It’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve been ready to share this submit with you for years. When you’ve been following for some time, you’ll know that in 2020, we went all in on our large dream to renovate a seashore home in Malibu. We fell in love with an acre of land overlooking Zuma Seaside, with views of a lovely horse farm and gardens overflowing with wild roses and olive bushes. The breezes carried the scent of jasmine and salt water, and at night time 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 obtained 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. ft. We obtained all our geese in a row and submitted all the pieces to the 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 in the present day, 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 lately been rocked by tragedy. If you would like the total story (together with why we’re “loopy” sufficient to construct in a high-risk space) head over to the submit. Over right here, we’re kicking off the primary submit in our Renovation Diaries collection, as a result of we’ve formally begun development!
Since I’m going to have quite a bit to share about our Zuma Seaside Home mission 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 should change into a useful resource to your personal renovation journeys, in addition to a spot for inspiration and concepts. We’ll be getting granular on the main points: how we designed the kitchen island, precisely what supplies we’re utilizing in each area, and fixing these difficult selections that come up in each renovation mission. And sure, I’ll be asking you to weigh in, too.
It feels proper to start with a birds-eye view: a zoomed-out take a look at how the home will change, what we’re protecting and what we’re altering, and an outline of the design type and references which have impressed us.
First, the “Earlier than”
What to know in regards to the present home:
- 1950’s ranch-style bungalow—though it has some charming parts, this home is actually all in regards to the property.
- 1,400 sq. ft 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 bushes and luxurious citrus and avocado bushes.
Points with the present home:
- A big electrical pole. It was smack dab within the middle of our seashore view. After two years of working with the town, we lastly obtained it taken down and had the facility traces buried. It was a serious funding, however so value it to open up the view.
- No clear entrance entrance. Whereas there technically is a entrance door, it’s been utilized by precisely zero individuals 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 sort 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 area. Except for the awkward ground plan, we’re additionally missing area typically. It’s a comfy match for our household of 4, so when household or mates 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 once you each earn a living from home), so certainly one of us normally 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. When you’ve seen our Austin home, you already know that Adam and I are large on an open format. We gravitate towards an ethereal vibe, so a home made up of small rooms which are separated from one another makes us really feel claustrophobic. We are able to’t wait to open this area up.
- Low ceilings. For my part, low ceilings are one of the crucial regarding issues a few home as a result of they are often actually tough to vary—and infrequently, can result in a home feeling darkish and crowded. So, after we first thought of the acquisition of this home, ensuring that we’d have the ability to increase the ceilings was a prerequisite. Extra on that later.
- Tucked-away kitchen. For me, the kitchen is the guts 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 outdated home right here and answered a bunch of FAQs in regards to the property and placement, 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 area). Our architect Doug brilliantly discovered a solution to preserve the unique footprint of the present home, however we’ll rework the non-load-bearing partitions to utterly reimagine the inside ground 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 reworked format, we would like anybody who arrives on the home to know precisely the place to park, with a transparent plan for how one can enter. Do you know there’s an precise title for this matter? It’s wayfinding, and contains rules like creating “well-structured paths” and avoiding “too many navigational selections.” Undecided why I’m obsessive about this matter, however I discover it endlessly fascinating.
- Open ground plan. For the areas the place we reside, eat, and play collectively as a household, I favor a wide-open area that ideally opens to the outside. When you preserve studying, you’ll learn how we’re reaching that with a 1,000-square-foot addition that’s principally one large kitchen.
- Vaulted ceilings. Once we thought of buying this home, I knew that for the funding, we’d want to have the ability to increase the ceilings. Fortunately it wasn’t too sophisticated right here, particularly since we’re protecting it to 1 story. We’ll be vaulting the ceilings, which signifies that we’re extending into the triangular area 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, nevertheless it’ll additionally let extra pure mild into every area.
- 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 mates for years to return. By including a visitor suite and a bunk room, we’d make room for a further 4 to 5 individuals to stick with our household in the principle home.
- Huge kitchen for entertaining. Because the kitchen is my joyful place, I naturally need to have the ability to spend time in it surrounded by household and mates. I would like a kitchen giant sufficient to accommodate cooking tasks, recipe photograph shoots, and many individuals, since most dinner events find yourself with everybody gathered across the island. Based mostly on the present tucked-away nook kitchen, I knew this may require an entire reimagining of the area.
- 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 area.
The Type: Japandi Fashionable Seaside Home
We’re calling this a Japandi Fashionable Seaside Home as a result of it combines the minimalism, clear traces, and pure supplies of Scandinavian design with the heat, tranquility, and deal with craftsmanship from Japanese design. Our priorities are simplicity, performance, and concord, bringing the indoors and outdoor collectively in a seamless circulate. We would like 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 crew at YouSee Studio to create lifelike 3D renderings of our plans so we will actually visualize what we’re creating. I can’t advocate this course of sufficient. Not solely has it allowed us to make spacial selections in regards to the structure, however with the ability to check out completely different supplies and room layouts has already saved us from a number of selections we’d have regretted.
I can’t wait to share these visualizations of every area in the home as we undergo the design course of over the subsequent few months—we’ll have the ability to take a look at completely different comparisons and choices collectively as we make all these closing selections to deliver the mission to life.
Right here’s the property overview that reveals the brand new exterior. To the left, you possibly can see the good room addition with the outside terrace. The proper aspect is the present home that turns into the bedrooms, bogs, and media room.
Options of our Japandi Fashionable Seaside Home:
It’s vital to Adam and me that each component of this mission is an intentional mix of magnificence and performance. Listed here are a couple of design selections which are guiding the complete mission:
Exterior Design:
- Scandinavian-inspired wooden cladding. We’re utilizing lovely redwood from Humboldt Sawmill Firm in Northern California.
- Massive home windows and doorways that blur the traces between indoors and outdoor.
- Corrugated steel roofing, including a up to date edge to the minimalist design.
Inside Supplies:
- Pure wooden floors 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 area and replicate the encompassing atmosphere. I can’t wait to indicate you guys the stone that we selected from Eldorado Stone—it’s beautiful and will probably be such an announcement.
- Easy, purposeful layouts that maximize area and lightweight.
Design Philosophy:
- A deal with pure parts like olive and citrus bushes, agave, and native grasses within the panorama.
- A impartial coloration palette of black, wooden, creamy plaster, concrete, and stone for a relaxing vibe.
- An emphasis on craftsmanship and high-quality, long-lasting supplies.
Total Ambiance:
- A mix of Scandinavian hygge (coziness) with Japanese wabi-sabi (magnificence in imperfection).
- Areas designed for peace, rest, and connection to nature.
The Crew
