Favorites

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. Aidlin Darling took pains during construction to preserve the cypress trees that give the Great Highway House so much of its charm.

Floor Plan of O’Neil Ford Midcentury by Lake|Flato and Office of Tangible Space

Custom white oak vanities continue the thread in the en-suite bathroom.

Yuan reconfigured the balcony layout and pulled the stairs to the side for safer circulation.

Before: The stairs on the original deck terminated right at the pool.

The team removed the brick at the fireplace and added a terrazzo hearth with custom brass. The angles of the walls made a traditional furniture layout awkward, so the designers opted to float the custom sofa in the center so circulation flows easily around it. Art by Carrie Crawford and pendants by Sistemalux.

Yuan relocated the utility functions to a peripheral area of the house and created a breakfast niche that overlooks the sunken den. It has sconces by L’aviva Home, a Sun At Six table, and upholstery by Johanna Gullichsen. The artwork is by Erin Lynn Welsh.

Yuan added skylights throughout the house to bring more light into the interior, including this one over the central island, which also has pendants by In Common With. The floors are by D’Hanis Terracotta Tile.

The interior designers hung a Puffball Cloud Pendant chandelier by Faye Toogood over the extra-long dining table by Miniforms, and surrounded it with blue chairs by Bruno Rey upholstered with Pierre Frey fabric. "One of the things the client wanted was a lot of energy and color,

A thread of white oak that's now woven throughout the home starts with a custom bar in the dining room, and wraps the corner into the kitchen.

Before: The dining room was in a dark room off the living room. Yuan relocated the dining room to the core of the home, and added storage and a serving bar.

Lake Flato Architects extended the brick around the fireplace across the entire wall, then added a steel beam to be able to remove the columns and lift the ceiling height. Office of Tangible Space added a Sofa by De Sede, Rug by Beni Rugs, and chair by Shiro Kuramata for Cassina.

Floor Plan of Hidden Meadow by Colleen Healey Architecture

The primary bathroom is a recreation of what Peter and Abigail had in Tokyo, particularly a tub that allows one to preset and maintain a desired temperature.

A fireplace in the primary bedroom, mostly hidden in the wall before renovation, was fully exposed and partially rebuilt, brick by brick.

That same curved wall, seen from the hallway. By curving the wall's edges, the doorway openings and sight lines are enlarged.

In the living room, a wall curves on either side, wrapping the walnut cabinetry for the TV.

Marble was used on the kitchen island, complimented by walnut cabinetry and butcher-block countertop, as well as a backsplash of ceramic tile.

The new kitchen, part of the reconstructed extension, takes advantage of ample glass.