Nimanoe is a tribute to the good life. A tale about travel, taste, passion and purpose. You can see it in the beautiful, expansive ensuite bedrooms, and the cozy, pacifying lounges and library. You can feel it in the refined furnishings, the statement pieces of art and considered spa-like spaces that beckon you in for a soothing reboot. You can hear it in the Sonos surround sound system that reaches every room, every corner of the garden, into the mountain air and beyond. You can taste it in the state-of-the-art kitchen and languid dining spaces – both indoor and outdoor. Nimanoe’s sophistication on the senses gives you license to bring your own version of the good life to fruition, surrounded by all of your favourite people. What we love! The outdoor shower adjacent the spa and sauna space, where the delicious monsters and ferns perfect the tropical paradise ambience. Nimanoe is an ideal home to work from too. With those inspirational views and tranquil sounds of the abounding nature you’ll find yourself inspired to produce that long-awaited masterpiece in the secluded office. The views of the ocean, Chapman’s Peak, Cape Point Vineyards and surrounding mountain ranges are nothing short of spectacular and ever-changing throughout the day. What you need to know… Nimanoe offers daily housekeeping, as well as the food of fabulous chef, Natalie, who’ll whip up some delicious Ottolenghi dishes, and extraordinary desserts. Silvermine’s hiking trails are on the doorstep. Just a gentle climb up into the mountain for some incredible views and lovely sunset spots. For a pint or two of a delicious craft beer, Aegir Brewery is no more than a 5-minute drive away, where the fabulous Italian eatery, Limoncello also sits, beneath the milkwoods. The property is situated at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac and is totally secure, with a high-tech, top of the range alarm and security system – for that extra peace of mind. It also runs off a solar-system so does not feel the impact of power outages. Nimanoe is only a 5-minute drive to Noordehoek for long walks and swims. You also have the use of the property’s SUP and surf boards. Noordhoek Village is only a 5-minute drive away from the property where Chef Franck Dangereux’s Foodbarn Restaurant is, together with coffee roasters, decadent ice-cream makers, a pub and a playground, a delicatessen, souvenir shops and a yoga studio too.

Designed as a private sanctuary, Ventana House is a place to retreat and reflect. Located on a steep hillside overlooking the urban sprawl, the residence feels worlds away from the city below. Its cast-in-place concrete walls anchor the structure into the rugged terrain, grounding the architecture within the landscape. This mass is contrasted by a delicate scrim that appears to float above the living spaces, all tucked safely beneath the deep shadows of a large cowboy hat roof—an essential shield against the desert sun.

Close to Lincoln Center Plaza, two existing apartments were combined into a single custom tailored 4-bedroom residence. Characteristic with other buildings from the same post-war era, the existing apartments suffered greatly from a low, monotonous ceiling slab. To break up the ceiling, floating planes containing low-profile LED recessed lighting were incorporated throughout. Grey-washed birch veneer millwork is seen as you enter into the new foyer space. A blackened steel inlaid panel serves as a datum that continues throughout the apartment, wrapping the entry unit and extending around the corner to then transform into a floating bookshelf. The unit not only divides the entry area from the Living room, but also serves its utilitarian purpose on the foyer side as coat and storage closets, and then an entertaining function on the opposing side with a TV niche and custom liquor bar. Whitewashed rift and quartered white oak floors were used to brighten the space. In the kitchen, marble counters extend up the wall and onto the ceiling marking the separation of the kitchen/dining area from the living room/entry area. The kid’s room contains a custom curved desk area built beneath the bay windows to take advantage of the views. In the master bedroom, the blackened steel inlay reappears inset into the wardrobe wall unit.

A traditional custom estate on Uplands Avenue in Old Thornhill, completed in 2007. The facade blends limestone and red brick beneath multiple steep gables, with a three-bay garage tucked beside the main entry. Detailing leans Tudor-influenced without committing to revival, so the home reads well against the mature surrounding lots.

The living area is a canvas for the clients' decades of collected treasures, anchored by a large illuminated millwork unit with open and closed storage and a curated gallery wall above. A honey-coloured sofa sits against the original exposed brick, framed by a soaring arched window. An aqua-blue reading chair and ottoman tuck into a corner on a puddle-shaped rug beneath the 18-foot ceiling.

This refined home workspace centered beneath a window with stained glass features a modern minimalist writing desk with midcentury-inspired details. A simple upholstered chair with slender black metal framing adds sophistication and the white ceramic Buddha table lamp adds charm. Elegant pleated drapery, a gold leaf-like chandelier, grasscloth wallcovering and wood flooring enrich the space with warmth. It could be a bedroom office area or home workspace that fits a small area in any room.

Built for the Bluff, A Sea Ranch Home is Remade from the Inside Out The house had always been grounded, on an ocean bluff at The Sea Ranch. It sits unencumbered, adjacent to one of the most dramatic stretches of the Sonoma coast with protected commons meadow to the east, uninterrupted Pacific views to the west, and a bluff trail running alongside. What it lacked was the feeling of home, one that could hold up its own against the natural landscape. The owners are entrepreneurs with deep involvement across tech, real estate, and development and they know how things are built. The Sea Ranch house had been in their lives for years, a second residence and a place for family to gather. Built for a different time, it felt more compromising than comfortable. Sitting in a closed off nook, the kitchen fit one cook at a time and turned its back on the rest of the house. The entry was dim and compressed, divided by a structural column that presented itself at exactly the wrong moment. The primary suite was small relative to the view outside it. A large rear bedroom sat behind a lowered ceiling with a bathroom that had never been added. The house was certainly worth the trouble of doing it right. What followed was not one project but four, each with its own design challenge, each addressed over a period of time. Where the House Meets the Ocean The most complex piece of the project, in both structural and spatial terms, was the kitchen expansion. The existing room was a single-person galley squeezed in as an afterthought with no meaningful connection to the dining room, the living space, or the deck outside. To make it useful for a family that cooks and gathers, it needed to grow outward into an existing patio and flow into the rooms around it. A big challenge was the roofline. Several planes at different pitches and angles converged directly where additional volume was needed. A new form had to join that geometry without reading as a correction. The solution found the simplest possible connection between the existing angles, a roofline that from outside the structure, appears entirely original. From the bluff trail where the addition is visible, there is no discernible seam. Inside, the kitchen is now open to the living and dining rooms without interruption. A large sliding glass door connects the space onto the rear deck. The deck itself was expanded and oriented so that the body of the house shields it from the coastal wind which is a common consideration that determines whether outdoor space at The Sea Ranch actually gets used. The result is a room that works for large family gatherings where no one feels cutoff, and one that makes the boundary between being inside and outside easy to ignore. Welcoming Light A structural column stood at the convergence of eight distinct roof planes in the entry. It was load-bearing, but it was also the reason the entry had always felt like a hallway rather than a welcoming arrival. With the structural engineer, a custom steel connector was designed to receive beams from six separate directions, redistributing the load through a single new continuous beam. The column was surgically removed. Three triangular skylights were then cut into the roof above, their shapes drawn from the existing geometry of the planes around them. The entry is now bright and open. The skylights feel native to the structure because they follow the logic already present in the roof. Two Suites, Two Views At opposite ends of the house, the two bedroom suites were each reconfigured, and each found a different way to introduce more of the landscape into the room. An addition to the primary suite extended the structure outward to create a wraparound plan with a loop from the bedroom through bath and closet that had not been possible before. The expansion opened a slot view from the tub and shower toward the ocean. The view is precise and private. The ocean view is present and deliberate. The rear bedroom absorbed an adjacent storage room to transform it into a full second suite with a vaulted ceiling, a large bathroom with a tub, a shower, and a sauna. A private fenced garden courtyard sits just beyond the glass bringing the outdoors inside. The tub was placed so that, looking past the courtyard and through the bedroom beyond, the ocean is visible at the far end. It is a long view and it makes the room feel larger and more settled than its footprint would suggest. Glass on Four Sides, Fire at the Center The main living and gathering room had always been caught between two competing facts: glass on four sides meant exceptional views but at The Sea Ranch, it also meant a cold room. A 360-degree cylindrical fireplace was added at the center on a raised stone base, providing radiant heat in every direction and giving the room a focal point around which a group naturally orients itself, whether that means two people at the end of the day or the whole family after dinner. Owners Who Picked Up the Tools The owner was not a passive client. they came with construction knowledge, specific ideas, and the desire to be an active part of the process, a dynamic that other architects may had found difficult, which Klopf Architecture accepted as an asset. They took it upon themselves to complete some of the work during construction, including the installation of a new radiant heating system beneath the floors. The radiant system added to the older and less-desirable forced-air setup. At The Sea Ranch, that change matters as the house sits close enough to the ocean and moving air competes with the sound of it, where radiant heat does not. Solar panels were added to the roof as part of the new system. Insulation was upgraded throughout the walls, roof, and crawl space. The house that had always had the right setting now holds warmth the way a house on the bluff should. They were also deeply involved in the design and selections throughout, and the finished house reflects both of them in ways that are specific rather than generic. The process took longer and moved through more iterations than a more arms-length relationship might have allowed. The result is more defined and personal because of it. The Landscape Holds Priority Every exterior decision was shaped by The Sea Ranch Design Standards, which require that buildings defer to the landscape around them rather than compete with it. Because this house sits on the bluff and is visible from the public trail, the additions faced a close review. Existing materials were matched. Geometries were resolved. The additions had to become indistinguishable from the original building. From the trail, the house reads exactly as it always has — low, cedar-clad, secondary to the meadow and the water. The setting holds priority. Inside, the house has been remade. Klopf Architecture Project Team: Geoff Campen and Trenton Jewett
Contractor: Shawn Bettega Construction
Photography: ©2025 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2023
Location: The Sea Ranch, CA

Enlarging the dining room window was one of the project’s most impactful decisions – and one of the least obvious ones. It allowed the table to sit perfectly centered beneath it, creating a balanced, anchored layout that the room had never had. A custom built-in buffet provides abundant storage while offering dedicated display space for artwork and entertaining essentials.

Inspiration for a coastal blue floor and shiplap wall living room remodel in Charleston with white walls and a wall-mounted tv

This serene and luxurious primary bathroom remodel blends transitional design with modern elegance. The space features a spacious curbless walk-in shower with frameless glass enclosure, matte black fixtures, and a built-in marble bench—delivering both accessibility and sophistication. White herringbone wall tiles contrast beautifully with the black hexagon shower floor, while the oversized rainfall showerhead and handheld spray add a spa-like touch. A freestanding soaking tub anchors the bathing area beneath a window framed by white plantation shutters, letting in natural light while maintaining privacy. Dual vanities with shaker-style cabinetry, sleek quartz countertops, and matte black hardware offer symmetry and ample storage. The inclusion of statement lighting, round black-framed mirrors, and soft neutral wall tones round out this timeless yet modern aesthetic.

This expansive waterfront terrace on Siesta Key was staged by iStage Homes to showcase the breathtaking Gulf views and seamless indoor-outdoor living. Contemporary lounge seating and clean-lined furnishings create a sophisticated outdoor living space beneath the warm wood ceiling. The staging highlights the relaxed elegance of coastal entertaining while framing the endless turquoise horizon that defines luxury living on Siesta Key.

The Skywood kitchen blends warm natural knotty-wood Shaker cabinetry with a slate-blue island and pantry wall, topped in honed black soapstone. An open layout flows into the dining area beneath a branching glass chandelier, while a stone accent wall and wide-plank oak floors ground the space in rustic warmth.

A contemporary renovation on the Atlantic, this oceanfront residence sits within The Carlton—an intimate beachfront enclave just down the road from John's Island on Vero Beach's barrier island. The interior was reworked from the original layout into a light, open plan that runs from the entry straight through to the water. Walls of glass frame the ocean from nearly every room. The living and dining spaces open across honed limestone floors beneath a recessed tray ceiling, with a private terrace—columned, candle-lit, and set directly above the surf—extending the living area into the sea air. The kitchen was taken fully modern: handleless white cabinetry, integrated appliances, a waterfall island, and brushed-brass hardware, all kept clean against the natural-fiber textures of the rooms around it. Guest and primary baths were rebuilt with custom vanities, frameless glass, and quartz surfaces. Throughout, a restrained coastal palette—ivory, driftwood, woven natural materials—lets the ocean stay the focal point.

This serene and spacious bathroom blends coastal charm with classic functionality. Soft blue walls and white shiplap paneling evoke a calming, breezy ambiance, while natural wood cabinetry adds warmth and balance. A double vanity provides ample storage and counter space, complemented by a cozy makeup station perfectly situated beneath a sunlit window. The walk-in glass shower features a built-in bench and timeless white subway tile, offering both comfort and elegance. Thoughtful touches like a towel warmer, patterned floor tile, and minimalist lighting complete the look, creating a fresh, inviting escape that feels both modern and timeless.

A hardworking space designed with the same level of intention and elegance as the rest of the home. This laundry–utility–boot room is wrapped in a deep, saturated green that brings calm, character, and a sense of grounded luxury. The colour anchors the room, making it feel warm and inviting rather than purely functional. Bespoke cabinetry provides ample hidden storage, keeping everyday essentials out of sight and the room visually quiet. The washing machine and dryer are fully concealed behind custom panels, allowing the space to read as a beautifully designed room rather than a traditional utility. A built‑in bench seat creates a practical boot‑room moment — perfect for shoes, bags, and quick stops on the way in or out — with additional storage integrated seamlessly beneath. Durable finishes, thoughtful lighting, and refined detailing ensure the room performs effortlessly while maintaining a premium aesthetic. It’s a space that proves utility areas can be both practical and beautifully considered.

Transitional freestanding desk light wood floor and beige floor home office photo in Raleigh with beige walls

A serene French country bathroom featuring a freestanding soaking tub beneath a large window, complemented by marble shower walls, checkered flooring, and warm brass fixtures for a timeless, spa-like retreat.

Built into the hillside, this industrial ranch sprawls across the site, taking advantage of views of the landscape. A metal structure ties together multiple ranch buildings with a modern, sleek interior that serves as a gallery for the owners collected works of art. A welcoming, airy bridge is located at the main entrance, and spans a unique water feature flowing beneath into a private trout pond below, where the owner can fly fish directly from the man-cave!

This eat-in dining nook was designed to bring warmth and intimacy to the open kitchen layout. A built-in banquette tucks seamlessly beneath large windows, maximizing seating while creating a cozy, casual gathering spot for everyday meals. Paneled millwork adds architectural detail and softness, while woven roman shades introduce texture and warmth. A solid wood dining table grounds the space, paired with simple, tailored chairs to keep the look relaxed and functional. Layered pillows in soft neutrals and muted color add comfort without overwhelming the palette. Natural light fills the nook, highlighting the warm wood flooring and creating an inviting place for morning coffee, homework, or casual entertaining. The result is a kitchen dining area that feels intentional, comfortable, and deeply livable — a natural extension of the heart of the home.