Highway Hideaway

Tags:: Architecture; Metal; Wood

Most beachfront houses treat the ocean as part of the visual landscape with panoramic views and wraparound balconies. Tom Lloyd-Butler’s beach house by Ernest Born, however, is deeply interior, and far more interested in its tranquil inner courtyard than anything beyond. One transparent addition later, the avid surfer has a new outlook. — Katrina Heron

The original house (left) only gave two glimpses of the vast Pacific Ocean out of the west-facing windows—an unusual choice given the epic sweep and clear cachet of an uninterrupted ocean view. Aidlin Darling Design took a different tack with the new addition (right), using the cypress trees as a natural screen to shield the lower levels while opening the third floor to stunning views. The Cor-Ten steel cladding on the new house is designed to further redden and rust with the help of the obliging sea air.

Photo by: Robert Schlatter

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