ELEGANCE REDEFINED

Giancarlo Valle’s reinvention of this coastal mansion is a masterclass in marrying high tastes with a relaxed beach lifestyle

- JULIET BENNING

OFFICE The view provides inspiration and details like the leather-wrapped banister enhance the pared-back sophistication of the space. Desk, Axel Einar Hjorth; chair, Jean Prouve, source both at 1stDibs. Art by Picasso and Pierre Le-Tan

FRONT EXTERIOR Set out on a coastal bluff, the 1903-built mansion is surrounded on three sides by sea

KITCHEN The wall tiles bring a light-reflecting, tactile quality that animates the room, along with the striking artwork. Source similar tiles from Mosaic Factory. Neptune has cabinets like these

SNUG Giancarlo found this striking painting in Kevin’s storage and made it a focal point, using the blue tone as a cue for rooms elsewhere. Painting, Axel Jarl. Sofa, Christian Liaigre. Roly Poly chair, Faye Toogood for Driade at Made In Design

After living in cities as far and wide as Los Angeles, Paris and New York, the call of the sea became irresistible to entrepreneur Kevin Wendle and he set his sights on a beach estate. ‘I had long admired a stretch of coastline in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, and when I stayed at the Ocean House hotel I noticed, right next door, the most handsome house I’d ever seen,’ he explains. ‘It was beautifully positioned on the water and it was for sale.’ Intending to live in the property part-time with his husband Sebastian and two young sons Dylan, now 14, and Alex, 10, Kevin foresaw that his family would thrive in the glorious beachside setting, spending the rest of their time at his Hotel Esencia in Tulum, Mexico.