maintenance clean between stays.
The guest room gained a fully private ensuite for the first time, a floating walnut vanity with a round vessel sink, warm sconce lighting either side of a backlit mirror, and a compact vanity mirror for grooming. Two beds are set up to push together easily, styled to look intentional in either configuration.
Open shelving beneath the vanity gives guests a dedicated spot for luggage, answering the brief’s call for suitcase storage without adding a closet the room didn’t have space for.
A curbless walk-in shower with a brass rain head and handheld fixture replaces what was previously a shared bath, finished in the same warm stone tile that runs through the rest of the unit. The glass panel and black hardware keep the small footprint feeling open rather than closed in.
Every fixture and finish in the room was chosen against the brief’s one hard rule for the whole project: renter-friendly, without reading as a rental.
What this project actually involved.
Design development
An onboard meeting to define the project programme, followed by a full re-space of the existing footprint to relocate plumbing and interior partitions, a dimensioned furniture plan, and a mood board setting the boutique-hotel direction.
Layout & MEP
A dimensioned floor plan, finishes plan and lighting plan drafted for the contractor, with the remaining MEP reviewed to keep it aligned with the new design intent and out of the way of proposed elements.
Finishes & materials
Full specification of wall and floor tile, countertops and paint colours throughout, including both ensuites, the open kitchen and living area, and the bedrooms.
Plumbing, doors & cabinerty
Specification of all plumbing fixtures and bathroom accessories, interior doors, hardware and trim, and cabinetry material, style and hardware throughout the unit.
Millwork & construction documentation
Elevations for all custom millwork, tile layouts and typical architectural details, prepared to carry directly into the shop-drawing and construction phases.
FF&E & installation
Full furniture and decor sourced and procured by Kempa Home, with installation and final styling completed on-site once construction was finished.
Renovating a rental of your own?
KEMPA Design leads full-scope interior renovations for rental and hospitality units across Grand Cayman and the US. From re-spacing the layout through to the final furniture install. Share your project and we’ll come back with clear next steps.