Open-Door Policy

This home near the sea blurs the lines between indoors and out with a laid-back surfer vibe and sliding doors that open wide to create the ultimate family home

- LAURA FENTON

Walking into Shaina Kerrigan and Mark Jones' home almost feels like you're entering a movie set on the coast. The interiors are airy, beachy, and casual; music is always playing; and the rooms flow right out onto the deck. The strong seaside vibe is not surprising for this couple: He's a lawyer who loves surfing; she's a native Californian and founder of Molly J., a plant-based confections company.

When Shaina and Mark started looking for a home to buy after years of renting, they wanted a place they could make their own, a fixer-upper perhaps. But with two young kids, they eventually decided to go with a house that was move-in-ready. A newly built, two-story Marin County, California, house with a big deck and two sets of oversize patio doors checked many boxes on their wish list.

Shaina called interior designer Katie Monkhouse, whom she'd met through a mutual friend, to help put the family's easygoing stamp on the basic builder home. "It didn't need an overhaul, but it needed life and character," Monkhouse says. "Shaina told me, 'Go wild: Come up with weird stuff.""

But Monkhouse's first objective was to make the floor plan work. Despite the house's relatively generous size, a center staircase made for narrow rooms on the main level. She arranged the furnishings in the kitchen, breakfast nook, and family room to promote flow to the outdoor living area and take full advantage of the way the back of the house opens to the deck.