Maguire Beach House

The architecture and the interior palette of the Maguire Beach Residence both reflect the oceanfront surroundings of the site. This existing beach house estate required a complete architectural re-configuration that included a revision to the first and second floor plans, a new beach façade, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and an entirely new interior finish palette. The estate is composed of a tennis court, guest house and a main house facing the beach.

The main house planning concept turned the former cluster of small, low-ceilinged rooms into a lofty plan that opens to the expansive beach view. Two decks with a new hot tub were added to the beach side of the house, and on the second floor, a spacious shower with floor to ceiling windows looks out onto the ocean. The second floor master bedroom suite enlarges the plan to reveal spaces that flow into one another: the dressing room communicates with bathroom, which flows into the sleeping area, the offices, and the decks. Furnishings reflect the updated contemporary design and beachside setting: simple shapes with slip-covered upholstery keep the aesthetic clean and fresh. The architectural palette includes new wide-plank, bleached oak floors, concrete Caesarstone countertops, and stainless steel cabinets in the Baulthaup kitchen. Louis Poulsen Artichoke ceiling pendants recall seashells in the double-height main entry and contribute to the house’s uniquely oceanfront aesthetic.

The Ruddell House responds to unique regional and climatic challenges of the tropics. Situated on a south-west facing bluff on the north shore of Kauai, the design concept integrates environmental considerations into the aesthetic composition. The building mass is defined by a series of pavilions, interconnected by arcades, loggia, courtyards, and passageways, rendering the building threshold physically transparent. The interior/exterior boundary is dictated by common patterns of movement and habitation, allowing a synergistic lifestyle that is unique to the region.

Open spaces alternate with building masses to create a porous design that admits natural ventilation as well as weaving a fabric of interior and exterior spaces organized along a central circulation spine. Deep overhangs provide shelter from the harsh tropical sunlight and echo the vernacular architecture of the island. Despite the shading methods, the home maintains a well-lit interior environment through the use of clerestory windows open at the top of the pavilions to admit soft, indirect light into the heart of the home. Each design component is a multifaceted solution to environmental and programmatic goals: truly a contemporary aesthetic expression of vernacular architecture. The home facilitates the residents’ active engagement with the environment through a modern design that is informed by the site, region and architectural heritage.al topography of the site, composed as a series of pavilions, interconnected by arcade, loggia, courtyard, and passageways. Deep overhangs provide shelter from the harsh tropical sunlight, while clerestory windows at the top of the pavilions bring soft indirect light into the heart of the house.