AS SEEN IN Architectural Digest HOME AND DESIGN I ORANGE COUNTY

Trust in Simplicity

With a gift for romantic modernism, a passion for the Adriatic seaside, and a client of kindred spirit, Geoff Sumich built his favorite house.

When Geoff Sumich met the clients for whom he would build his hill-side villa overlooking the coast of Orange County, it felt like kismet. “We had the same passion for the Mediterranean,” explains Sumich, princk pal of Geoff Sumich Design. The couple wanted a house that would remind them

of their travels to the region, and I have a powerful affinity for the hillside villages of Croatia, where I’ve been many times.” A sloped lot on the Pacific Ocean cre-ated an ideal starting point for the seaside villa. “Our concept was to play with texture rather than color,” Sumich explains. We used limestone, stucco, glass, and white canvas. The color palette was beachy with subtle tans and beiges. We wanted a house where you’d fit In perfectly whether dressed for a gala or wrapped in a beach towel.” To evoke a “village,” Sumich divided the house into a cluster of buildings with varying textures, connected by narrow “streets”—hallways paved In cobblestone and encased in glass. A grotto carved into the adjacent hillside created a quaint town courtyard with a sitting area and fire feature.