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And so it is with the California coastline-from its crashing cliffs and fierce winds to its sun-kissed, soft beaches-it has captured the imagination of many creatives: their much-esteemed entrepreneurs, as well as of its resident designers. Among many, as with Isabella Hartley and Daniel Foster, who is a tech entrepreneur, it inspired their dream-stealing longing that one day would evolve into reality-an idyllic retreat away from the bustle of city life. “We had been renting homes along the coast for years, but wanted something of our own-somewhere that felt like home but also felt like a getaway,” says Hartley, whose fashion label, Hartley & Co., has been a fixture in high-end boutiques.

In the vibrant heart of Brooklyn’s art scene, Lucia Lang and husband Julian Rowe have mastered a curious blend of avant-garde artistry married to the familiar comforts of home within their eclectic loft space. Born and raised in France, Lang is an internationally exalted sculptor and bronze sculptor, while Rowe is an experimental musician-people known to be breaking national boundaries in their artistic and musician lives. Yet, their apartment in Brooklyn narrates a different but equally creative story of balancing an everyday way of life with someone who is crazy about the avant-garde.