Malibu beach house

Mike D of the Beastie Boys asked architect Barbara Bestor to devise a place that celebrates the best of California living. On a large, flat property in Point Dume with a lawn that stretches to a fruit orchard Mike D discovered ramshackle structures (a three-bedroom house with a few loosely connected guest cottages) that needed to be repaired. His goal, rather than tearing down the buildings, was to unite and logically connect what had become a hodgepodge of nondescript buildings.

  The two have known each other  for years and collaborated on a plan that would renovate all the buildings in a cohesive, beach style. Barbara would do all the architecture and Mike oversaw the interiors, collaborating closely with her team. The main house was formerly closed off and had small rooms. To open the house up to the outdoors, the middle portion was raised, creating an entirely new large room, with radiant flooring. She then inverted the standard gabled roof, creating a butterfly shape that brings in natural light and air. The indoor-outdoor living concept is embraced and enhanced by the addition of skylights and clerestory windows and bringing the exterior walls’ board-and-batten treatment inside. All custom cabinetry was designed by Bestor Architecture.       

Malibu beach house, California, USA
Program: vacation house
Architect: Barbara Bestor, Bestor Architecture
Completion: 2017