Aged Moroccan limestone tile from Exquisite Surfaces, paired with a fireplace of tumbled Garonne limestone, adds texture to an inner courtyard. The lounge chairs and sofa are Design Within Reach and the table is RH.
This Corona del Mar Retreat Embraces Indoor-Outdoor Living
"If my client bumps his surfboard into the walls here, it will only make them look better,” quips designer Raili Clasen. The surfaces she’s referring to, deliberately rugged finishes of rough-sawn cedar, wire-brushed oak and textured limestone, all of which repeat on the exterior, can handle it. And as the athletic owner is an avid surfer, the appearance of a few dings from his board is likely. His love of surfing actually factored into the project from the start: He contacted Clasen after admiring her playful, laid-back design of pro wave rider Kelly Slater’s renowned Surf Ranch resort. After an initial attempt at a renovation made clear the need for a brand-new build, architect Eric Olsen dived in, dreaming up a design that embraces indoor-outdoor living and celebrates the Corona del Mar property’s close connection with the ocean.
The homeowner’s desires and directives were straightforward. He wanted a space flexible enough to handle dinner parties, poker nights and other frequent hang outs with friends and family, but one that also felt private and insulated. And he was eager to incorporate key amenities—a garage large enough to accommodate a camping van, a Jacuzzi with an integrated swim jet, a steam shower—to support his active lifestyle. Otherwise, he relied on Clasen and Olsen, frequent collaborators who’ve teamed up on around 20 projects together. “Our client essentially said, ‘I love what you guys do, and I want to give you the freedom to do that,’ ” Olsen shares. “That’s when the best work happens.” Clasen agrees, chiming, “That level of trust also put a responsibility on us, as in, ‘This had better be awesome.’ ”
Home Details
Architecture:
Eric Olsen, Eric Olsen Design
Interior Design:
Raili Clasen, Raili CA Design
Home Builder:
Jon Deverian and Andrew Deverian, Devco Custom Homes
Landscape Architecture:
Alyssa Pettersen, Garden Studio Design
Styling:
Erik Kenneth Staalberg
Happily, the designer is the first to say that it is, nodding to Olsen’s floor plan (“my favorite to date,” she declares) as a major driver. While the lot isn’t particularly large and the ocean-adjacent neighborhood’s strict height restrictions dictated a lower-slung structure, nothing about the architect’s design reads as cramped. To create spaces that would feel as broad as possible, Olsen placed a courtyard in the center, wrapped by the home’s public and private areas. A hallway cuts through this inner sanctuary, with pocketing doors on both sides, “which really accentuate the blur between inside and out, and make the courtyard feel substantially larger,” notes Olsen. The lengthy great room opens up via a wall of glass doors on both sides too, with the courtyard’s fireplace and dining table forming an extended outdoor living room off one side and a swim spa backed by ocean views on the other. The owner is free to reconfigure his house as needed. “It’s a very transparent living space,” comments the architect. “When the doors are all open, they create a really powerful indoor-outdoor experience.”
General contractor Andrew Deverian acknowledges that planning for the extensive pocketing doors and walls of windows was one of the home’s significant challenges. “We had to be meticulous about figuring out the precise alignment at the intersecting points so that the material transitions could flow seamlessly,” he notes. The landscaping, a mixture of olive trees, various shrubs, boxwoods and grasses, helps underscore this effort. “A Mediterranean palette captures the essence of a modern coastal retreat and softens the strong lines of the architecture,” says landscape designer Alyssa Pettersen, adding that two existing boulders were also neatly incorporated.
Another view of the courtyard showcases a hallway that crosses through the outdoor sanctuary. Euroline sliders on either side of it pocket away completely, erasing its walls. A water feature fitted into a limestone accent wall between two olive trees creates ambience.
The contemporary architectural envelope and its reliance on wood, stone and glass (“all deliberately unfussy and not at all precious,” says Olsen) informed Clasen’s choice of furniture and accessories as well. “The words I used throughout this whole project were ‘strong’ and ‘hardy,’ ” muses Clasen. “We didn’t want anything dainty, and zero cutesiness. The vibe is more cigar room, less beach playhouse.” The owner also eschewed color—marking this project as a departure from the designer’s penchant for shades and shapes that pop—and even teased Clasen that he’d finally gotten her to do a house without wallpaper (“He takes pride in that,” she says with a laugh). Apart from a few whispers of green, blue and rust that nod to nature’s hues, the designer relied on texture, from the distinctive grain of the cabinetry, gray tiles and coordinating gray counters featured in the open kitchen, down to the rumpled linens of the owner’s bed. She also leaned into brawny leather details, like the belting on the back of the kitchen island’s stools and the riveted pendants dangling over the bedroom nightstands. An abundance of natural light keeps the palette from going too dark, and the casual but elevated interiors have a clean finish that feels inviting. This convivial atmosphere—verified by a well-stocked bar—completes a handsome residence that Clasen jokingly concludes is akin to “a very, very nice surf shack.”
Stephen Kenn stools flank the open kitchen’s island of Black Diamond quartzite from Earthen Goods, the dark stone complementing a matte-black Waterstone faucet and Concept Studio tile backsplash. The hood and cabinetry are lined with plain-sawn white oak.
Tour The Home
Under In Common With pendants, an Arhaus dining table and CB2 chairs in a Zinc Textile fabric rest at the great room’s center. A living area features a custom sectional and J. Hefner Designs side table. Euroline sliders connect to the courtyard.
Stephen Kenn stools flank the open kitchen’s island of Black Diamond quartzite from Earthen Goods, the dark stone complementing a matte-black Waterstone faucet and Concept Studio tile backsplash. The hood and cabinetry are lined with plain-sawn white oak.
The primary bedroom’s built-in nightstand and limestone shelf joins a bespoke oak bed. Its integrated bench is topped with a Moore & Giles leather cushion. A Gennaro Lighting & Design pendant plays off Montana Timber Products siding on the wall.
In the owner’s bathroom, Native Trails’ Avalon 62 concrete bathtub stands beside a steel-and-glass shower. They both feature matte-black Watermark hardware.
Landscape designer Alyssa Pettersen lined the entryway with shrubs and perennials, including boxwood globes, dwarf olive shrubs and salvia, overlooked by graceful maple trees. Garonne limestone sourced via Eco Outdoor accents the façade.
Aged Moroccan limestone tile from Exquisite Surfaces, paired with a fireplace of tumbled Garonne limestone, adds texture to an inner courtyard. The lounge chairs and sofa are Design Within Reach and the table is RH.
Another view of the courtyard showcases a hallway that crosses through the outdoor sanctuary. Euroline sliders on either side of it pocket away completely, erasing its walls. A water feature fitted into a limestone accent wall between two olive trees creates ambience.
An RH teak table ringed with Coco Republic chairs creates an intimate spot for outdoor dining within the interior courtyard. Olive trees and shrubs add texture to privacy walls .
A boulder found on the property seamlessly fits into the landscaping. Bay laurel, Westringia varieties and wispy autumn moor grass line a path of Palm Springs chip grave
Editors’ Note: This story highlights a space in the Los Angeles region impacted by the January 2025 wildfires. Please consider donating to LA CAN DO and other relief efforts to help the community rebuild.