AS LONG AS SHE COULD REMEMBER, homeowner Mayra Diego adored the beach. “I’ve always thought that once you cross the bridge (to Fort Lauderdale Beach) it’s a whole new world,” she says. This lifelong love prompted Diego and her partner Rick Wilber to look for a weekend vacation home close to their main Plantation, Fla., residence in Hawk’s Landing ... but across that magical bridge. However, peace and quiet was a must. “We didn’t want a tourist area,” Diego says. “We wanted to have access to the main strip, but enjoy a relaxing, yet elegant place to entertain our large group of extended family and friends, and enjoy the beauty of the ocean to the fullest.”

THE COUPLE QUICKLY FOUND A BUILDING that fulfilled their ideal, but waited about two years for a unit to become available there. “Finally, not one but two units opened up,” Diego says. “It was a great stroke of luck — units are so rarely for sale in this building, so we decided to buy both and combine them.

DIEGO AND WILBUR KNEW COMBINING THE TWO UNITS and making one flowing, functional space wouldn’t be easy. Fortunately, they have an architect in the family. “We asked our son-in-law, Clay Krebs, an architect for the firm of Architect, T.A. Krebs LLC, for help,” Diego says. “It was the perfect project for me because I knew exactly how they wanted to use the space,” Krebs says. Walls came down to create one new 4,000-square-foot space. “I used custom designed tray and coffered ceilings with distinctive lighting to delineate space and make each area unique,” Kreb says. “Capturing the views by turning 90-degree vistas into a 180-degree seascape was priority in the design.” Because the building is 30 years old, Krebs decided to update the electrical system to something “just short of a full smart home,” the architect says. Once the space planning was set, the couple commissioned interior designer Eloise Kubli to fulfill their vision. “From the very first moment I met her, I loved working with her,” the owner says. “She understood exactly what I wanted.”

WITH A PANORAMA OF OCEAN VIEWS to provide the backdrop, Kubli kept the design minimal and subtle with contemporary furnishings, clean architectural lines and exotic yet understated finishes. “We chose to incorporate a neutral palette throughout, with lots of textures and variations of natural colors — bone, sand, taupe, and a touch of mineral and cobalt blue that highlight the ocean views and sky,” the designer says. “The light is ever-changing on the ocean and in the sky. And against the home’s very neutral palette, marine colors just pop.”

NATURAL MATERIALS CONTINUE THE THEME as limestone flooring flows throughout to bring in a beachy feel. “We also used a special wood for the wall units and cabinetry: rotary maple, which means there are no seams,” Kubli says. Natural fabrics, such as silk, cotton chenille and linens were chosen for their elegant, textural qualities, “They’re timeless, durable, and naturally soft to the touch and pleasing to the eye,” the designer says. “To me, all of these fabrics have a very subtle weave to them, which ties in to the ocean waves.”

AND JUST OUTSIDE THE BALCONY, the homeowners couldn’t be more thrilled as they relax and listen to the sounds of the ocean. “Every time we spend a weekend here, Rick and I look at each other and say, “how beautiful!” Diego says. “We never take any of this for granted.”