See How Tastemakers and Designers Live Along the Coast
“There is something magical about living by the water,” writes Henrietta Heald in her book Coastal Living: A Celebration of Living by the Ocean (Ryland Peters & Small, $35). While its pages take you to coasts all over the world, from Denmark and Malibu to England and the Bahamas, the homes show a common passion for life by the water. The architecture is diverse and directly influenced by the coastal location—structures include a New England saltbox, an old British coastguard cottage, and a weathered wood-and-glass modern home on Long Island. Inside, the houses feature nautical maps, beach finds, or maritime relics displayed as art; they also incorporate practical design elements that suit the seaside setting—bare wood floors withstand trails of sand being tracked in, curtainless windows allow light to stream in, and hardy cotton fabrics endure exposure to the salt and sun. Read on, and you may be inspired to bring some coastal living into your own home.
1/4Nantucket Island was designated a National Landmark District in 1975, making all the historic homes there highly prized. Following strict conservation guidelines, the owners of this 19th-century boathouse moved all the living areas to the top floor, which opens onto a balcony with harbor views. To mimic a well-worn and uneven look, each floorboard was sanded, bleached, and buffed with an oil-based soap finish. In this bedroom, nautical decor incorporates the island’s whaling history, including a wood propeller tipped in oxidized zinc.
2/4Fire Island is a strip of land running 27 miles long and a quarter mile wide neighboring New York’s Long Island. Alex and Andrew Bates purchased a 1911 home constructed by Saltaire master builder Mike Coffey—one of over 100 houses that he had built in the town. “We kept our Coffey house true to the original design,” says Alex. A private boardwalk leads to a large enclosed porch (shown), which doubles as a living room with built-in window seats for lounging. External windows on both sides flood the room with natural light.
3/4When architect Cary Tamarkin found this site on New York’s Shelter Island, it was occupied by an uninhabitable 1960s shack. A new house was built on the same footprint except for a 13-foot overhang on the first story—raised 9-feet off the ground—added on either end of the house to expand the interior space. The main building material was old-growth cypress, which is rot-resistant. “I wanted a cabin, and this house has the attitude of a cabin,” says Tamarkin. “I like to pare back and back.” In the dining room (shown), floor-to-ceiling windows blur the boundary between indoors and out.
4/4Longtime Bahamas residents, designer India Hicks and her husband, David Flint Wood built a guesthouse on Harbour Island to accommodate their many visitors. The two-story house was conceived by local architect Henry Melich in an old Caribbean plantation style. Each story has its own wraparound veranda overlooking the beach. “The beauty of the design is its modular simplicity,” says Wood, who created the pencil bed and side table in this bedroom. The aesthetic is clean and uncluttered.
