Custom steel corner windows allow the interior to expand into the exterior spaces, making the modest home feel much larger than it actually is.
To complement the charred cedar cladding Vista Residence, the outdoor furniture is crafted from the same wood.
“The bones of the original stair are in there,” says McGuier. “We just sawed off the bottom half, put a new straight portion of stair onto the spiral stair, then covered the whole thing in sheet metal and painted it.” Vintage slipper chairs in mohair sit on either side of a vintage Art Deco parchment table.
Bathrooms are finished with marbles slabs, marble penny tile and pickled white oak.
The shower is covered in Cottonwood mosaic and penny tiles by Ann Sacks.
The primary bedroom on the ground floor shows off the couple’s antique Indonesian furniture and enjoys a view to the beach through a native amate tree.
Special care was taken to make the L House appear to float above the ground.
David and Mayuko Lai designed the home to transform and evolve for their family of five.
Along Victoria’s Surf Coast, a minimalist timber dwellingcombines Scandinavian charm with the laid-back vibes of a New Zealand bach.
Photo: Willem-Dirk du Toit
Photo: Willem-Dirk du Toit
“An angled entry clad in white brick addresses the angle of the street and provides a place to pause before entering into the home,” says the firm.
The home's main entryway, with stairs leading down to a basement. A small powder room is tucked away in a seafoam-green boxed wall, with the kitchen hidden from view behind it.
A site-built glass tower houses the staircase that leads up to the master suite.
The clients' passion for hosting family-style gatherings guided the design of a custom, 20-seat walnut dining room table from Meyer Wells paired with Hans Wegner chairs. The hemlock ceiling helps define the space. The Vibia Flamingo 1540 pendants are from Antonie Arola. The custom, modern farmhouse credenza is from Chadhaus, and the artwork is by Wolfgang Bloch.
Each of the couple's three children have their own rooms, with built-in desks and storage units. The bedrooms have rift and quartered white oak flooring.
All of the bathrooms, which were sans doors in the previous iteration of the house, were reconfigured.
This navy-blue velvet Ico Parisi–inspired Comma Sofa “evokes a water element, soft movement, and speaks to the history of the home,” says Masters.
An Italian import, the large Bend table seats 10 and melds curved ash legs with a cast aluminum top.
A built-in cabinet of straight grain Douglas fir separate the sleeping area from the bathroom.
The main bathroom features a soaking tub, Hansgrohe faucets, and bathroom tiles from Heath Ceramics and American Universal Penny.
“The height of the new extension has been kept low, while still keeping all interior spaces on one level,” says the firm. “This approach led us to establish the project’s design identity in detail and materiality rather than in a ‘grand architectural gesture.’"
Brass hardware adds a pleasing contrast.
Side garden
Pool area
All lightHouses come with custom OxBox (oxidized steel) and Barn (wood) siding, as well as a collection of unique exterior steel features.
Pictured is a rendering of a 570-square-foot 2X lightHouse with a one-bedroom unit stacked atop a two-car garage.
The slatted dividing wall creates a distinction between the living room and the entryway, which is essentially part of a larger open space that includes the dining area.
The Coles and their children love hitting the beach, just four blocks away.
“It was great to work from the plans of someone who was a part of the history of architecture,” says Drapszo.
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