When Cailin and Paulo Goncalves found their Marine Avenue home off-market, they could tell it needed a little TLC. “We just knew it had great bones with thoughtful touches throughout,” says Cailin. “Most notably, we were enamored with all the natural light that pours in.”
Their family lived in the home for many years before they decided to rebuild. Time gave them an opportunity to truly live in every square inch and consider what they would want to change or improve. Paulo, who grew up in Portugal, craved the relaxed yet refined feel of beach homes from his youth.
“Ultimately our goal was to build a modern beach home with an open floor plan—one that celebrates natural light and invites the outdoors in,” explains Cailin. “We wanted to feature oversized windows, skylights and edge-to-edge sliding glass doors to maximize the beautiful natural light and deliver a seamless indoor-to-outdoor transition. This was at the center of our rebuild.”
“With large sliding glass doors that fully pocket, we get that seamless indoor-outdoor flow we dreamed of. It’s the perfect place to relax and spend quality time as a family.”
The couple collaborated with AAHA Studio to realize the project. “As creatives themselves, with backgrounds in advertising and publishing, [Cailin and Paulo] had a strong aesthetic vision and were looking for a team that could bring it to life while balancing design with function,” says founder and architect Harper Halprin, who partnered with husband and fellow architect Aaron Leshtz and interior design project manager Lisa Ljevaja. “Aesthetically they were drawn to a mix of Scandinavian simplicity and mid-century warmth with a coastal, modern-day feel that felt right at home by the beach.”
Knowing how important the environmental surroundings were to the owners, Harper and Aaron conducted a comprehensive light study to optimize natural light throughout the home, thoughtfully accounting for the ocean breezes the home enjoys being so close to the water. After multiple discussions, the team decided to keep the original footprint and adjust the current bones to better suit the family’s lifestyle and needs.
“It was an exercise in restraint, something that many homeowners in today’s market aren’t up for,” says Harper. “The mantra of the day often seems to be ‘bigger’ or ‘more space,’ but in this case it wasn’t either of those. The goal was just better space.”
Executed by Matt Ehrhard from Ehrhard Building Company and Rob Jones of Jones Landscapes, the renovation took about a year to complete. The exterior of the home was wrapped in sustainably sourced Western red cedar, ensuring the cladding would hold up for decades against the sometimes harsh coastal conditions of the area while creating a patina and character with age.
Interiors were opened to maximize natural light and extend the living spaces outside. Other elements enhance the sense of space—like vaulted ceilings, hallway transoms and oversized skylights–giving the home a light-filled, larger-than-life presence.
The ADU, added above the garage, enjoys its own distinct yet complementary vibe. The flexible space offers a modern, clean aesthetic and creative retreat for the family—just removed enough to feel like a separate world but still very much a part of the home’s overall design story.
Cailin says it’s hard to choose a favorite room in the new home. “It’s probably a tie between our open, clean kitchen and the outdoor living area. The kitchen gets absolutely flooded with natural light and really feels like the heart of the home. But the outdoor space is just as special. With large sliding glass doors that fully pocket, we get that seamless indoor-outdoor flow we dreamed of. It’s the perfect place to relax and spend quality time as a family.”
