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Petra MJ Designs — Landscape & Interior Design
Lantern-lit stone path leading between the blue cottages at Surf Lodge

Surf Lodge

A narrow coastal lot composed into a series of tranquil arrival courts and focal moments for lodge guests.

Location
Stinson Beach
Category
Hospitality / Coastal retreat

Project brief

Surf Lodge sits between the ocean and the hills at Stinson Beach. The brief was to develop a design that reflects both the surrounding mountains and the ocean while creating a relaxing beach retreat for guests.

The outdoor spaces needed to read as a sequence of areas with various focal pieces, emphasizing tranquility and natural beauty rather than a single decorative gesture.

Design challenge

The challenge was to use the narrow lot effectively while incorporating elements that highlight the coastal and mountainous surroundings.

Design response

The plan works the length of the site, so movement between the cottages becomes part of the experience: paved paths, planted edges, and quiet places to pause.

Focal pieces are placed to draw the eye from one area to the next, with reclaimed elements and a mixture of metal and plant arrangements adding texture close to the buildings.

Planting is layered for movement and softness against the architecture, keeping the courtyard welcoming without competing with the coastal setting.

Gallery

Concrete stepping path and grasses at the entrance to Surf Lodge
Arrival: paved treads set into planting along the narrow lot.
Blue guest room door framed by tall vertical reeds
Vertical planting used to frame guest room entries.
Stone focal sculpture set in a gravel bed surrounded by ornamental grasses
One of several focal pieces placed along the guest route.
Reclaimed driftwood mounted as a wall piece above lounge seating
Reclaimed elements add coastal texture to the courtyard.
Exterior of the Surf Lodge cottages seen from the street
Row of blue lodge cottages with planted entries

The finished courtyard reads as a calm, layered sequence — a beach retreat for guests, shaped by the coastal and mountainous landscape around it.