The Ocean Front Walk Project is a complete and total, ripped down to the studs, renovation of a dated beachfront condo. In addition to reconfiguring the main floor by relocating the kitchen and opening up the space, we updated all of the bathrooms and selected new flooring and finishes for the entire condo. Complete with new framing, plumbing, insulation, and interior doors, we took the design from late 1980s to high-style modern design that’s casual enough for beach living, but sophisticated. The entire space was ‘lightened’ by softening the hard lines and edges, adding details like a squared coffered ceiling in the kitchen and changing the two-story stone front fireplace into a more modern one.


Luxury Beach Living in Marina Del Rey

When you live at the beach, you want to maximize the ocean views from every room. This was specifically why we wanted to relocate the kitchen. It had been tucked away behind a wall of wood bookcases, which both closed off the space and made it difficult for modern entertaining. By moving the kitchen forward we opened up the floor plan for direct sight lines from the dining room through the kitchen and out through the living room to the sand and the ocean.

The ocean is the backdrop for the design of this condo. With ever changing skies and ocean and weather, you don’t want the interior to compete or clash with it. You want everything to flow seamlessly, which is why a palette of natural wood tones, blues, whites, and tans was chosen. The colors of the finishes–the black stone on the fireplace, the blue and white cement tiles on the kitchen backsplash, and the blue of the tiles in the master bath– are slightly muted, but add a bit of richness to the design without being monotonous.

Blue Moroccan Tear Drop Tiles

Master Bath Tile Installation

Cement tile backsplash and highend stove

Understated Coastal Tones Echoed in Kitchen Backsplash

Creating Privacy

Frosted window and chaise louge make perfect reading nook or guitar centerWhen you live in a condo, there are likely common walls or views to the outdoors that may also look out to your neighbors. We created privacy by putting a frosted film onto windows and doors and skylights to create privacy. This solution, rather than heavy privacy drapes, lets the light in and makes the space feel open and airy. The film comes in many patterns from solid opaque to a striped, variegated pattern. It is a great alternative to permanent etched glass because if you ever want to change the design you do not need to change out the entire window. It is also a less costly option when you are dealing with the type of specialty glass often required for the coastline.

Before and After Gallery

Watch the Kitchen Transformation

Side-by-side of the Kitchen Relocation

Before and After of Main Living Space in Ocean Front Walk

Side-by-side of the of Master Bath Renovation

Before and After of Master Bath renovation in Ocean Front Walk

Why to Choose Design-Build for a Big Renovation?

When undertaking a massive renovation, the advantage of selecting a Design-Build Architectural Firm like Kurt Krueger Architects is that we have the expertise to inspect the property prior to the project starting and to determine a better, more accurate budget for the re-build. By examining the structure and the existing systems, we start out with a foundation of possibilities rooted in reality. We know what load can be handled and how to make necessary support structures a part of the original design plan, rather than an after thought which often doesn’t complement the design.

From the Blog

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