The couple who owns this Southern California enclave by the sea, two blocks from magical Malaga Cove, “went down to the studs” to reconfigure the floor plan, take advantage of the view and add beloved European touches.
“It was a really terrible layout before,” says designer Christine Vroom, who created a newly envisioned 5-bedroom, 5 ½-bath home with an airier, open feeling for a family with two careers and two daughters (one in high school, one in college). “We saved only parts of the shell.”
Vroom carved four levels of entertaining space into the cliffside backyard, with stairs that connect amenities including a bar, a dining area surrounded by olive trees, a sleek outdoor shower, fire pit, spa and pool. Inside, a suite downstairs is ready for overnight guests and a fully appointed office in the nook next to the kitchen makes working at home manageable. “This house is where all the friends and family come to hang. It feels like you’re on top of the ocean. They can see all the way to Malibu,” Vroom adds.
The couple met in Germany and share a love of Europe. “They wanted the house to reflect who they are and how they live, and be comfortable for their daughters,” the designer notes. She married the Spanish/Modern Tuscan architectural style with rustic details: repurposed wood barn beams in the living room, shipped from the Utah company Trestlewood, and older techniques, such as cabinetry glazing. The tile backsplash is Spanish relief style, and the range hood is made from reclaimed metal.
But on the modern side, so the house would “function at its prime,” the owners insisted on all high-end European appliances, including German Miele in the kitchen and laundry room and modern toilets from Swiss brand Geberit.
An exceptional German touch is the fachwerk (timber-framed design) around the dining room fireplace and on the entry wall. The cherished architectural style dates back centuries and involves building a timber frame with beams, bars and braces and filling in the space inside with stucco, brick, tile or art designs. Vroom used tile. “We just wanted to give a little nod to their German background,” she notes. “That made the owners happy.”
Top-of-mind essentials: Contemporary, inviting furniture from Arhaus. The couple chose the sustainably certified Remington Three Piece Corner Sectional Sofa in Nomad Snow and the Engles Leather Chair in Saddlebag Coin. For the kitchen, Provenza Iconic Edge wire-bushed hardwood flooring in Caviar feels softer, not jagged. Paints in Vroom’s palette here include Benjamin Moore Simply White (she calls it “a clean, comfortable neutral”), Hale Navy and Van Deusen Blue.
Photography by Sara Tramp.
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