Coastal Comforts

Natural Selection - When your backyard hosts spartina and live oaks, roseate spoonbills and dolphins, it’s best to let nature take center stage. To complement—but not compete with— the view, architect Beau Clowney filled this dining nook with floor-to-ceiling windows, and interior designer Allison Elebash covered both walls and ceiling in pecky cypress planks.

Family Time: New England natives Jamie and James Pagliocco built this marshfront Kiawah River house as a coastal Southern outpost for the entire family to gather, as well as a home base for the soon-to-be retirees. Slate-blue shutters (painted in Benjamin Moore “Brewster Gray”) mirror the nearby water, while native grasses and trees add a verdant touch.