A Beach Haven waterfront home finds a balance between past and present, between the built and the natural – and does it in breathtaking style

By Erik Schoning

Beach Haven is one of those classic New Jersey communities. What began as a beach resort town for Philadelphians has now become one of the most historic communities in the state, a living record of laid-back coastal living that is still, all these years later, one of a kind. One recently redesigned Beach Haven home, situated among the inlets of Webster’s Lagoon, is a case study in preserving the past while embracing the best of modern design.

When the property was purchased several years ago, the homeowners contacted father-son duo Mark and Luke Reynolds of Reynolds Landscaping to spearhead the reimagined exterior. Eventually, the Reynolds’ were brought on board to rebuild the home itself, meaning that Mark and Luke, working carefully with the homeowner, would have complete oversight of the project inside and out. It was in many ways the perfect pairing; the Reynolds’, who are lifelong Long Beach Island natives, know the character of the island as well as anyone.

“If you look at the elements that this house reflects on the exterior — cedar shake, the painted blue door — it’s very simple, but it’s like simple elegance,” Mark Reynolds said. “It’s traditional. Our goal was to make that house look like it could have been built there 150 years ago.”

Keeping the footprint of the original property, the new home was designed with thoughtful nods to classic waterfront homes. There is, for example, the screened-in porch, a classic slice of Long Beach Island thoughtfully updated for modern living; Reynolds built in a large accordion-style door that stacks to the side, allowing the interior and exterior spaces to function as one. Or there are the interior stairs, done in American white oak with painted white risers (in a nod to classic Nantucket style) yet paired with distinctly modern black aluminum spindles.

The interior of the home is bright and spacious, leaving plenty of room for the eye to be drawn to an intentional detail: a lighting fixture, the slope of a ceiling, the kitchen, designed and installed by Francie Milano Kitchens of Ship Bottom, New Jersey. But where the eyes go first are the double-sided fireplace, positioned to be enjoyed from either the kitchen table or living area. The beams creating the fireplace surround and mantel are reclaimed, hand-hewn barn beams that are over 200 years old.

“I’m drawn to organic touches like that because I was born and raised in the landscaping business,” Reynolds said. “I picked out these beams myself. They’re hand-hewn, meaning they would take a tree and use a kind of sickle tool to get the bark off. You can even see the markings in the wood. It’s very organic.”

As a landscaper, Reynolds is always attuned to the material. In this case, the interior of the home was designed by the homeowner, freeing up Reynolds to focus on picking the right material for each and every application: western red cedar shingles for the exterior finishes, Ipe Brazilian Hardwood and Terra Travertine tiling for the pool decking, South Pacific Redwood for the porch decking. You can point at just about any part of the home and the surrounding property and Reynolds can tell you exactly what went into it; it’s an attention to detail that really brings a design to life.

But the interior is only half the story, especially on Long Beach Island. Step into a sun-soaked backyard, landscaped in painstaking detail by Reynolds and his son, Luke. (In fact, in an unusual bit of scheduling, the landscaping for the home was completed first, in 2022, even before the home was constructed — a testament to the importance of outdoor space in Beach Haven.)

The backyard is a harmony of the natural and the manmade; a bocce ball court, built into the surface of the waterfront deck, runs parallel to the waters of the lagoon. An accessory structure, featuring an open-air shower, a TV and a bar, is tucked discreetly into a cluster of crape myrtles. Every decision is intentional; each part of the space is carefully designed to have its own look and feel.

“The one thing you’re trying to do is to create intimacy within the landscape,” Reynolds said. “When you traverse the landscape, you’re in your own little environment. You’re not just walking along the fence of the pool. The way the fire pit sits, where we have the dining table, everything has a sense of separation. It’s not a blanketed across the board application.”

Beach Haven, like many New Jersey coastal communities, is changing, as new folks move down and new kinds of homes are built, following changing rules, ordinances and design trends. But with this home, a bit of the old Beach Haven has been preserved and reinvented. During the build, Reynolds decided to reclaim a copper cupola from the original home, setting it over the newly built garage. It’s a beautiful touch, a bit of history living on in a new context. When it catches the sun, it really comes to life.

Reynolds Landscaping

201 E Bay Avenue

609.597.6099 / reynoldsgardenshop.com