De Bilt designs, builds, and decorates residential homes. The firm is based on California’s Central Coast.

They developed this beach cottage out of a basic post-war property in Lake Balboa, CA. The result is part quaint farmhouse, part luxurious southern France getaway. It’s like a country oasis for a movie star escaping L.A.

The home’s skeleton is emphatically cottage: whitewashed planks and vaulted ceiling beams of dark wood. Down below, the mismatched, distressed furniture has a shabby chic allure. But then there are the finer things. Brocade chairs, sumptuous red walls, and a Gothic chandelier populate the dining room alone.

The contrasts continue from there. While the pale green guest bedroom could belong in a countryside inn, the master suite features violet satin curtains and a towering upholstered bed. There are wooden roosters on one shelf, a fabulous Grecian bust on another.

The house’s floor plan is fairly open. But there are enough cushy seating options and quirky art pieces to make it cozy. A luxe Parisian motif elevates the simple rooms into something special.

Inhabitants can lounge on an expansive, well-shaded pergola porch. Like the interior, this space is furnished for maximum comfort. The stone fountain in the backyard adds to the impression of royals on vacation. And a cute garden shed supplies extra storage space.

From this cottage’s unassuming shingled exterior, one would never guess the glamour that lies within.