Interior designer and developer Saffron Case — no stranger to creating incredible beach homes — brought her aesthetic expertise to 23456 Malibu Colony Road, a stunning estate in an exclusive oceanfront neighborhood moments from popular local restaurants and shops. This property showcases Saffron’s signature style: elevated, inviting, modern coastal design that fuses function with warmth and ease. Below, Saffron highlights a few of the home’s standout elements, her must-have beach house features and more.
What do you think are some of the most unique or standout features of the home at 23456 Malibu Colony Road?
The gym upstairs in the guest house with an ocean view. Both the main house and the guest house have views of the ocean, which is unusual for a home in the Colony. The private courtyard with its outdoor fireplace is special also.
What is your favorite space in this home, and why?
The primary bedroom. You see, hear and smell the ocean from this room. Between the ocean, the feel of the sheepskin rug on bare feet, the smooth creamy plaster walls… this room just makes you want to get into bed, relax and feel the ocean around you.
How did you incorporate the ocean into a home’s interior design?
Since the house has such great views of the ocean (we are literally on the sand), we were careful not to interrupt the line of vision. We shied away from having any pendant lighting over the dining table or any large fixtures. The color of the sky and the ocean is so prominent that we didn’t feel the need to incorporate the color blue in the design. Instead, we chose earthly complimentary colors and hues leaning into creams and browns. We added black in small doses for contrast.
Do today’s Malibu clients have any preferred home amenities?
We are almost always asked to incorporate outdoor dining, BBQs, fire pits and pizza ovens. An outdoor shower is also a must. For a beach house storage for surf and paddle boards is also critical.
When it comes to staging a home, how do you stay true to your design while also creating a space that any buyer could envision themselves living in?
It’s definitely a fine line to walk. We don’t want to make the home feel too individualized, but it’s important to make sure that it feels considered and perhaps a little unexpected. People buy our homes for the exterior and the interior design, so the furniture needs to reflect the overall design intent. We tend to keep to earthy neutral tones so that the space feels calm. We will also mix styles so that it feels eclectic but intentional.
In your opinion, what are 5 must-have features in a home on the beach?
The 5 must-have features for a home on the beach are: 1) An outdoor fireplace or fire pit (it can get cool in the evenings). 2) A great outdoor kitchen or BBQ area. 3) Comfortable outdoor furniture — not just furniture that looks good. 4) Storage for outdoor cushions. 5) A shady place to relax outdoors, but out of the sun.
How can people bring “beach vibes” into their home all year round, while maintaining a level of sophistication?
It’s important to create an environment that’s not too precious. Owners and guests should feel like they can walk the house with sandy feet and it will still look great (or be easy to clean up). Having comfortable furniture that you can laze around on, read a book and look out to the ocean and using a combination of natural materials and colors drawn from nature all help bring the right vibe.
Written by Carolyn Meers.