Tour a French Normandy–Style Compound on the California Coast
“This is where I was a little girl, playing in the waves at this beach house every summer of my childhood,” recalls Ashley Brittingham McDermott of her California coast home, a French Normandy–style property near San Diego. Despite its deep personal significance for the LA native—who, along with her husband, has spent the past 30 years raising four kids in and around New York City—the home, split in 2020 by five siblings following their parents’ passing, was about to be sold. It would mark the end of a sun-drenched, half-century-long chapter in the large, far-flung family’s history.
Prior to the sale, McDermott made a final visit—“my goodbye tour,” she calls it. Her husband sat working at the breakfast table overlooking the glittering Pacific surf as she wandered about tearfully taking photos. “‘This is crazy,’” she remembers him declaring at last. “‘We cannot part with this house.’” And with that, they decided to purchase it, ushering in a sense of relief and a new era in their lives. “The secrets and memories of my childhood were within those walls,” says McDermott, “and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.”
The question was then who could be trusted to bring “this cherished house from my past into the future,” as she puts it. McDermott casually knew AD100 interior designer Mark D. Sikes, who is admired for his signature blue-infused aesthetic. The two also shared an affection for a certain type of California beachside living—one that’s as sandy and laid-back as it is traditional. After she called to gauge Sikes’s interest, the designer drove down from LA, and things clicked. “He walked in and got it immediately, and instantly started having all kinds of brilliant ideas of how to bring the ocean into every room,” McDermott says.
Sikes, for his part, understood the balancing act required of reviving such a distinctive, circa-1970s compound, which comprises a main house and casita encircling a serene brick courtyard. The designer, whose A-list clientele includes such fellow tastemakers as Nancy Meyers and Reese Witherspoon, soon identified a few primary objectives: Open up everything to the ocean; incorporate heirloom pieces, artwork, and patterns from the McDermotts; and, perhaps most importantly, craft an intuitive backdrop for the active family’s daily routines.
“The whole family’s really happy and fun,” shares Sikes. “They wanted the house to feel vibrant, alive—but also to really stay true to [its] feel.” Ultimately, he says, McDermott afforded him a huge amount of freedom when it came to color schemes and fabric choices. “But I wanted to also keep it super classic, timeless, and just appropriate to the spirit of the house,” he adds.
For the main gate’s entryway, Sikes felt it was important to have a view directly past the Melaleuca tree, where McDermott hunted Easter eggs as a child, through the main house’s front door to the ocean beyond. Likewise from the kitchen and dining room through to the breakfast and living rooms: All would feature unobstructed views of the sea. Working with the architect Paul Williger, the designer and his team set about expanding doorways and sight lines in subtle ways that are difficult now even for the homeowners to identify. “He knew exactly how to fix architectural challenges that were unfixable in my mind,” shares McDermott.
Another high note of the project, which began in the throes of the pandemic and yet only took about six months to complete (McDermott likens the operation of Sikes’s office to that of a Swiss timepiece), is the custom decorative painting. Palm Beach, Florida, artist Joseph Steiert was brought in to add organic and architectural detailing throughout. From the casita’s vestibule to stair rails and treads, ceiling beams, hallways, and bathrooms in the four-bedroom main house, Steiert’s bespoke brushwork, Sikes maintains, is “the most special” element in the home.
In the living room, a popular gathering spot for the family when they’re not outside, Sikes installed a wraparound window banquette illuminated by simple sconces, careful to emphasize rather than obstruct the showstopping view. He also repurposed a number of meaningful objects from the clients in the space—lamps, club chairs, a coffee table, a console—recovering or refinishing as needed. “Mark has no ego if you say, ‘I really love this table—it means everything to me.’ He’s like, ‘Let’s use it!’” shares McDermott. “He wants you to be happy, and he wants the room to look great.” Sikes concurs: “I want to incorporate, with any client, things that they love, that are important to them.”
Though much of this project is defined by the subtle enhancement of the home’s original, built-in character—as well as the inclusion of the clients’ own collections—it is Sikes’s signature flourish that brings it all to life. Take the numerous Bielecky Brothers wicker items, which, commissioned by the designer (many with a custom tortoiseshell finish to complement some of the clients’ own wicker pieces), feel as original to the abode as the walls. Wearing a punchy Jaipur paisley fabric in a coral colorway, as in one of the two en suite guesthouse bedrooms, or a Sikesian blue-and-white stripe, as in one of the kids rooms, the wicker-textile combo feels inspired and singular. “I wanted to create a bigger story,” he notes of the layering of new and old.
“When Mark first laid it all out—with the stripes, the paisley, and all of the things on top of each other, I was like, ‘Oh, my God! He’s lost the plot,’” shares McDermott, recalling an initial design meeting. “But he never loses the plot, is the short answer…it doesn’t just fit, it soars.”
Ultimately, says McDermott, Sikes was able to create a plan that keeps in step with the various family members’ routines when they are there. Almost every day at the house begins with morning yoga on the beach. Then tennis, golf, hiking, surfing, or swimming is usually followed by a group lunch at one of two dining setups on the brick terrace overlooking the ocean. Cozy window nooks are plentiful for afternoon reading. And when the weather allows, every day ends back down by big roaring firepits on the terrace with sunset margaritas, chips, and guacamole. “You don’t even have to gather everyone there,” says McDermott of the littoral idyll, a subject of countless talks between the designer and his client, “they just know where to go.”
When work obligations inevitably arise, ample anticipatory desks can be found here and there, equally unobtrusive and inviting. Similarly, the leafy courtyard—with its calming French blue seating arrangements and natural buffer from the crashing waves—is a popular quiet refuge for Zoom calls (and, on many evenings, a blessedly wind-free barbecue perch). The indoor kitchen, another focal point, is where hours are spent cooking and chatting surrounded by Delft tile and splashes of Farrow & Ball’s Cook’s Blue. It’s a happy backdrop for the rush that follows Sunday morning trips to a local family-run donut shop, a sacred ritual McDermott’s carried over from her own youth, when she would go with her father and always score the choice apple fritter (she still does).
McDermott is quick to admit that it turns out one can go home again. This project made her recognize just how much she had missed it all: the particular sound of the ocean, pelicans dive-bombing at eye level, the colors of the sky as the sun sinks below the horizon—and in the correct direction, as the East Coast resident points out.
“It gave me a place to dream and wonder who I was going to grow up and become, and it gave my children a place to see who their mother was and is,” she says of her own experience and that of her Manhattan-native kids, who are now making their own California coast memories. “As a child, you go out in the world, and you hold onto the places and people that are inside of you. And I think part of what was such a gift about this whole experience—of coming home to a place that was so deeply in my soul—is that it was a reaffirmation.”
1/18Another view of the courtyard shows the entrance to the two-bedroom, two-bathroom casita, or guesthouse, at right. “Everyone loves staying out there,” says McDermott, including her own children, who don’t keep set bedrooms of their own. Plus, she adds, “I turn all of my friends into family, so there’s no hierarchy of where people sleep.” The sofa throw pillows are covered in a Perennials Go To Stripe fabric. The landscaping was done by George Alvarado.
2/18A view from the entrance to Ashley Brittingham McDermott’s seaside home near San Diego, California. AD100 designer Mark Sikes felt it was important to have a direct line of sight to the sea starting at the gate, painted in Farrow & Ball’s Cook’s Blue, so the front doors and interior passageway were adjusted accordingly. “That was part of the genius of Mark,” notes McDermott, “You want to see right through to the water.” The outdoor furniture, the client’s own, features custom Valley Drapery cushions covered in Pincord fabric in Sky from Janus et Cie with welts and buttons from Pindler.
3/18Sikes wanted to capitalize on the spectacular ocean views in the living room by painting the walls a simple shade of white, adding sheer matchstick blinds from Valley Drapery and installing a low-slung wraparound banquette. The custom sofa, wearing a Romo fabric in Dune Turmeric, features throw pillows covered in C&C Milano and Bujosa. The rug, from Guinevere Antiques, furthers the blue-and-white theme, and the handmade wicker side chairs are from Bielecky Brothers.
4/18The custom Iksel wallpaper in the dining room adds to the overall wow factor. “That’s the most me thing ever,” shares McDermott of the Isnik pattern. “Mark showed me that wallpaper and it was a no-brainer.” The drapes are covered in a Les Indiennes Lattice fabric in indigo. An antique table and chairs, whose cushions wear a C&C Milano fabric with Samuel & Sons trim, sit on a Stark rug below a billiard light from Visual Comfort.
5/18To maximize light, views, and flow, Sikes widened the passage and added glass doors between the breakfast room, pictured here, and the dining room beyond. This is where McDermott’s husband, who is also from California, was working when he decided to buy the house for her. The Castilla chandelier from David Iatesta Studio illuminates the walls and drapes, all covered in a Namay Samay Bodo fabric. Custom Bielecky Brothers chairs in a teak finish surround an antique dining table above a vermilion rug from John Rosselli & Associates. The contractors on the project, working with the architect Paul Williger, were Armando Alvarez and Samuel Pinoco.
Photo: Amy Neunsinger6/18In the kitchen, where the cabinets are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Borrowed Light, Delft tiles form the expansive backsplash and the terra-cotta-tile floor, not seen here, was painted in alternating light blue and white. “There’s a lot of decorative details with the existing architecture, which I think is what makes the house feel super fresh, unique, and cool,” says Sikes. The custom stools are covered in a Raoul Textiles Pasha fabric in Delft, and the lights are custom Ann Morris. “There’s a lot of life in that kitchen,” notes McDermott.
7/18The stairway, which “was pretty dark and dreary,” says McDermott, was opened up and painted white with decorative blue touches. Artist Joseph Steiert was brought in for the job. The Carmenia chandelier from Paul Ferrante illuminates antique blue-and-white china on custom wall brackets painted in Farrow & Ball’s Cook’s Blue.
8/18At first, McDermott was concerned that covering the walls in a navy grass cloth from Holland & Sherry would make the primary bedroom too dark, but Sikes assured her otherwise. The bed features a custom canopy, headboard, and linens from Valley Drapery in a Les Indiennes fabric, which was also used for the window treatments and seating cushions. The desk and desk chair were both sourced from 1stDibs. Because the project was planned during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, workspaces became an essential consideration. “Suddenly, all of the bedrooms needed working desks,” says McDermott.
9/18A corner of the primary bedroom, typically awash in natural light, is illuminated at night by sconces from Hudson Valley Lighting Group. The table is another custom commission from Bielecky Brothers, intended to jibe with existing wicker pieces in the house.
10/18“My kids don’t have assigned bedrooms in this house,” shares McDermott. “Everybody picks where they want to sleep [depending on] what vibe they’re feeling when they come.” In this neutral bedroom, the drapery and duvet are covered in a paisley fabric from Casa Branca. The walls are covered in a textile from Gregorius Pineo; the rug is a custom Holland & Sherry weave; and the sconces are from the Urban Electric Company. A Vaughan Buckton floor lamp stands beside a Bielecky Brothers chair and ottoman with cushions covered in a Casa Branca textile. Meanwhile, the Bielecky Brothers bench cushion is wearing Peter Fasano’s Angelina fabric.
11/18Given the project’s relatively tight timeline, the designer and client chose to approach many spaces with a delicate hand. In this guest bathroom, for example, the existing tile work surrounding the vanity was left in place and echoed by decorative painting around the doorway and sconces from Reborn Antiques. The hardware is from Nanz. “Mark said, ‘This is a bathroom in a beach house,’” McDermott recalls. “‘It doesn’t need to be precious and perfect—it needs to be happy and cheerful and clean, and this will be all of those things.’”
12/18In another bedroom in the main house, Upton wall lights from Vaughan feature custom shades in a Schuyler Samperton Mamounia fabric, illuminating a bed from Hollywood at Home. The canopy panels, duvet cover, and decorative pillow are all covered in a Les Indiennes fabric. The bedding is from Julia B.
13/18In one of the bedrooms, a front-row-seat view of the ocean is amplified by a range of blue and turquoise hues. “We had a lot of fun in here,” says Sikes, who took the border from some of the fabric and ran it along the top of the walls, which are covered in a Schumacher Haruki Sisal. Decorative painting on the beams was added to match the bed fabric. The custom beds feature swag canopies covered in a Botanica Trading textile and Harbour Barrel knotted fringe from Samuel & Sons. Sconces from Vaughan, reflected in the Hollywood at Home mirror, illuminate a mix of custom Valley Drapery and Julia B. bedding. The chest/nightstand and benches are from Bielecky Brothers, while the drapes are also covered in a Botanica Trading textile. The carpet is a custom Holland & Sherry weave.
14/18The downstairs hallway presented a bit of a challenge for Sikes. “How do we make this really unique and special?” he remembers thinking. “This [was] the ugliest hallway known to mankind—[there was] nothing special about it,” adds McDermott of the original space. “And Mark said, ‘Oh, stop—we’re going to…make it the happiest hallway you’ve ever seen.’ And that’s the charm of him and the talent as well.” The runner and light fixtures were the client’s own.
15/18“Mark was really delighted by the whole French Normandy vibe,” says McDermott, so they decided to lean into that aesthetic for the two guesthouse bedrooms, influenced colorwise by the geraniums populating the courtyard. A Paul Ferrante Shelton chandelier hangs above walls and Roman shades covered in a Bennison fabric; a bed covered in Casa Branca textiles; and a rug from Guinevere Antiques. Scones from the Urban Electric Company are strategically placed along the walls, which also feature sunset photographs taken by McDermott.
16/18“This is my favorite room of the house, I think,” says Sikes of the second guesthouse bedroom. Inside, another Paul Ferrante Shelton chandelier illuminates walls and Roman shades covered in a Bennison Malabar Stripe fabric, which is echoed in the Bennison textiles on the bed, whose reading sconce is from the Urban Electric Company. The banquette cushions wear a Casa Branca fabric, and the rug bespoke from Guinevere Antiques.
17/18A view of the brick terrace at sunset, when the family typically gathers along its wraparound benches for drinks and snacks before dinner. Sikes notes that the seaside space was the topic of many conversations with his client, since it would be the backdrop for so many gatherings throughout the day, including morning yoga. Reflecting on the deeply personal project, McDermott shares, “It's a great lesson about life, which is, if you're lucky enough to have happy memories from a place that you hold dear, it's an extraordinary thing to be able to go back and share it with your children.” The cushions, made by Valley Drapery, are covered in a Perennials Go To Stripe fabric.
18/18A view of the house from the antique chaise longues, covered in a Perennials Go To Stripe fabric, on the beach, just below the brick terrace. McDermott—whose new book, Cowboy Up Buttercup: Lessons for a Joyful Life, largely written at the property, comes out in the fall—says she feels grateful to be able to observe her own children fall in love with California, just like she did all those years ago. “That life—that beach life, that slowing-down, watching-the-sunset, that taking-in-nature life,” she muses. “What a beautiful contrast to very busy lives.”
