Glitz-free life by the shore

This may be the perfect gift for those who love life by the sea -- even if they can only afford it on vacation. The raw power of the world’s oceans, the way light is reflected from them and the glorious architectural impulses of those native to coastal regions around the globe are all honored here, in a volume that does something rare: It actually lives up to its title.

The dust jacket photo is, thankfully, a bit deceiving. It shows a private villa, sleek and gleaming above the Caribbean. Very nice. But not what most readers can aspire to. The virtue of the exquisite photos is their relevance to real people living in a real world along some ocean shore -- and the simply elegant structures and interiors that arise naturally, like some underground spring, in those whose lives are entwined with the unending tides and topography so particular to coastal existence.

Although the author refers briefly to Malibu and Miami in the introduction, these places are virtually ignored in the pages that follow.

Instead, we get a profile of areas without glitz or glamour, where the true beauty of homes and some resorts is their synchronicity with nature.

Look closely, and you may find places to visit you’ve never thought of. More important, for those with home decorating projects in mind, there’s a wealth of ideas on the use of simple materials (wood, tile, stone), colors and furnishings that can transform even a landlocked tract house in Altadena or Santa Clarita into a spot that somehow echoes the tranquillity of a calm day in a sunny spot by the sea.

-- Bettijane Levine