Tour This Hawaiian Home with Modern, Beachy Style

Life is pretty good for Sean and Xochitl Garcia: They own and operate a coffee shop in one of the most beautiful places on earth, and when they aren’t working, they’re often surfing with their three sons (Finnley, 20, Cassius, 17, and Romeo, 15) in the crystal blue waters of Kealia, Kauai. (Also pictured here are nephew Max and Xochitl's mom, Debra.) Either way, they come home at the end of the day to their light-drenched beach bungalow. They hired local designer Christina Higham to help them turn the 1,586-square-foot retreat into their dream space.

The Garcias entertain a lot, so the deck was an important part of the renovation. Christina painted the wood planks inky black and added plenty of seating with a teak sectional from Neighbor. The yellow scalloped umbrella from Business & Pleasure Co. and matching striped cushions were inspired by beaches in the South of France.

“We fell in love with the house for the spectacular view, which stretches over the valley to our favorite beach,” says Xochitl. But the house wasn’t their style, so Christina reimagined it as a Hawaiian surf cabin with a modern, Mediterranean twist.

“Right before we renovated, we traveled around beautiful beachside towns in the Mediterranean, and we wanted to bring some of that style to Kauai,” says Xochitl. They leaned in to the home’s abundant sunshine and added soft shades of dusty rose and gold — like the yellow velvet sofa from Clad Home — and lots of bold stripes. “Now the inside is airy and beautiful,” says Xochitl. But the best part is still the view.

Sean and Xochitl chose a warm white paint for the walls (White Dove by Benjamin Moore) so the soft colors of the room would pop. The swivel chairs, which are home to striped pillows that echo the rug, are from Crate & Barrel. The decorative surfboard is by local artist Ryan Lovelace, and the abstract art is actually a TV in disguise.

The pink, white and yellow backsplash tiles by Elisa Passino were the jumping-off point for the entire home’s design. The La Marzocco espresso machine was a must so the couple could make cappuccinos at home. The rest of the appliances are from CAFÉ.

"When we found the backsplash tile for the kitchen, we thought: Why not use this palette in the rest of the house?" Sean says. The half-sun motif from the tile is also echoed in textured pendants from Allied Maker.

Christina had the table made using leftover terrazzo from the couple’s coffee shop (which she also designed); the legs match the woodwork on the kitchen peninsula. The banquette sits 10, plus the family’s cat Sammy, and is covered in durable outdoor fabric.

Calm was the directive here: Christina stuck to soft neutrals and then brought in some Mediterranean-style beach whimsy with striped linens from Society of Wanderers. The sconces are from Rejuvenation and the floor tiles are from Concrete Collaborative.

“Our son originally asked for red walls, so this was our compromise,” Xochitl says of the vintage Toyota racing stripes. Christina sourced posters from Repro Racing Posters as a nod to Romeo’s love of dirt biking.