Interesting architecture is the name of the game for husband-and-wife design duo Dylan and Nicolette Farrell. To link the expansive spaces of this Paddington, Australia, house while adding a “wow” factor, the pair deconstructed and rebuilt the home’s central section to include a series of four aluminum-framed sliding glass doors, creating a sun-soaked hub.
“When approaching the home in the daylight, this glass-clad volume becomes a lens where one looks through the center of the home, down the sweeping landscape and toward the perched view of Sydney Harbor,” says Nicolette. “In the evening, the volume glows, and is reminiscent of a lighthouse.”
“Living in Europe totally opened up my eyes in a different way to art and design,” says Timothy Corrigan, explaining how the decades he spent in France informed his design for this beachfront pavilion. The Los Angeles native outfitted the space, part of a Qatari royal family’s 43,000-square-foot palace in Doha, in a crisp white-and-blue palette inspired by Palm Beach, infusing it with Continental flair and a touch of California comfort.
“The design of this Menorca space was meant to achieve two goals: to combine the light and the views and to create an indoor-outdoor space by making the porch and living room feel continuous,” OOAA Arquitectura’s María Escauriaza says of this minimalist island house off the coast of Spain. “I follow my intuition from all of the things that inspire me.”
Although the living area is quite pared down, the furnishings include plenty of iconic pieces — not least, the Pierre Jeanneret chairs. The sofas are by Blasco, and the coffee tables are an OOAA design.
“Previous clients asked us to renovate a lovely old wreck of a farmhouse in Sardinia overlooking the sea,” says Emily Todhunter, co-principal with Kate Earle of design powerhouse Todhunter Earle Interiors. “We ended up completely rebuilding it on the existing footprint, creating a series of individual but interlinked houses, so that it fits unobtrusively into the hilly landscape.”
As part of their makeover, Todhunter and Earle created this elevated terrace, which beautifully connects indoor with outdoor while framing the breathtaking view.
Dubbed Ca’Liza, this sprawling Nassau home unites Italy with the Bahamas via the unconscious. “The design inspiration for the whole house,” explains Amanda Lindroth, “was a dream about the great Palladian houses of the Veneto transported to the Caribbean.”
In the dining area, Lindroth pursued this look by surrounding a Raj Company cerused-teak table with a set of mint-green antique Italian chairs draped in sheer linen slipcovers. “That whole interior was astonishing and a game changer for me,” she says.
“This Dominican Republic project was inspired by the Caribbean colonial architecture,” says Alejandra Bustamante, a designer with Luis Bustamante, the Madrid firm founded by her father. “The idea was to have the space open to the sea — not only to the views but also to the surrounding sounds, making you feel involved in the nature.”
Perfectly exemplifying this scheme, the indoor-outdoor dining area invites contemplation of the vista, whether from the Sutherlands Furniture tables and chairs or the plush daybed by the firm’s design studio.
Where the jungle meets the sea outside Rio de Janeiro, at the top of a drive too steep for cars to climb, Andre Mellone constructed a modernist haven he refers to as a “very fancy treehouse.”
On the terrace, Mellone kept the furnishings minimal, surrounding an African mahogany table with chunky Pierre Chapo chairs from MORENTZ. “I thought how incredible it would be to have furniture with the same spirit as the architecture,” he says. “I see it as a perfect match.”
On the coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, Sofía Aspe conjured an oasis that’s as warm and welcoming as it is sophisticated and design-centric.
For this lounge-worthy side patio, Aspe took her cue from traditional Caribbean homes. “This type of space is very common in the Yucatán region because it’s inviting and it protects from the strong winds from the sea,” she explains. “It pays tribute to the local architecture and materials.”
Local craftsmen, for example, created the black-and-white patterned floor, and she outfitted the space with furniture by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia.
For a Moroccan-inspired vacation home on Martha’s Vineyard, Nina Farmer kept the decor simple. “I wanted the house to have a laid-back beach-bungalow vibe,” she explains. “It is set on a secluded lot with a private beach so the concept revolved around getting away from it all.”
On the patio, the house’s richly grained reclaimed-spruce siding sounds a rustically natural note, with the more-mod outdoor furniture providing a counterpoint and the vintage chair against the wall mediating between the two.
Designer Kerry Joyce gave this bathroom in a longtime client’s Malibu home a charming vintage vibe by way of the wooden surfboard, child-size bamboo chair and rough-hewn stool in front of the sink. The “BOYS” spelled out in black tile on the floor is a nod to the three youngsters who share the space.
For a retreat at Kua Bay, on Hawaii’s Big Island, interior designer Nicole Hollis opted for wide-open spaces that give full play to the unparalleled panorama. To makes sure that view remains unobstructed, she furnished the lounge area, situated between the living room and kitchen, with low-slung pieces, including a Christian Astuguevieille for Afritamu coffee table and set of Vladimir Kagan Barrel chairs, all illuminated by a custom chandelier from Lindsey Adelman.
Back in Australia, American ex-pat Thomas Hamel’s beach house on the southern coast of New South Wales also puts a premium on the views. The overall vibe? “It’s a bit of St. Barts in the Pacific,” he says.
In the main bedroom, Hamel complemented the vibrant vista with a cane armchair he found in Sydney and an earth-toned throw blanket he picked up in L.A.
