Carmel-by-the-Sea Residence
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Location
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
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Architect
John Malick & Associates
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Builder
Young & Burton
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Photographer
Read McKendree
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Lighting Consultant
Bouyea & Associates, Inc.
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Stylist
Yedda Morrison
- Press
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Team Members
Michael Booth
Made to Endure
The English references extend beyond appearance to the way the house is made. Solid wood cabinetry and floors, hand-hewn reclaimed oak beams, imported stone roof shingles, and custom steel casement windows give the interiors a material integrity that feels substantial without becoming precious. Rather than reproducing a period interior, the design borrows the logic and craftsmanship of traditional English houses, allowing materials to carry weight, age, and character of their own.
That foundation leaves room for a freer mix of furnishings and art. Contemporary textiles sits alongside pieces with historical references, silhouettes vary rather than match, and true antiques appear sparingly. The effect is collected rather than composed all at once, giving the rooms a sense of history while keeping them firmly in the present.
The Great Room became the heartbeat of the home, generous enough to hold the life of the house while allowing the surrounding spaces to remain intimate. A formal dining room was deliberately omitted in favor of a flexible dining area that moves easily between meals, entertaining, card games, and everyday use. The kitchen follows the same thinking, with storage, the hood, and even the entrance to the mudroom concealed behind integrated panels so the space reads as part of the Great Room rather than as a purely functional space.
Practicality often comes with an element of surprise. A seventeenth-century Dutch cabinet conceals a fully functioning bar, while architectural lighting disappears into the timber structure and is programmed alongside chandeliers, table lamps, and floor lamps so the atmosphere changes without drawing attention to the technology behind it.
Beyond the main house, the guest cottage takes on a more colorful character of its own, connected through the garden. Together, the spaces favor comfort over ceremony, shaped around family, friends, and the easy rituals of a second home in Carmel.
Here, the architecture gave us a strong historical vocabulary, but the interiors needed their own energy. We varied silhouettes, mixed periods, introduced contemporary pieces against traditional architecture, and allowed certain materials to carry their age. That balance is what gives a room character and makes it feel collected rather than decorated.” Michael Booth Principal, BAMO
