Beachfront Retreat in Los Angeles

Today, dear readers, I have a most singular house to show you. Designer and antiques dealer Richard Shapiro built this Malibu beachfront retreat and decorated it in a rustic yet elegant style with unique period pieces. If you'd like to read the whole story just go right here.



Richard Shapiro, antiques dealer and head of Studiolo home furnishings, at the Malibu beach house he designed with architect Douglas Burdge. The Dutch wicker chair is from the 1960s.

Steel windows fabricated by Pierre Quinton open to a view of the Pacific Ocean.


The living room walls are sheathed in frescoed plaster; a 17th-century Italian gilt-wood mirror is displayed above an antique Cypriot fireplace. Shapiro designed the chairs, the wood stools are 19th-century Ghanaian, and the white-painted cast-bronze floor lamp, by Patricia Roach.

The open kitchen occupying one end of the living space is anchored by an island made of basalt. The same volcanic stone is used for the backsplash and counters; the cabinets are black lacquer. A vintage glass waterfall table by Pace is paired with a linen-covered sofa custom fitted to the alcove.

The dining area is centered beneath a pair of 18th-century inlaid Cosmatesque panels. Rattan chairs and a bench designed by Shapiro.

A sculptural staircase with a steel balustrade winds up to the master bedroom and bath. At its base is a 19th-century replica of an ancient Greek statue; the nail-studded walnut front door is 17th-century Italian.

In the living room, a painted-steel pedestal displays a fourth-century Roman torso.

The timber staircase leading to the beach was designed to resemble the weathered ramparts of a Moroccan fort.

The stone terrace is furnished with rattan and wicker chairs and an early-20th-century octagonal table painted deep red; the large ceramic jar is 16th-century Thai.

The front door is framed by a French 18th-century stone surround and lush greenery.

A daybed covered in mismatched stripes is tucked into a corner of the library; the table is 15th-century Italian, and the painting is by Shapiro.

The library walls feature tadelakt, a traditional Arabic polished plaster. An 18th-century French chair is paired with a Spanish desk of the same period; the ottoman and sofa are Shapiro designs.


A 19th-century Uzbek suzani covers Shapiro’s bed; the 17th-century Italian Savonarola chair stands alongside an antique Burgundian roof corbel.

Shapiro conceived the master bath so that the minimalist tub has views of the garden and the Malibu hills.

Photographed and produced by Miguel Flores-Vianna

All images and information from Architectural Digest.

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