It’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve been ready to share this publish with you for years. If you happen to’ve been following for some time, you’ll know that in 2020, we went all in on our large dream to renovate a seaside home in Malibu. We fell in love with an acre of land overlooking Zuma Seaside, with views of a phenomenal horse farm and gardens overflowing with wild roses and olive timber. The breezes carried the scent of jasmine and salt water, and at evening the solar set simply on the level the place the ocean meets the mountains. It was love at first sight.
A few months later, we acquired the keys to the home and our journey started. We employed Doug Burdge, our beloved Malibu-based architect, to reinvent the ground plan and add 1,000 sq. toes. We acquired all our geese in a row and submitted all the pieces to town. After which started three years of ready as we slogged by the allowing course of with the Metropolis of Malibu. We didn’t know on the time how a lot persistence and uncertainty this dream of ours would require, however all through, we held tightly to our imaginative and prescient and refused to surrender.
In my Substack right now, I shared much more about our private journey and what it taught me, and the vary of feelings that come from constructing in a spot that’s so not too long ago been rocked by tragedy. If you’d like the total story (together with why we’re “crazy” sufficient to construct in a high-risk space) head over to the publish. Over right here, we’re kicking off the primary publish in our Renovation Diaries collection, as a result of we have now formally begun development!
Since I’m going to have loads to share about our Zuma Seaside Home challenge within the coming months, this would be the official spot the place you possibly can observe alongside. My hope is that, for these of you who’re as design-obsessed as me, it’s going to grow to be a useful resource on your personal renovation journeys, in addition to a spot for inspiration and concepts. We’ll be getting granular on the small print: how we designed the kitchen island, precisely what supplies we’re utilizing in each house, and fixing these tough selections that come up in each renovation challenge. And sure, I’ll be asking you to weigh in, too.
It feels proper to start with a birds-eye view: a zoomed-out have a look at how the home will change, what we’re maintaining and what we’re altering, and an summary of the design fashion and references which have impressed us.
First, the “Before”
What to know concerning the present home:
1950’s ranch-style bungalow—though it has some charming components, this home is actually all concerning the property.
1,400 sq. toes with two bedrooms and two bogs
600-square-foot visitor home above the storage
The property is slightly below an acre overlooking Zuma Seaside, with towering palm timber and luxurious citrus and avocado timber.
Points with the present home:
A big electrical pole. It was smack dab within the middle of our seaside view. After two years of working with town, we lastly acquired it taken down and had the ability strains buried. It was a serious funding, however so price it to open up the view.
No clear entrance entrance. Whereas there technically is a entrance door, it’s been utilized by precisely zero folks since we purchased the home. If you pull into the driveway, the trail leads you down a sidewalk straight to the again door. So, nobody is kind of certain whether or not to circle round to the entrance of the home, or enter straight into the door of our laundry room.
Lack of house. Except for the awkward flooring plan, we’re additionally missing house generally. It’s a comfy match for our household of 4, so when household or buddies come to stick with us, we’re bursting on the seams. There’s additionally nowhere for me and Adam to work (which is an issue while you each do business from home), so one in all us often finally ends up taking calls from the bed room whereas the opposite sits on the kitchen desk with Air Pods in, praying that the youngsters gained’t get right into a battle within the meantime.
Closed-off rooms. If you happen to’ve seen our Austin home, you understand that Adam and I are large on an open structure. We gravitate towards an ethereal vibe, so a home made up of small rooms which can be separated from one another makes us really feel claustrophobic. We are able to’t wait to open this house up.
Low ceilings. For my part, low ceilings are one of the vital regarding issues a few home as a result of they are often actually troublesome to alter—and sometimes, can result in a home feeling darkish and crowded. So, after we first thought-about the acquisition of this home, ensuring that we’d have the ability to elevate the ceilings was a prerequisite. Extra on that later.
Tucked-away kitchen. For me, the kitchen is the center and middle of a house, so having a small kitchen awkwardly tucked into the nook of the home (with dated granite and cabinetry) was going to be the very first thing to go in any renovation.
I gave a full tour of the previous home right here and answered a bunch of FAQs concerning the property and site, if you wish to dive deeper.
The Renovation Plan
The addition: We’ll add a 1,000 sq. foot nice room (a big open kitchen with dwelling house). Our architect Doug brilliantly discovered a technique to preserve the unique footprint of the present home, however we’ll rework the non-load-bearing partitions to fully reimagine the inside flooring plan.
Create a transparent entrance entrance. As talked about above, the present home lacks a transparent entrance and leaves company confused about the place they need to go. Within the transformed structure, we wish anybody who arrives on the home to know precisely the place to park, with a transparent plan for methods to enter. Do you know there’s an precise identify for this matter? It’s wayfinding, and contains rules like creating “well-structured paths” and avoiding “too many navigational choices.” Undecided why I’m obsessive about this matter, however I discover it endlessly fascinating.
Open flooring plan. For the areas the place we stay, eat, and play collectively as a household, I choose a wide-open house that ideally opens to the outside. If you happen to preserve studying, you’ll learn how we’re attaining that with a 1,000-square-foot addition that’s principally one large kitchen.
Vaulted ceilings. After we thought-about buying this home, I knew that for the funding, we’d want to have the ability to elevate the ceilings. Fortunately it wasn’t too difficult right here, particularly since we’re maintaining it to at least one story. We’ll be vaulting the ceilings, which signifies that we’re extending into the triangular house between the place a ceiling would usually sit and the highest of the roof. This is not going to solely assist the rooms really feel bigger than they really are, however it’ll additionally let extra pure mild into every house.
Room for company. Whereas we needed to maintain this a reasonably modest-sized home, we additionally knew that this was a spot we anticipated internet hosting household and buddies for years to come back. By including a visitor suite and a bunk room, we’d make room for a further 4 to 5 folks to stick with our household in the principle home.
Huge kitchen for entertaining. Because the kitchen is my comfortable place, I naturally need to have the ability to spend time in it surrounded by household and buddies. I would like a kitchen massive sufficient to accommodate cooking initiatives, recipe photograph shoots, and plenty of folks, since most dinner events find yourself with everybody gathered across the island. Primarily based on the present tucked-away nook kitchen, I knew this could require an entire reimagining of the house.
Pure mild. The present home already has nice mild, however we knew that by elevating the ceilings and including extra home windows and doorways to the again of the home, we may create an much more light-filled house.
The Fashion: Japandi Fashionable Seaside Home
We’re calling this a Japandi Fashionable Seaside Home as a result of it combines the minimalism, clear strains, and pure supplies of Scandinavian design with the heat, tranquility, and concentrate on craftsmanship from Japanese design. Our priorities are simplicity, performance, and concord, bringing the indoors and open air collectively in a seamless circulation. We wish this home to really feel like a sanctuary, utilizing pure supplies, impartial tones, and handcrafted particulars.
The Visualizations: The place We’re Headed
We’ve been working with the group at YouSee Studio to create reasonable 3D renderings of our plans so we will actually visualize what we’re creating. I can’t suggest this course of sufficient. Not solely has it allowed us to make spacial selections concerning the structure, however having the ability to take a look at out completely different supplies and room layouts has already saved us from a number of selections we might have regretted.
I can’t wait to share these visualizations of every house in the home as we undergo the design course of over the subsequent few months—we’ll have the ability to have a look at completely different comparisons and choices collectively as we make all these closing selections to deliver the challenge to life.
Right here’s the property overview that exhibits the brand new exterior. To the left, you possibly can see the good room addition with the out of doors terrace. The correct facet is the present home that turns into the bedrooms, bogs, and media room.
Options of our Japandi Fashionable Seaside Home:
It’s necessary to Adam and me that each ingredient of this challenge is an intentional mix of magnificence and performance. Listed here are a number of design selections which can be guiding your entire challenge:
Exterior Design:
Scandinavian-inspired wooden cladding. We’re utilizing stunning redwood from Humboldt Sawmill Firm in Northern California.
Giant home windows and doorways that blur the strains between indoors and open air.
Corrugated metallic roofing, including a up to date edge to the minimalist design.
Inside Supplies:
Pure wood flooring and cabinetry for heat and texture. Our flooring are by Stuga, a direct-to-consumer wooden flooring firm that’s primarily based within the US and works with Scandinavian producers.
Stone accent partitions that floor the house and replicate the encompassing atmosphere. I can’t wait to indicate you guys the stone that we selected from Eldorado Stone—it’s attractive and will probably be such a press release.
Easy, useful layouts that maximize house and light-weight.
Design Philosophy:
A concentrate on pure components like olive and citrus timber, agave, and native grasses within the panorama.
A impartial colour palette of black, wooden, creamy plaster, concrete, and stone for a relaxing vibe.
An emphasis on craftsmanship and high-quality, long-lasting supplies.
General Ambiance:
A mix of Scandinavian hygge (coziness) with Japanese wabi-sabi (magnificence in imperfection).
Areas designed for peace, leisure, and connection to nature.
The Workforce
