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Contemporary Collection: 5 Dynamic Island Homes
Modern lines and contemporary design put beach cottage expectations out to sea for this handful of unusual American island homes
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Island life conjures up many things, from shacky shingled beach cottages to primitive Caribbean huts. While I love a typical cozy beach cottage bedecked in cottage shingles outside and traditional beadboard inside, recent Houzz Tours have me rethinking the best ways to enjoy island settings. In these examples, expansive windows and doors take the place of small shuttered windows; minimal detailing brings the focus to the views outside. Shifting from shingle style to contemporary can be quite a shock; see if it entices you.
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1. Kiawah Island, South Carolina
This home takes full advantage of its lagoon views and resembles a lantern when lit up at night.
This home takes full advantage of its lagoon views and resembles a lantern when lit up at night.
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Expansive walls of glass blur the lines between indoors and out. Motorized shades provide privacy and shade when needed. Obviously, in a typical one-house-on-top-of-another beach community, living in a fishbowl would be less than ideal, but in this setting it works.
The wood floors and ceiling, along with the tall stone fireplace, add warmth to the wide-open space.
The wood floors and ceiling, along with the tall stone fireplace, add warmth to the wide-open space.
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Upstairs, the bedroom's large glass windows and high ceiling create a lofty treehouselike retreat. While I love the coziness of the cramped typical beach house bedrooms I'm used to, I imagine this would be an unbelievably relaxing way to enjoy island life.
See the rest of this home
See the rest of this home
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| 2. Long Beach Island, New Jersey Moving up the East Coast, this house combines the area's traditional shingle style with contemporary industrial style. |
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Recycled wood and vintage chairs add rustic and groovy touches, while high ceilings, marine lights, large swaths of white paint and metal beams and railings lend an overall contemporary look.
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| Horizontally oriented pine planks are a contemporary take on traditional beach cottage beadboard. They create a cozier area for the bed, serve as a visual headboard and make the space appear bigger. See the rest of this home |
3. Long Island, New York
Right up the Atlantic coast, Beacon Hill Colony was once a community of sand and gravel pit workers' shacks. People have been snapping up this waterfront property, tearing down existing shacks and rebuilding; these homeowners wanted to respect the site, their neighbors and the earth when they hired architect Stuart Narofsky.
Because of height and size limitations, Narofsky came up with a brilliant plan to build down into the hillside. This maximized space and views while nestling the house right into the topography.
Right up the Atlantic coast, Beacon Hill Colony was once a community of sand and gravel pit workers' shacks. People have been snapping up this waterfront property, tearing down existing shacks and rebuilding; these homeowners wanted to respect the site, their neighbors and the earth when they hired architect Stuart Narofsky.
Because of height and size limitations, Narofsky came up with a brilliant plan to build down into the hillside. This maximized space and views while nestling the house right into the topography.
| Narofsky brought in reclaimed wood from New York City brownstones for the ceiling. Its beauty and texture allowed him to leave the ceiling open to the beams, adding height. |
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| 4. Nantucket Island, Massachusetts Farther up the coast, Workshop/apd created a home with a modern feel inside that blends in with the shingled cottages the island is so famous for. |
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| The two-story, open first floor is a delightful surprise. Clean lines, a cathedral ceiling, white paint and natural light make the house appear much larger than it is. |
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| Not everything is strictly unadorned and white; the family incorporates collections of their favorite objects into the home with brilliant editing and composition, and without hesitation. See the rest of this home |
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by Wendy K. Leigh
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| 5. Raft Island, Puget Sound, Washington This contemporary home was a labor of love, designed by an architect for his artistic parents and filled with art and collectibles from all four of their grown children. |
by Wendy K. Leigh
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The home maximizes the view of Puget Sound. The live-edge table was fashioned by the architect's father from a sequoia tree.
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by Wendy K. Leigh
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| The guest bathroom combines a concrete counter with ceramic tiles. The architect and his mother composed a collection of antique metal linotypes atop the tile to create a unique backsplash. See the rest of this home Tell us: So, what did you think? Would you turn your idea of island living on its head and forgo a week in a typical beach house for a week in a clean-lined contemporary casa like one of these? Let us know in the Comments section. More: Houzz Tour: Style and Surprise in the Hamptons A Different Kind of Beach House Houzz Tour: Malibu Architectural |
Ideabook published on May 23, 2012.
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Atlantic Beach has many modern and contemporary homes (several by Hardwick and even more by William Morgan, who lives there), but it is a residential area, so you normally can't rent them. We were just lucky.
Great post, Becky!