Inspired by a fictional sea captain, a design team crafts a character-rich Northern California getaway.

For designer Chloe Redmond Warner, each project begins with letting her imagination wander.

That’s exactly what she did the first time she walked through this modern Stinson Beach dwelling, a vacation house whose idyllic location between the waves and mountains invites dreaming.The home was originally built in the 1960s in what Warner describes as an “almost Sea Ranch style.” The remodel plans for the dwelling could have veered into well-trod aesthetic territory—the kind of Northern California beach vernacular that’s been executed, often beautifully, many times. But Warner’s design mind doesn’t take the familiar paths. “My impulse was to see it as a sea captain’s cabin that had been inherited by my clients,” she says. “Something with an East Coast vibe that washed ashore on the West Coast. I pictured it with pattern, color and traditional furniture.”

Her willingness to execute the uncommon was shared by architect Eric Davies. Most may assume an architect would look at a property and start planning changes, but Davies did the opposite. “Many people choose to demolish the older cottages here and build something that is elevated from the ground,” he says. “But this house has character, and the owners wanted to keep that spirit. When we have an opportunity like that, it’s our responsibility to take it.”

The architect’s big move involved editing, not adding. “It had been remodeled several times, landing on a floor plan that was like a typical suburban house,” Davies says. “The original courtyard had been partially taken over by small storage additions off the hallway connecting the bedrooms, and that meant sections of the interior felt cramped and didn’t open to views or light.”

Removing those additions and the hallway itself with the help of general contractors Kirk Allen and Chrissy Ford allowed the architect to enlarge the courtyard, give more space to the bedrooms and living areas, and let in light. In one of those delightful, only-in-California design moves, the open-air space now serves as the main passage between the bedrooms and public spaces, so moving about the household literally provides residents with a breath of fresh air. Warner calls the reinstated feature a “beautiful lobby.”

Landscape architect Scott Lewis says it’s an apt description. “It’s a spot where people circulate and gather,” he says. “It’s like the home’s second living room.” He and his team’s main task was to tie the residence tightly to the landscape. Overgrown shrubs and a chunky aggregate patio were replaced by smooth stone pavers and pathways, wood decking, and the surface nature provided originally—sand.

Plantings consisting mainly of native grasses allow for sight lines through the house and out to the dunes and ocean. “The essence was there,” Lewis notes. “We just had to make it so you could see it again.”

Throughout, millwork and furniture feature traditional lines and small details that have a sweetness to them, such as curved cabinet corbels and string ties on dining chair cushions. Oversize, pillow-scattered window seats that look out on the landscape celebrate the couple’s decision to nestle the home within the dunes rather than level them. Add in a smartly curated modern art collection and select contemporary furnishings, and you have the kind of effortless collected style that’s tricky to achieve authentically but pleasurable when it works.

And that’s the point of the initial design exercise: Through creating a fictional character, the team realized a look that’s genuine, layered and enduring. The feel of the home has made it a safe harbor for the family. As Warner says, “Because it’s totally personal to the client, there’s a comfort here.”