With its million-dollar endless views of the ocean and the dunes, Robert Stilin has designed a tranquil and comfortable beach house, featuring his trademark warm minimalism. Earth tones and the clean lines of modernist design are employed throughout, soothed by dreamy artwork and punctuated by an occasional staccato note of bright color. Impeccable upholstery in sumptuous but low-key fabrics adds a touch of luxe, and vintage examples of mid-century design impart a sense of history to the new construction.                          

Robert Stillin


In the living room, from top left: A 1950-designed Hans Wegner  Papa Bear chair upholstered in cardinal red, with a graceful curving Warren Platner for Knoll side table circa 1966. In the foreground, a pair of oak Hans Wegner AP71 chairs, one with arms and one without. The design for the AP71 chairs dates to 1960, and was based on folding deck chairs. The coffee table of chrome and slate, and a teak "guitar pick" side table are contrasting shapes, the former all angles; the latter all curves. A sandy-toned kilim recalls the dunes that are only steps away.



Eero Saarinen 's Tulip Table with walnut top, designed for Knoll in 1956, is surrounded by a set of George Nakashima Origins chairs. Nakashima designed the Origins Collection for Widdicomb in 1959, and the chairs feature a distinctive forward-thrust look due to a 10% canting of the legs. The bench against the rear wall is a1953 design by Finn Juhl for Bovirke. Accessories were chosen for their graphic appeal; the Italian midcentury ceramic centerpiece bowl is by Guido Gambone, and an antique 40-star American flag framed in bronze is a bold focal point. 



Brass pendant light B335 by Finnish designer Alvar Aalto, designed in 1954, hangs above the breakfast table which is positioned to enjoy the limitless views of sea and sky. The table is a Jacques Adnet design. The chairs are by one of Robert Stilin's favorite furniture designers, Børge Mogensen. Known as the Shell Chair/Model 155 with oak frames and teak seats and backs, the design is circa 1950s. 



The kitchen area employs a mix of new and vintage industrial, with custom Wenge wood cabinetry and a trio of vintage Bausch & Lomb opticians stools on casters.


The master bedroom features a platform bed with attached nightstands in the style of George Nakashima , anchored by an earth-toned kilim patterned with a mixture of contrasting stripes, dashes and diamonds. Two complementary examples of midcentury design appear in the stools that flank either side of the bed, postitioned to provide additional surface space. On the left is the Guldhøj folding stool by Poul Hundevad in rosewood and patinated leather, circa 1950s, and at right, a midcentury ottoman/stool with pegged wood joints and tufted leather cushion. A dreamy panoramic seascape image hangs above the bed. 


Børge Mogensen's 1958 Spanish Chair was inspired by his travels to Spain, where he admired medieval Spanish furniture. Constructed of oak and saddle leather with broad armrests that are perfect for balancing a drink or resting a book, it eliminates the need for a side table, thus adhering to the tenets of simplicity and functionality much admired by the Scandinavian Modern design masters. A vintage teak cabinet with five graduated drawers and tambour doors is by Danish design partners Orla-Mølgaard-Nielsen and Peter Hvidt  , circa 1950s. The photograph is a C-print on aluminum, from an edition of five by Brian McKee.