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Collection by Brandi Andres

Stunning Homes Perched High Above the Pacific Ocean

From the cliffs of Chile to the Hawaiian Islands, here are seven modern homes with magnificent views of Earth's largest ocean.

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Architects Stan Boles and Christopher Almeida arranged ten-foot-tall panes of glass in a steel curtain-wall frame to create the building’s distinctive facade.
Architects Stan Boles and Christopher Almeida arranged ten-foot-tall panes of glass in a steel curtain-wall frame to create the building’s distinctive facade.
White paint now covers the exterior walls of the Cooper Wave house, and the beach has shrunk over the decades since the house was built (1957–59), which has forced the current owners to construct new supports in the form of massive concrete caissons now visible below the deck. Despite the changes, the original concept of the three dynamic vaults, or “waves,” of the roofline still resonates. Photo by Juergen Nogai
White paint now covers the exterior walls of the Cooper Wave house, and the beach has shrunk over the decades since the house was built (1957–59), which has forced the current owners to construct new supports in the form of massive concrete caissons now visible below the deck. Despite the changes, the original concept of the three dynamic vaults, or “waves,” of the roofline still resonates. Photo by Juergen Nogai
The living room fireplace recapitulates the Gothic theme of the windows. For the owner of Ravenseye, restoring it according to Gesner’s original plan was a priority. Photo by Juergen Nogai
The living room fireplace recapitulates the Gothic theme of the windows. For the owner of Ravenseye, restoring it according to Gesner’s original plan was a priority. Photo by Juergen Nogai
The Casa Cuatro sits above a 180-foot cliff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The locally quarried stone makes the house blend in with the landscape and acts as a thermal-mass wall, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it through the evening.
The Casa Cuatro sits above a 180-foot cliff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The locally quarried stone makes the house blend in with the landscape and acts as a thermal-mass wall, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it through the evening.
Miha hangs out with Kea, the dog, on the wooden deck that extends the living space outdoors.
Miha hangs out with Kea, the dog, on the wooden deck that extends the living space outdoors.
For Gabriel Ramirez and his partner Sarah Mason Williams, following the Sea Ranch rules—local covenants guide new designs—didn’t mean slipping into Sea Ranch clichés. The architects love Cor-Ten steel, with its ruddy and almost organic surface, and they made it the main exterior material, along with board-formed concrete and ipe wood. The Cor-Ten, which quickly turned an autumnal rust in the sea air, and the concrete, with its grain and crannies, mean the house isn’t a pristine box, Ramirez says. His Neutra house “was very crisp and clean,” he says. “This house is more distressed, more wabi-sabi.”
For Gabriel Ramirez and his partner Sarah Mason Williams, following the Sea Ranch rules—local covenants guide new designs—didn’t mean slipping into Sea Ranch clichés. The architects love Cor-Ten steel, with its ruddy and almost organic surface, and they made it the main exterior material, along with board-formed concrete and ipe wood. The Cor-Ten, which quickly turned an autumnal rust in the sea air, and the concrete, with its grain and crannies, mean the house isn’t a pristine box, Ramirez says. His Neutra house “was very crisp and clean,” he says. “This house is more distressed, more wabi-sabi.”