A realtor/broker and her contractor husband team up to design the ultimate coastal farmhouse for their family.

BY AUTUMN K RAUSE

HANDSOME DETAILS. Leather sofas and rustic wooden tables with X-details give the living room a countryside sensibility. The mantel shelf is 100-year-old reclaimed wood from an old barn in East Mississippi.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRET GUM STYLING BY JICKIE TORRES

OUTDOOR LIVING. A porch is a wonderful place to enjoy the perpetually sunny California weather and watch the kids. AJ says, “We did Ipe wood decking and a custom X-patterned fence.”

Sometimes you don’t have to travel far to find home. For AJ Olson Whitfield, a realtor and broker associate at Villa Real Estate, home is located just across the street from her family’s previous residence. However, even though they didn’t have to move far, it was quite a journey to get to home sweet home, one that included demolishing the existing house and building a new one from scratch on the lot.

“My contractor husband, Garrett, and I love a blank slate,” AJ says. “We built our home from the ground up. I feel that new construction can sometimes come off flat, so it was important to bring in elements that gave life to the designs.” They did this by pulling from both their styles and melding clean and purposeful lines with a welcoming touch. “Garrett and I are a great team,” AJ says. “Most people think we are crazy … and this may be true, but we love having a vision and then turning it into a reality.” By combining their talents, they created a stunning coastal farmhouse with modern influences.

FARM COTTAGE CHARM. AJ describes the exterior of their home as a “blended modern farmhouse with East Coast influences.” She wanted to stay true to the theme of natural elements and contrast and achieved this with Ipe wood decking with a dark exterior and white highlights.

SHELVES MAKE THE ROOM. Bookshelves are a wonderful way to give a personalized twist to a room—especially when filled with items that reflect the homeowners. AJ’s shelves hold a mix of cherished treasures and stylish items she snagged from home retailers. She says, “The majority of the items on our shelves have been collected over time, like the white elephant that was my grandmother’s or the Michael Aram mussel shell from our wedding. However, I do love checking out TJ Maxx Home Goods. It is amazing what you can find.”