SOUTH BAY DIGS | Digital Edition Online

62 DIGS.NET | 6.3.2022 S W E E T D I G S | 3 0 8 T H E S T R A N D M A R K E T A sked to describe his work at 308 the Strand to a non-architect, and KAA Design founder Grant Kirk- patrick responds, "This home is sort of an Aman resort on the sea." The architect is referring to the exclusive brand of boutique hotels which are keenly designed to sync with their natural settings—and it's an apt comparison. "It's very much of its place," Kirkpatrick says of this four-level Strand home: "It's got a very high level of quality, finish and detail. It's as if it was an Armani yacht that's docked." With 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, the approximately 8,000-square-foot residence presents a meticulosity fashioned atmosphere that's crafted around life, in all its texture, at the beach. With it, there's an interplay of contrasts that's been settled in the deft orchestration of materials and design: Like its contem- porary look and feeling of timelessness. Or the experience of privacy in the midst of full-fledged ocean views. And its glossy sophistication mixed with ruggedness. The latter was a quality insisted upon by Kirkpatrick's client, for whom entertaining is second nature, and who envisioned this home as the central hub of the neighborhood, describing her desired level of durability to the architect along these lines: "If a herd of elephants came through here, you would never know it." The structure is built of steel and concrete, which in many areas is exposed in the form of board-form concrete—the result of an intricate process by which a wood-grain image is imparted on a concrete wall or surface. "It's almost like the bulkhead of a pier," describes Kirkpatrick. "It has that texture and quality of the formwork itself." Also, Mahogany wood figures largely in the construction and design of the home, both indoors and on its exte- rior. "It weathers nicely at the beach," he points out. Low maintenance was part of the brief; so was longevity. "It's built for the ages," says the architect. "It's kind of an heirloom; something to be passed along to the generations." In addition to Kirkpatrick, interior designer Alana Homesley and contractor Shawn Nelson of Shawn Nelson Builders, both regular collabora- tors of the architect, rounded out home's creative leaders. "We had the A-plus team together on this one," muses Kirkpatrick. The floorplan reflects the lifestyle duality of the home. Rather than cluster sleeping areas on a single floor, they're strategically spaced across the four levels, with the third floor home to a primary suite with a private office that's luxuriously sequestered in the style of a penthouse. There's an airy oceanfront balcony that connects to both the bedroom and bathroom by sliding glass: You can step onto the balcony to bask in morning light before stepping into the double shower, decked in veiny white marble, to bathe amid ocean breezes. "The main living area is on the uppermost floor," says real estate agent Bryn Stroyke, "so you don't have to compete with the garage and the entry. You have more privacy and you can devote more space to it." In this case it's a smartly elegant dining room, located next to the domestic heart of the home—a kitchen with smooth walnut cabinets and a central island with Italian marble streaked in gold and gray. The great room, its fireplace a glossy mantel of Prado Travertine stone, becomes one with a generous terrace when a wall of glass disappears. Joined with the outdoors, the room is further warmed by beach rays by day, and a glowing firepit after dark. "In a lot of ways it's almost a beach representation of their family lifestyle," says Kirkpatrick of the home, which is gilded with starry features that invite use on an a daily basis. You can take the eleva- tor to the beach room, which is level with the Strand itself, and lounge on the patio, front row to a peaceful scene of sea, sand and

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