This gorgeous oceanside house was designed by Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects, perched on the bluffs of Carpinteria, a charming coastal community near Santa Barbara, California. The homeowners had a list of requirements before the construction of their beachside residence, this included two bedrooms for the couple’s grown sons, sumptuous guest quarters, a tennis court, an expansive swimming pool with a pool house as well as several entertaining spaces for friends and family.

The property encompassed just over four acres, yet the architects faced the challenge of designing a home that did not feel as big as it appeared. The home that was original to the property was a board-and-batten beach cottage that dated back to the 1940s, offering design inspiration for the project. The architect planned to make this coastal retreat appear as though it has been added to over time, creating an authentic feel.

The core of this two-story structure is comprised of a living and dining room, kitchen, and a family room, with a master bedroom retreat given its own private domain on the upper level. At one end of the house are the two bedrooms for the two sons, while the opposite end houses the private guest quarters.

What We Love: This beautifully crafted oceanside house in California can be used for more intimate family gatherings or to entertain large groups of people — this abode offers everything one could desire. It was designed to feel very relaxing yet has a casual elegance that is appealing to the eyes. We love all of the artistic details from the artwork to the structural trusses in the living room and everything in between, very aesthetically pleasing.

Tell Us: Do you think this house is overdone or do you like what the project team has done with the overall design?

Note: Be sure to check out a couple of other incredible home tours that we have highlighted here on One Kindesign in the state of California: Modern concrete and glass dwelling in Santa Barbara and Beautiful update to a modern craftsman style home in Northern California.

Above: A sunny courtyard with stone pavers welcomes you inside the home, opening into a gallery space highlighted by colorful oil paintings on canvas by the late artist Joan Mitchell.

Interior designer Tom Stringer was brought into the project to help achieve the aesthetic in the interiors that the architects had begun with the exterior; the concept that the home should appear as though it had been added to for generations. To help achieve this, the color palette and material elements were subtly changed between spaces, which also created a nice flow. The family bedrooms were decorated in a contemporary manner, while the guest quarters were given a more traditional styling.

The spacious living room of this seaside retreat is characterized by floor-to-ceiling stone-clad fireplaces on either side with cast bronze grapevine log sets inside the hearth. These were designed by Elena Colombo of Fire Features who does custom installations of “fire bowls, water and wind features, memorials, markers, and environmental sculpture.” We have an excellent example of this talented artist’s work in a previous home we featured here on One Kindesign. Be sure to look out for all the outdoor fire features, here: Striking modern pad with captivating views over the Sunset Strip.

Above: An abstract painting on the wall adds a pop of color to this otherwise neutral color scheme, by artist Cecily Brown.

RELATED: Artfully redesigned mid-century beach villa in Montecito

ABOVE: The master bedroom in this coastal California house features an Assyrian chest, a personal piece the couple had picked up from Turkey.

The couple’s personal art and furniture collection picked up from travels is intermingled with contemporary art and furnishings to add visual interest. One such example is the antique doors pictured above, which the homeowners had purchased from Turkey.

ABOVE: French doors in the guest suite lead out to several patio spaces outdoors, helping blur the lines between indoors and out.

ABOVE: A teak folly at the end of the pool provides a nice shelter for the homeowners to relax and read or watch their guests swim. The structure was designed by the architects, who had it built in Indonesia for authenticity and then re-assembled on site. The lush gardens surrounding the property help to provide sound attenuation from the road nearby.

PHOTOGRAPHER Ciro Coelho Photography