As guests stroll into the entertainment area of this California coastal home, it’s a wonder they ever make it to the bar area to fetch a drink. Throughout the space, there is much to take in, a pastiche of wonders that includes a glass wine room inspired by blocks of melting ice. “We actually molded the glass,” says interior designer Alexis Vitale, founder of Vitale Design Group in Hermosa Beach, California.
Ice Effect
Vitale gave her full attention to each feature of the entertainment room, perhaps the most popular space in the house, located in Manhattan Beach. “Ice is pure, like glass,” Vitale says. When light streams through generous swaths of custom-casted windows, the glass blocks gleam. The Pacific Ocean, just beyond, lends its own gleaming shine on a sunny day. “When the light hits the space, it changes color,” Vitale says. This room, on the home’s ground floor, is just the beginning. The two floors above, which include the kitchen, living room, and other shared rooms, plus six bedrooms, await with their own magic.
Vitale, who specializes in interior design of custom homes, made some of the architectural decisions for the renovation of the Manhattan Beach house, located on the boardwalk known as The Strand. But most of the work was a full interior renovation. She also relied on the home’s spectacular views of the ocean, visible from the kitchen, dining room, living room, and primary bedroom. “We got innovative,” she says.
Vacation Dreams
The house reflects the owners’ wishes, with influences of various emotions, landscapes, and experiences, Vitale adds. For their practical needs, the couple asked Vitale for a house that could serve as a vacation abode for their now-grown children and room for plenty of guests for evenings. For the dream factor, she and her team revved up the artistic quotient: “This is a dream vacation home for them, to be on the water. They wanted enough room to relax with family and friends.” The couple especially wanted to accommodate their now-grown children, who grew up in the area and look forward to coming home for visits.
Bespoke Artistic Touches
Throughout the house are artistic touches: unique mosaic tiles, rich, seductive colors, and custom cabinetry to hold the husband’s favorite things. Consider the wine room, which takes its inspiration from ice and rain. The wallcovering, in vinyl snakeskin-printed gold, by Phillip Jefferies, became a significant inspiration. “We needed it to be sleek and subtle to illuminate the space,” the designer says.
Up a set of stairs is the entry floor, which holds the shared spaces: living and dining rooms and the kitchen, which boasts more luminous glass tiles. The dining table grabs a spotlight with custom made chairs upholstered in light blue vegan leather from F. Schumacher & Co. “These rooms are like modern art that speaks to you like poetry,” Vitale says.
The six bedrooms render plenty of space for visiting family. On the third floor, the primary bedroom suite becomes an atmospheric eye-catcher with indigo blue wallpaper from Scalamandre. Bedding from TL at Home adds a serene touch.
An Entertainer’s Paradise
In the end, the homeowners gained an oceanfront home that fully reflects their personalities and enhancement of their quality of life. Vitale and her team got to use their full artistic skills and passion. And the entertainment space reigns supreme, always ready for groups of convivial guests. “It’s inviting, an entertainer’s paradise,” Vitale says. “It’s a place where a lot of cool memories will be made.”
Vitale Design Group: vitaledesigngroup.com