last november, i visited dana point’s , a vintage and local maker’s street fair where surf memorabilia abounds, and had the pleasure of meeting matt titone who manned a booth there sharing his latest book, . matt’s a designer and founder of and the author of one of my very favorite design books, his first book, published by whose design books never disappoint. i love a good surf shack, especially ones as design-worthy and creative as the homes in these beach communities are — the book includes inspiring surf shacks from all over the world and literally coast to coast, each one as uniquely eclectic and bespoke as the next.
shares home stories on 40 surf shacks and their creative residents, including fashion designer and surfer cynthia rowley’s beach home in montauk, new york, and aaimon and daize goodwin’s extraordinary swiss family robinson style home in hanalei, kauai. features all kinds of living spaces that literally think outside the box and embrace a laid-back bohemian lifestyle characteristic of surfers — from ad hoc cottages to airstreams to homes repurposed from shipping containers and inspiring, eclectic homes that embrace an artful lifestyle lived close to nature and always evoking an authentic love and respect for the sea and surf culture.
if you happen to be in the ventura area, opened its first physical space to serve as an art gallery, a shared studio, and a place to gather, inspire, and host events with like-minded creative folks. their mantra has always been to celebrate coastal creative culture through projects like , , and their . and to celebrate this new space, their gallery show ‘in residence’ featuring 26 local artists who reside in the 805 area code and will run from january 27 through february 25, so do stop in, say hello, and see some art:
, 432 n. ventura avenue, studio 30, ventura, california 93001.
• photography credits: courtesy of matt titone .