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LOWE TIDE Sheryl & Rob Lowe Soak up the Sun at their California Beach House Santa Barbara Magazine By Degen Pener August/September 2005 When Sheryl Lowe first told friends how she planned to decorate her and husband Rob’s beach getaway, they thought her ideas sounded crazy. “I wasn’t sure I was able to articulate what I was going for,” admits Sheryl, “But I am really unorthodox and I didn’t want a typical beach house.” | |||
Her notion was to take a “Ralph Lauren-meets-Santa Fe” house, which the couple purchased in June of 2004, and transform it into a British Colonial-style retreat. Almost everything in it, from the walls and floors to a collection of African photos, would be in high-contrast black and white.
Rob, too, was initially nonplussed. “Original African photography in a beach house? That doesn’t immediately spring to mind as an obvious choice,” he says.
Well, the skeptics were wrong. The couple’s weekend retreat, finished this past spring, strikes just the right balance between exotically unexpected and charmingly homey. Their collection of black-and-white photographs, many of tribal scenes, takes the eye on a global journey. Inlaid ivory boxes and tea caddies rest on burnished wooden tables. And black-and-white woven baskets hang above a white brick fireplace. With all the antiques and objects from far-off places, there’s a worldly, resonant feeling in the air.
It’s a lot of eclecticism for a cozy two-bedroom home, but Sheryl’s stringent editing and strong point of view pull everything together. “I wanted it to have the feel of a Soho loft with a touch of the African coast,” says Sheryl, “On weekends, we really wanted to feel away from it all."
One of the inspirations for the house was a vacation the couple took 15 years ago. “It was one of our first trips together and it was so romantic,” says Sheryl, who wed Rob in 1991. “It was the year before we were married. It was unbelievably intoxicating. When designing this house, that feeling came back to me. There are keepsakes from that trip incorporated throughout the house. “Some of these things I’ve had for 15 years and they’ve been in storage,” she says.
In designing the house, one of Sheryl’s biggest concerns was that it not look too stark. So she complimented the ebony-stained white oak floors and cool white walls with a host of English antiques, many of which were purchased in London last fall. “When you start throwing in antiques, you warm up an environment,” she says, “If I were to have used modern furniture, it wouldn’t have been cozy enough for us.”
Sheryl also softened the scheme by adding accessories in subdued but eye-catching colors: burnt orange High Atlas Moroccan rugs and sea green Tiffany candy dishes. Jonathan Barnett, a Beverly Hills designer who grew up in South Africa and England, consulted on some of the project’s final touches. “Even with the dark ebony floors and the crisp white walls, it has a lived-in feeling because of the way Sheryl accessorizes and her meticulous eye to detail,” he says, “It’s Anglo-African and stunning, but it still has the relaxed feel of a California beach house.”
Not that the Lowe family spends a lot of time lolling around during weekends here. The couple and their two sons spend most of their time right on the beach. Or as Rob calls it, “the room with the sand,” adding, “This is a very active, functional house. There’s not a whole lot of sitting on the patio watching the sunset and drinking juleps.”
The Lowes’ elder son Matthew is already a certified diver and avid fisherman at age 11, while JohnOwen, 9, enjoys the same. At the beach, the boys, and their parents, too, spend hours boogie boarding, bodysurfing and kayaking. “And the kids love making driftwood forts,” says Sheryl.
But dad is probably the biggest water lover of all. “I’m in and out of the water six times a day. I sometimes wear a wetsuit, but rarely. From the time I was 12 to 22, I lived in Malibu. I’m used to the Pacific, and it being cold. For me, a wetsuit feels a little bit like cheating.”
By late afternoon, Sheryl will have cooked up a family favorite like spaghetti and meatballs, drumsticks or shish kebabs, and the atmosphere can quickly start to feel like a party. “We’re hanging out on beach chairs with our music,” says Sheryl, who hooks up an iPod to portable speakers with “an extension cord that goes all the way out to the beach.”
While there’s plenty of time for play, the boys have responsibilities, too. “To earn their allowance, the kids have to do something out of the ordinary,” says Sheryl. “We don’t give allowances for making your bed or things that you’re expected to do everyday in your life as a person. So we have one day a week of beach trash pickup so they can get their allowance.”
Clearly, mom, formerly a successful makeup artist in Hollywood and cofounder of an LA-based cosmetics company, has a strong work ethic. So how does this dynamo stay organized? She swears by her Brother P-Touch label maker. “Everything is labeled in the pantry. Down in the garage, everything is labeled. I’m a P-Touch girl,” says Sheryl.
“When it comes to design, I’m Sheryl’s number one fan. Over the years, we’ve done a lot of homes, and with each one, I check in less and less because she’s so good at what she does.” Sheryl’s design skills were put to the test by the house’s rectangular shape. She made use of round and oval-shaped furnishings, and in the living room, she created little conversation areas near each other. Upstairs, the boys’ room boasts bunk beds, which Rob had growing up. “My brother, Chad, and I had them when we were kids and I loved them,” he says.
Despite its weekend status, the place hardly lacks amenities. There are several plasma televisions and a high-tech stereo system. The home also has three fireplaces, two outdoor showers and a three-car garage tucked completely underneath it.
More and more, the couple is falling in love with their cozy, intimate gem of a house. Looking out the window of the master bedroom, Rob says, “Look at those islands. That’s what we’re here for. It’s the greatest show on earth. It never ends.” And, at night, when the family is snug in their beds, they fall asleep to the sound of the rolling waves. “I love the idea of being able to yell down the hallway to the kids, “‘Night, Matthew. ‘Night, JohnOwen!” says Sheryl.“We all sleep like babies here.”
Santa Barbara Magazine ~~ August/September 2005