9 Modern Beach Bungalows
Humble in size but big on seaside views and low-key vibes, the beach bungalow is a classic staple of beachside culture across the world.
Although the bungalow as a building type originated in the Bengal region of South Asia, it's made it's way across the globe and has become known as a small, detached house that has a relaxed, beachy feel. Here, we take a look at unassuming but decidedly modern beachside retreats that express themselves with a variety of materials and shapes—from local stone to wood siding.
1. A Transformed Bungalow on Fire Island
A small beach retreat originally dating from the 1950s on Fire Island, New York, was revamped by interior designer Alexandra Angle. With a location high on a hill overlooking the water, an outdoor roof terrace and patio help bring the outdoors in.
Lucas Allen/GMAimages
In the former fishing village of Montauk, New York, architecture firm Bates Masi + Architects designed a summer home for a family of four that, despite its beachy vibe, features green technology including a prefabricated foundation and a geothermal heating and cooling system.
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Dubbed Casa Cuatro, this stone-covered house designed by Barbara Bernal sits above a 180-foot cliff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The locally quarried stone makes the house blend in with the landscape and acts as a thermal-mass wall, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it through the evening.
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In the mild, temperate seaside town of Mount Martha, Australia, this oceanfront home designed by OLA Studio utilizes sustainable features like operable windows for cross-ventilation, solar panels, and rainwater catchment for a minimal environmental impact.
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Designed by well-known local modernist Horace Gifford in 1968, this house on New York's Fire Island springs up from the marshy grasses and creates a symmetrical, tripartite summer house with sliding doors to let in cooling breezes.
Dwell
Students were asked to balance issues of culture, sustainability, mobility, and construction in the design of a vacation cabin prototype for California's State Parks in which the prefabricated homes could be easily constructed and quickly relocated. The homes could be placed anywhere from an oceanside park to mountain ranges, and were designed with simple materials and construction techniques.
Paul Vu
A prefab house designed by ArchiBlox on the northern beaches of Sydney sustains high winds and spray from the surf, so the firm wrapped the exterior in marine-grade Colorbond Ultra steel. Panels of Queensland blue gum, a native Australian hardwood, clad the street-side facade, which is protected from the harsh climate.
Tom Ross
Perched on the mountainside of the Greek island of Skiathos, this midcentury modern-inspired house by Athens-based K-Studio employs stone walls, pine trees, a deep overhang, outdoor rooms, a swimming pool, and endless views of the sea to great effect.
Andrea Wyner
An elevated addition to a 1940s beach house outside of San Francisco rests on piers that catch ocean breezes and allow for views of the Pacific Ocean. Designed by Studio Peek Ancona, the bungalow uses passive heating and cooling, native plants in the landscaping, and an exterior rain screen.
Mathew Scott
