A Husband and Wife Purchase a Second Home in Manhattan Beach Based on Photos Alone, and Then Build Anew

As the years ticked by, they ruminated on moving back with their two grown daughters or buying a second home. Later, the decision was made for them with a fortuitous phone call from their friend and Realtor.

“There was a home that needed a serious remodel but had a great view and location,” says Angie. “We were curious but hesitant. With COVID-19 we couldn’t go see it. After sending over a couple trusted friends to check it out for us, we bought it sight unseen.”

Located just a block from The Strand, the existing design wasn’t functional or aesthetically aligned for the couple, who yearned for a light, sun-filled second home with ample storage and outdoor space for game-watching, barbecues and alfresco gatherings.

“The property was built in the 1990s, and nothing had been done or improved since,” explains Angie. “It was tired, rundown and boxy with very modern lines. The landscape and the yard were almost nonexistent. Living in the mountains of Colorado, all the homes are natural colors [browns and greys], and I was tired of seeing that everywhere. I wanted something fresh. For the interior, while it’s very beach-stereotypical, we wanted blues, whites and tans. Blue is our favorite color.” 

To start anew and rebuild to accommodate their needs, they looked to longtime friend and architect Grant Kirkpatrick of KAA Design Group, who referred them to Suzanne Ascher, owner and design principal of Waterleaf Interiors, and May Sung, founder and principal of SUBU Design Architecture. May, who formerly worked at KAA, helped design Suzanne’s home 20 years ago, and they have since collaborated on three projects.

“We interviewed several designers and a couple of architects and landed on these two amazing women,” says Angie. “Every conversation with Suzanne was filled with enthusiasm and the desire to make the home exactly how I wanted it to be, and May had a lot of obstacles to overcome with updating the original design and marrying my love for a traditional-style home with a modern flair. Both had to be ‘us’ during COVID—going way beyond their traditional job descriptions to represent us in our absence.”

Through weekly Zoom calls and socially distanced in-person meetings, Suzanne and May masterminded every detail of the three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home, along with Wilson Construction and Jones Landscapes.

“They have a very active lifestyle, and Dwight is an avid waterman [a surfer and stand-up paddler], so the proximity to the ocean was appealing to them. Here, it’s all about the water,” explains Suzanne. “The whole idea was to be a light house with a vacation vibe while emphasizing the views. It’s a very tight lot, and we had to construct the interiors like a ship. Everything has a place, but there’s also a lot of soul.”

A floating oak staircase designed by May with steel stringers and glass railings creates a clear sight line from the top floor to the bottom floor. It also acts as a focal point for the entire home.

Upstairs, design hacks span a corner pantry closet, coffee station and appliance garage seamlessly designed to appear as kitchen cabinetry; a drop-down theatre-style projection screen in the top-floor living room; and a motorized flip-out window with adjustable settings for an instant bar area from the kitchen to an outdoor patio.

“The home is like a little jewel box,” adds May, who appointed the exterior in a carefully studied shade of Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace. “Because of its compactness, we had to be disciplined and every single design element had to serve multiple purposes. It’s high-tech, but it still looks traditional.”

The space-saving, Houdini-like ingenuity in the tall and slender 2,251-square-foot home is inherent throughout the entry level, including a mudroom created beneath the staircase with an upholstered bench; storage for flip-flops and beach towels; and a custom cabinet with drawers containing docking stations for electronic devices.

More multifunctional zones continue in Dwight’s office (or “beach room”) with a desk specially designed for gazing at the ocean while working at the computer and a lift-up extension leaf for additional workspace. There’s also a pullout sofa for overnight guests, a hidden mini-fridge and bar, and pocket sliding doors that open onto the adjacent patio lined with a barbecue.

“This room triples,” says May. “It’s an office, a guest bedroom and an extension of the walk street courtyard with a television and a built-in bar underneath the entry/stair landing.”

For the interior, there’s minimal furniture to maintain an uncluttered feel. To complement the walls painted in Warm White by Dunn-Edwards, Suzanne selected artwork, furnishings and accessories in varying hues of green, blue and caramel.

In the living room, a faceted Morris large lantern by Suzanne Kasler for Visual Comfort hangs above a pair of leather club chairs by Lee Industries and stools fabricated by Waterleaf Interiors and upholstered in a blue-and-white fabric by Manuel Canovas. A large-scale bold blue abstract painting by Los Angeles artist Amadea Bailey anchors the wall above the staircase, while a painting by Daniel Maltzman hangs in the kitchen.

The primary bedroom—clad in dusty pinks, cream, and sage and deep emerald greens—features an Easton double chest by Oomph Home Furnishings with cream tassels; a Madison chair by Oomph upholstered in a pink-hued fabric by Kravet with fringe; and a bolster pillow topping the bed in Carnival performance fabric in latte by Christopher Farr Cloth.

Now back and forth between Colorado and Manhattan Beach, the couple couldn’t be more pleased with the final design of their beach home (which is occupied full time by their youngest daughter.)

“We love sitting on the sofa and soaking up the waves and the sunsets,” says Angie. “It’s one of our happiest places to spend our time. Every detail and every piece was thoughtfully inspired and sourced, and when we are there it feels so together and bright. And the ability to lie in bed with the curtains open and be able to see the surf and sand still has such a romantic feel. It never gets old.”

•••

Less Is More

“In a smaller home, the fewer material changes, the better. This includes flooring and wall treatments. For instance, if you have a space that leads to the outdoors, try to use a material that will work in both spaces,” says Suzanne. “For this project, we did the entire bottom floor and beach room patio in the same tile. This increases the feeling of space inside and out.”

•••

Use All Viable Space

“Don’t overlook the area under the stairs. We were able to tuck a mudroom at the entrance from the garage,” says May. “In the primary bathroom, we also added wall-to-wall windows with floating mirrors in front to maximize the light and allow for ocean views between the buildings.”

“Make sure each space has a purpose and multiple uses,” adds Suzanne. “Don’t just make it look pretty. For bedrooms, swing arm wall sconces for reading are a great space-saver.”

•••

Think Long-Term

“High-traffic spaces are made much more durable with vinyl wallpaper or wall paneling,” says Suzanne.

•••

Go With the Flow

“The color palette should flow,” says Suzanne. “It can vary, but it should be visually respectful from one area to the next.”

•••

Look Inward

“Understand how you truly live in a space—not in theory but in reality,” says Suzanne. “Be honest with whoever is helping you so they can streamline systems and make good use of all spaces. For example, do you remove shoes and place them where they will be stored out of eyesight when you walk in?”