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 seashore 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 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 town. After which started three years of ready as we slogged by means of 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. In order for you the total story (together with why we’re “loopy” 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 now have formally begun development!
Since I’m going to have quite a bit to share about our Zuma Seaside Home undertaking within the coming months, this would be the official spot the place you’ll be able to comply with alongside. My hope is that, for these of you who’re as design-obsessed as me, it’s going to turn out to be 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 house, and fixing these difficult selections that come up in each renovation undertaking. 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 holding 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 concerning the present home:
- 1950’s ranch-style bungalow—though it has some charming parts, this home is actually all concerning the property.
- 1,400 sq. ft with two bedrooms and two bogs
- 600-square-foot visitor home above the storage
- The property is just 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 heart of our seashore view. After two years of working with town, we lastly obtained 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 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 house. Apart from the awkward flooring plan, we’re additionally missing house basically. It’s a comfy match for our household of 4, so when household or associates 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 if you each earn a living from home), so considered one of 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 combat within the meantime.
- Closed-off rooms. If you happen to’ve seen our Austin home, 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 will’t wait to open this house up.
- Low ceilings. In my view, low ceilings are one of the regarding issues a couple of home as a result of they are often actually tough to alter—and sometimes, can result in a home feeling darkish and crowded. So, once we first thought of the acquisition of this home, ensuring that we’d be capable of increase the ceilings was a prerequisite. Extra on that later.
- Tucked-away kitchen. For me, the kitchen is the center and heart 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 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 residing house). Our architect Doug brilliantly discovered a method to maintain 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 format, we wish anybody who arrives on the home to know precisely the place to park, with a transparent plan for the way 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 decisions.” 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 favor a wide-open house that ideally opens to the outside. If you happen to maintain studying, you’ll learn the way we’re attaining that with a 1,000-square-foot addition that’s mainly 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 difficult right here, particularly since we’re holding it to 1 story. We’ll be vaulting the ceilings, which implies 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, but it surely’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 associates 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. For the reason that kitchen is my joyful place, I naturally need to have the ability to spend time in it surrounded by household and associates. I would like a kitchen giant sufficient to accommodate cooking initiatives, recipe picture shoots, and many individuals, 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 might 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 outside collectively in a seamless movement. We wish this home to really feel like a sanctuary, utilizing pure supplies, impartial tones, and handcrafted particulars.
(Right here’s one other article I wrote about Japandi design and the way to create it in your personal house right here.)
The Visualizations: The place We’re Headed
We’ve been working with the staff at YouSee Studio to create life like 3D renderings of our plans so we are able to really visualize what we’re creating. I can’t advocate this course of sufficient. Not solely has it allowed us to make spacial selections concerning 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 house in the home as we undergo the design course of over the subsequent few months—we’ll be capable of have a look at completely different comparisons and choices collectively as we make all these closing selections to carry the undertaking to life.
Right here’s the property overview that reveals the brand new exterior. To the left, you’ll be able to see the nice room addition with the out of doors terrace. The fitting aspect 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 aspect of this undertaking is an intentional mix of magnificence and performance. Listed here are a couple of design selections which are guiding the complete undertaking:
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 outside.
- Corrugated metallic roofing, including a recent 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 based mostly within the US and works with Scandinavian producers.
- Stone accent partitions that floor the house and mirror the encompassing atmosphere. I can’t wait to point out you guys the stone that we selected from Eldorado Stone—it’s beautiful and might be such an announcement.
- Easy, practical layouts that maximize house and lightweight.
Design Philosophy:
- A concentrate on pure parts like olive and citrus timber, agave, and native grasses within the panorama.
- A impartial shade palette of black, wooden, creamy plaster, concrete, and stone for a chilled 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, leisure, and connection to nature.
The Crew