This Malibu Beach House Is Quintessential California Contemporary

Jan 30, 2024

By Nicolas Milon

Photography by Alexis Adams

Rocky and lush, lively and tranquil.… There are many different sides to the California coast. At the eastern end of the town, this Malibu beach house house sits right on the sands of mile-long Carbon Beach, known locally as “Billionaire’s Beach.” A community of famous names makes its home here, from music moguls and software billionaires to mega-successful business people, with figures like David Geffen and Larry Ellison among them.

When property developer and interior designer Saffron Case took on this project, the house was in very poor condition. “It hadn’t been remodeled since the 1980s, and its finishes were dated,” she explains. “Given its location, we knew it had to be a luxury beach retreat. A weekend refuge where you could surf and relax.”

The floor plan emphasizes wide-open spaces, with 180-degree views of the beach and the Pacific Ocean, in every room. Two different living rooms are separated by the dining room and kitchen, complemented by a bar. Upstairs, the enormous, paneled bedroom has a fireplace, ample lounge space, and a study that can be closed off with sliding glass doors. Space is the foremost luxury in this villa, which includes a grand terrace and balcony off of the substantial open communal areas. Case’s style is a mix of the modern and traditional, based on clean lines and muted tones. Treating the walls with white oak and cream plasterwork, the interior designer has created a cocoon that is relaxed and breezy, luxurious and elegant. “The house benefits from natural light and a bright exposure, so we were able to mix modern organic materials and furnishings for a soft neutral palette,” she says.

The bar, fireplace, and kitchen hood are all clad in aged copper, while the dining room chairs and coffee table in the living room are in dark oak. Facing the TV area with its wood and travertine elements, the bar has copper-clad surfaces that play off a peach-colored mirror behind glass shelves. The copper has been water-aged to create a “living” blackened finish that slowly evolves over time through exposure to the elements. At dusk, rays of sunlight striking the peach-colored glass and copper producing a magnificent effect. The same is true for the blond wood used generously in the floors, walls, door frames, and in certain elements—like the elevated sideboard in the living room, the sweeping entrance, and the study area in the paneled bedroom—all of which radiate warmth throughout the house. So too do the thick, shearling covers for the seats and cushions and the large curtains that, when closed, scatter the light streaming in from the ocean. It’s a view you'll never grow tired of.

The hallway’s dramatic floor-to-ceiling wood paneling is topped by a large central skylight. A console in burnt and waxed Iroko wood by Arno Declercq via Garde is complemented by the long dark carpet that seems to lead right into the ocean.

By the front door, a sconce above a rough-hewn bench is designed to represent the cratered surface of the moon.

One of the living rooms offers a view of the ocean. The light tones of the wood, curtains, and armchairs contrast with the darkened copper of the fireplace and the black shelf that holds vases and antique ceramics. The solid birch Lilibet coffee table by Amber Interiors has a distressed walnut finish.

The aged copper matte surface of the grand fireplace gently reflects the light in the home. Large black bookcases flanking it are filled with ceramic objects whose shapes and material add sensuality. A sofa and two Faas armchairs by Stahl + Band are placed around a Lilibet coffee table by Amber Interiors.

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Mayer Rus

The dining room dominates the center of the spacious lower level. Around the light natural wood table, dark wood chairs are covered in shearling. A golden brass pendant light by RW Guild hangs above the table.

Light and dark woods dominate the home’s open floor plan, echoing the structure’s clad exterior. Matte paint softens and diffuses the steady light.

There’s a distinctly light atmosphere in the TV lounge. Around two travertine coffee tables sit Peyote shearling armchairs by Blackman Cruz. On the wall, a long, light wood sideboard is raised and backlit and the TV screen displays a work of art.

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Mayer Rus

A peach-colored mirror stands behind glass shelves in the copper-finished bar. The copper has been water-aged to create a darkened surface that slowly changes over time from exposure to the elements.

The open-plan kitchen enjoys plenty of indirect natural light. Dark touches in the aged copper hood and blackened brass Oscar pendant lights (RW Guild) contrast with the light wood and veined white stone.

In a guest bathroom, the ceramic brick wall reflects interior designer Saffron Case’s care in adding both lightness and rough materials to the heart of her design for the home.

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Mayer Rus

The primary bedroom’s view of the Pacific Ocean at sunset.

The primary bedroom has been given a two-tone treatment of light wood and matte white. A study lies straight across from the sitting area. Large bay windows provide abundant light.

Like a small and snug box, the office can be closed off with sliding glass doors. As in much of the house, light wood and white dominate here, with the black desk and chair providing a contrast.

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Mayer Rus

The primary bathroom is finished in wood and veined stone.

Built around a circular fire pit, a large outdoor living room juts over the beach below. Wood, black all-weather fabric, and striped cushions create a simple, elegant ambience.

The home’s long terrace is perched over the sands of Carbon Beach.

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Mayer Rus

This Malibu beach house was first published by AD France. It was translated by John Oseid.