This Santa Cruz cottage will eventually fall into the sea—but one family bought it anyway

Every Santa Cruzan knows it—the lone house still standing on the ocean side of the coastal bluff, the last survivor of a stretch of homes gradually claimed by erosion. Since it was built in 1937, the Santa Cruz cottage has captivated the community’s imagination, appearing on postcards, inspiring amateur novelists, and serving as a dramatic backdrop to the city’s famed promenade from its perch overlooking Monterey Bay.

When the king tides roll in every winter, there’s no better vantage point for watching the ocean’s power up close. Unlike the sleek mansions lining much of California’s shoreline, this unassuming house has always felt like something out of a fisherman’s tale—its weathered exterior often shrouded in salt spray as swells crash against the rocks below. Today, you can often find the family of six, who call this their second home, scrambling down to the shore to spy the tiny octopuses, sea stars, and nudibranchs navigating the tide pools.

Designed by Joni L. Janecki & Associates, the landscape is teeming with native California flora. “Because the plant choices have to be approved by the coastal commission, there was nothing flashy. It was more about respecting the site,” says the homeowner. There is no air conditioning, and the structures are sited to capture ocean breezes while protecting the family from storm-time blusters.

“It felt like the house was always trying to be of the place, and that it wasn’t very showy or pretentious,” says the homeowner, a Northern California native, of the 2,400-square-foot cottage and 600-square-foot casita. That authenticity nearly convinced the couple to purchase the house sight unseen—if not for a town ordinance requiring buyers to view the property first.

Of course, the town’s caution wasn't unfounded. The blufftop property is widely expected to eventually go the way of its former neighbors, succumbing to the encroaching sea. Not that it’s a pressing concern for the family. “Nothing lives forever. The trade-off of having something this special for a potentially short time was preferable to having something not so special,” she says. “It’s obvious that there’s only one house left on this side. We knew that the coastal commission would only allow one renovation for the life of the property, and that we had one chance to get it right.”

The playful kitchen, outfitted in Farrow & Ball’s Light Blue with millwork by Melim Woodwork, features Art Deco details, durable quartzite countertops, and hand-raked backsplash tiles by Linda Fahey. “It’s very subtle and modest. Every single detail was considered from a historical reference standpoint, but also ease and ergonomics from a human standpoint,” says Conquer, from the custom hardware to the ceramic dishes by Zack Conquer. “There was a real focus on comfort and feel.” The pendants are by Michael Anastassiades for The Future Perfect, and the stools are from DWR.

To preserve the cottage’s character and modest footprint while adapting it for modern life—the homeowners enlisted San Francisco architect Benjamin McGriff, who worked on the family’s Silicon Valley house and had spent years admiring the West Cliff property while visiting his in-laws in Santa Cruz. He was intimately familiar with the site’s challenges, including just how high-touch the permitting and sign-off process would be—and how many eyes would be watching their every move.

“You’re dealing with lots of different exposures and trying to create sanctuary in a coastal environment that can be blustery at times but also embrace the views and evocative nature of the property,” he explains. “At the same time, there’s a lot of responsibility because the house holds such a dear place in the community.”

“There was a lot of dialogue around each decision, and it made the project that much more personal,” says Tompkins. In the living room, a custom rug mimics the tide pools nearby, while the Stahl + Band sectional echoes the shape of the cove below; a custom cocktail table is topped with an eglomise surface to conjure the look of water splashed atop a rock. The curtains are a sheer blend fabric by Larsen made by The Shade Store, and the ceiling pendants are by Alex Robinson. Stools by The Future Perfect and Almond & Company add material contrast to the vintage Milo Baughman chaise and midcentury armchair.

With that in mind, McGriff brought in friends and frequent collaborators, Leann Conquer and Alexis Tompkins of AD PRO Directory firm Chroma. Together they created a fully integrated concept that combines style with meaning, leaning into the coastal legacy of local heroes like William Wurster, the architect behind San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square, and Joseph Esherick, who designed the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

To give the Santa Cruz cottage staying power, they took the house down to the studs, then raised the existing frame eight feet to make room for a new foundation, weaving in corrosion-resistant siding and walls of hurricane-strength glazing. (McGriff even engineered the house in modular sections allowing the structure to be relocated if necessary.) A courtyard-style layout reorients each room around a view of the Pacific as it wraps along the bluff’s edge. “There’s a sensitivity to how the ocean is part of the house,” says Conquer. “That’s what makes the property feel alive and in tune with nature.”

A seating area off the kitchen is dominated by vintage settees covered in quilted maps of the San Francisco Bay Area by Haptic Lab. Max Lamb for Hem copper stools are paired with a wood one from The Long Confidence, and throw pillows are clad in fabric by Toyine and Romo. In the background, fencing was made from a felled cypress tree on the property.

The interiors incorporate nautical references to Santa Cruz’s surf culture and fishing history, most evident in the palette of watery blues and driftwood grays—a nod to the Pacific visible from nearly every room. “The house is always bringing the outside in and acting as a frame for the bay,” says the homeowner. Indoors and out, tables take the shape of surfboards. In the living room, a raised-textured custom rug evokes nearby tide pools, while the metallic eglomise surface of a custom cocktail table recalls water splashed over rock. In the dining room, a sloped dowel detail on the overlapping vertical wall paneling echoes the movement of waves approaching shore (the undulating ceiling fixture does as well). In the kitchen, a pair of vintage midcentury settees are upholstered in custom quilt fabric mapping the Bay Area, complete with embroidered hearts marking beloved locations.

“I’ve always loved the concept of Sea Ranch. When you’re inside, you can’t see the other houses around you,” says the homeowner of the groundbreaking coastal California community. The primary suite features a similar insulated feel. Thoughtful details include the floating bedside tables by Siegfried Omann, artwork by Richard T. Walker, and lighting by Pinch for The Future Perfect. The custom bed is adorned with a Pierre Frey jacquard, leather by Moore & Giles, and fabric by Mariaflora.

An even more obvious reference to the sea lies in the house’s compact architecture, which draws inspiration from boat design—out of preference and necessity. It is both a nod to the husband’s previous service in the Navy and a response to the large amount of wall space converted to glass. Yet the tight configuration needed to flow with balance and comfort—no small task for a family with four young boys—so the team opted for rounded silhouettes, as in the living room’s curvaceous sectionals, and what McGriff calls “Swiss Army knife-like compartmentalization” throughout. “We needed every corner to be easily navigable because the house is so small, and we needed that much more room for the kids to breeze by rather than get caught on sharp corners,” says Tompkins.

The homeowners say it can feel like standing on the prow of a ship when looking out toward the horizon, particularly from the terrace off the primary suite, where water stretches along three sides of the property. From there and elsewhere around the house, the family watches as whales breach, dolphins surface, surfers catch breaks, and neighbors stroll the promenade. The house places them both within the rhythms of the community and slightly apart from it—connected, yet quietly removed. They are grateful for every moment, however long it lasts.

A vase by Rafi Ajl tops a custom table by Chroma in the breakfast nook, where a bespoke settee is upholstered in a Holly Hunt fabric.

Deviating from the neutral, blue-tinged palette visible elsewhere, sunset hues set the powder room ablaze thanks to a painting by Margrethe Ogaard. A hand-carved teak vanity, a glass stool by Henry Dean for March, and a grass cloth wall covering by Gregorius Pineo create depth, as does the mirror by Laurène Guarneri.

Wood paneling made from a felled cypress tree on the property gives the dining room the feel of a ship’s cabin, with a custom table and banquette upholstered in wave-inspired fabric by Dedar and Nomi. The ceiling fixture is by Whitedirt Studio, the vase is by Rafi Ajl from The Long Confidence, and the chairs are vintage Niels Møller upholstered in S.H. Frank leather.

Every room has a view of the sea, including the primary bathroom. Chroma employed lots of warm wood to retain the charming fisherman-style feel, but added sleek tech, like the custom front-illuminated mirrors by Alguacil & Perkoff for modern convenience. The medicine cabinet is custom, and the chair is by Faye Toogood from March.

The boys’ bunk room hews to the cerulean theme with a Mark Nelson Designs rug, a Daylesford quilt, and throw pillows clad in fabrics by Holland & Sherry and Pierre Frey. The design team hired an acoustic consultant to protect the home with layers of technology: Vibrational isolators block street and ocean noise to reinforce the sensory experience of a sanctuary within the house.

A diminutive custom sink pops against walls clad in Farrow & Ball’s Dimity. The sconce is by RBW, and the towel is from With Her Hands.

“Everything in the home needed to be super durable and easy to clean because it’s a beach house and it’s also a second home,” says Tompkins. The casita bathroom has radiant flooring and latched windows for convenient ventilation.

“Of all the projects I’ve worked on, this is probably closest to perfect,” says McGriff. “The touch at every level is so intentional. There’s a point of continuity within the house that’s very tailored, but as you move away from the footprint of the house, it gets wild and loose.” The sectional is by Terra Outdoor Living, the lounge chairs are by Nanna Ditzel for Sika Design, and the home’s exterior is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Ammonite.