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Collection by Jacqueline Leahy

Small Beach Houses We Love

These seven properties show that when it comes to vacations homes, less can certainly be more.

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Because the ocean is so close to the house, the Fisher family treats the beach like an extended backyard.
Because the ocean is so close to the house, the Fisher family treats the beach like an extended backyard.
Once a classic trailer-park scheme of mint green and white, the exterior of Commune Images owner Sofie Howard’s 500-square-foot Malibu trailer was distinctively repainted. The gate is a patchwork of scrap wood pieces. Partly inspired by 1970s Vans slip-ons, Howard’s boyfriend, artist Grant Shumate, painted accent lines on the side of the trailer. The porch houses a seating area with handmade MORERA Boxes from Commune, and a new outdoor shower. The entrance is beneath the wood-framed canopy.
Once a classic trailer-park scheme of mint green and white, the exterior of Commune Images owner Sofie Howard’s 500-square-foot Malibu trailer was distinctively repainted. The gate is a patchwork of scrap wood pieces. Partly inspired by 1970s Vans slip-ons, Howard’s boyfriend, artist Grant Shumate, painted accent lines on the side of the trailer. The porch houses a seating area with handmade MORERA Boxes from Commune, and a new outdoor shower. The entrance is beneath the wood-framed canopy.
Architect Mary Ann Schicketanz created a 1,900-square-foot home in Big Sur, California, that hugs its hillside site. Read more about this Californian central coast wonder here.
Architect Mary Ann Schicketanz created a 1,900-square-foot home in Big Sur, California, that hugs its hillside site. Read more about this Californian central coast wonder here.
It was the surf and the artsy vibe that attracted Eric Grunbaum to Venice Beach, California, 18 years ago. An avid surfer and creative director for an advertising agency, he thrives on lively environs. So it’s no surprise that he turned to the Los Angeles–based architect Barbara Bestor to design a house for him near the Pacific. Bestor, the chair of graduate studies at Woodbury University School of Architecture, has a formidable reputation in Southern California for her bohemian modernism, and for Grunbaum, she created a 2,000–square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath home that harbors a traditional sensibility with a contemporary heart. From the deck off the master bedroom, Grunbaum looks across his front yard. Bestor designed the second story to float over the ground “like a cloud.” Grunbaum guides us on a tour of his modern surf shack.
It was the surf and the artsy vibe that attracted Eric Grunbaum to Venice Beach, California, 18 years ago. An avid surfer and creative director for an advertising agency, he thrives on lively environs. So it’s no surprise that he turned to the Los Angeles–based architect Barbara Bestor to design a house for him near the Pacific. Bestor, the chair of graduate studies at Woodbury University School of Architecture, has a formidable reputation in Southern California for her bohemian modernism, and for Grunbaum, she created a 2,000–square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath home that harbors a traditional sensibility with a contemporary heart. From the deck off the master bedroom, Grunbaum looks across his front yard. Bestor designed the second story to float over the ground “like a cloud.” Grunbaum guides us on a tour of his modern surf shack.
Minimalist Matt Jacobson's Manhattan Beach home of just under 900 square feet was calculated and constructed to serve his need for the perfect surf haven.
Minimalist Matt Jacobson's Manhattan Beach home of just under 900 square feet was calculated and constructed to serve his need for the perfect surf haven.
Despite the 1,900 square feet limit architect Cass Calder Smith faced in its renovation, this Stinson Beach, California home feels as spacious and uninhibited as the water lapping beneath its tiered dock.
Despite the 1,900 square feet limit architect Cass Calder Smith faced in its renovation, this Stinson Beach, California home feels as spacious and uninhibited as the water lapping beneath its tiered dock.