Perched on the Solana Beach hillside in the region's coastal landscape, the Seaside Reef House is defined by a subtle combination of elegance, conviviality, and domestic comfort. Designed by American Alec Petros, this Californian home serves as a shaded, versatile retreat for both leisure and day-to-day activities.
Inspired by the Australian beach house vernacular, the residence offers great flexibility of space; it comprises an oak wood floor lined, open plan living space framed by oversized doors, allowing for cross-ventilation to be implemented while unveiling outstanding ocean views. The development of deep roof overhangs (7ft each) that cantilever out over terraces below adds to this concept, and a clever floor-to-ceiling door system blurs the separation between indoors and outdoors.
‘Dissolving boundaries that typically separate spaces helped tremendously in gaining the flexibility that we wanted’, says Petros. This idea initially emerged from the architect’s desire to include a covered porch in the design. ‘A wrap-around porch has such a nostalgic feel that connects people with the outdoors, and their neighbourhood’, he adds.
Located within walking distance from expansive beaches, the Seaside Reef House also features a series of sustainable systems, creating a green and long-lasting habitat for its occupants. Made of FSC-certified cedar boards, the external cladding is connected to a sleeper wall and enabling air to effectively pass through, while creating a filtering process that prevents the region’s high temperatures from affecting the interiors.
‘Using this passive energy technique allows the home to reduce its energy demand, especially in warmer seasons’, says Petros. On the plus side, the wood that constitutes the exterior skin is a durable material that will age gracefully in this humid-coastal environment.
With Seaside Reef House, Alec Petros - with the help of Nielsen Builders - has brought a stylish, convenient and eco-friendly design to the residential neighbourhood of Solana Beach.
INFORMATION
-
From Rembrandt to Warhol, a Paris exhibition asks: what do artists wear?‘The Art of Dressing – Dressing like an Artist’ at Musée du Louvre-Lens inspects the sartorial choices of artists
-
Meet Lisbeth Sachs, the lesser known Swiss modernist architectPioneering Lisbeth Sachs is the Swiss architect behind the inspiration for creative collective Annexe’s reimagining of the Swiss pavilion for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
-
A stripped-back elegance defines these timeless watch designsWatches from Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Rolex and more speak to universal design codes
-
This minimalist Wyoming retreat is the perfect place to unplugThis woodland home that espouses the virtues of simplicity, containing barely any furniture and having used only three materials in its construction
-
We explore Franklin Israel’s lesser-known, progressive, deconstructivist architectureFranklin Israel, a progressive Californian architect whose life was cut short in 1996 at the age of 50, is celebrated in a new book that examines his work and legacy
-
A new hilltop California home is rooted in the landscape and celebrates views of natureWOJR's California home House of Horns is a meticulously planned modern villa that seeps into its surrounding landscape through a series of sculptural courtyards
-
The Frick Collection's expansion by Selldorf Architects is both surgical and delicateThe New York cultural institution gets a $220 million glow-up
-
Remembering architect David M Childs (1941-2025) and his New York skyline legacyDavid M Childs, a former chairman of architectural powerhouse SOM, has passed away. We celebrate his professional achievements
-
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizonA peek at Zaha Hadid Architects’ future projects, which will comprise some of the most innovative and intriguing structures in the world
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s last house has finally been built – and you can stay thereFrank Lloyd Wright’s final residential commission, RiverRock, has come to life. But, constructed 66 years after his death, can it be considered a true ‘Wright’?
-
Heritage and conservation after the fires: what’s next for Los Angeles?In the second instalment of our 'Rebuilding LA' series, we explore a way forward for historical treasures under threat
