Step inside an Omaha beach house designed to be a world away from city life. Calm, tonal and unmistakably Japandi, this four bedroom retreat brings together considered architecture, relaxed coastal living and interiors curated down to the last detail.

At the quiet southern end of Omaha, with green hills rising behind and the beach a short stroll away, this new home by our North Shore & Rodney team was designed to be everything its owners' city home is not.

We spoke with Shannon Pepper, interior designer at Landmark Homes North Shore & Rodney, to hear how their vision for a completely different kind of home came together. 

For the owners, this was never going to be a copy of home. Their city residence is classic through and through, while their beach house needed to feel like its complete opposite: somewhere to switch off.

"They wanted it to be a very restful place," says Shannon. "Everything came back to those calming Japandi tones and textures, soft curves, natural timber, and keeping the whole home really cohesive from the outside in."

Working with architectural designer Trevor Wilson of ArCreate, the home took shape with clean, contemporary lines designed to sit naturally among the sand dunes and modern beach houses of Omaha.

That thinking begins at the street, where Truwood thermally modified timber cladding, stained in a soft Pearl Mist blend, pairs with painter brick in Resene White Pointer to establish the natural, tonal palette that continues throughout the house.

One of the home's smartest moves is also its most visible. Rather than being tucked behind the house, the pool takes pride of place in the front yard, where it catches full-day sun and connects directly with the front deck beneath its motorised louvre roof. With the louvres overhead, the deck earns its keep all year round, and frameless glass fencing keeps the whole scene open, so the sparkling Whitehaven Pearl water is part of the view from inside the home too.

When the wind swings around, a second deck tucked into the shelter of the house offers a private, protected alternative. An outdoor shower waits nearby for sandy feet after a trip to the beach or a swim in the pool.

The same attention went into the landscaping, which was completed alongside the house. When the owners received the keys, the gardens were finished too.

Across the home's four bathrooms, the same soft design language continues through curved vanities, gently arched mirrors and a restrained, tonal palette.

“Japandi is all about soft curves, tonal, neutral colours and organic textures through the timbers," says Shannon. "We pulled that together with the softer edges on the vanities and the mirrors, so every bathroom feels calm and cohesive.”

Travertition tiles in a soft beige matt line the floors and walls, while behind each vanity, slender Tint Dune finger tiles laid vertically add gentle texture. The Newtech Angolo Curved Luxe vanities in Canyon Oak carry the home's soft-edged timber story into every bathroom, finished with gunmetal tapware and heated towel rails.

In the ensuite, a freestanding bath looks out onto its own screened garden, creating a private green outlook, while a skylight brings natural light from above.

This is a beach house built for people staying.

The two upstairs bedrooms each have their own bathroom, while downstairs a guest bedroom has its own exterior entrance, giving the owners' father the freedom to come and stay with a little more independence.

But Landmark's involvement went beyond the layout and finishes. The owners were busy with work commitments in the city and were creating a home very different from the one they already lived in. Shannon helped them bring the new look together, selecting window furnishings and sourcing much of the furniture, as well as artwork, vases and bedding.

"They were very open to ideas," says Shannon.

The result was a home handed over not simply completed, but pulled together as a whole, right down to its landscaping and finishing touches.

"The highlight of our build overall was the fantastic Landmark Homes team," say the owners. "From start to finish, they made the whole experience positive, professional and stress-free."