Towards the end of Heidi Zuckerman’s 15-year tenure as the CEO and director of the Aspen Art Museum, she decided to look for a property in Laguna Beach, California. Heidi wasn’t sure if the place would serve as a vacation home or a primary residence, but she was drawn to the West Coast locale and wanted to spend more time there. It was only after she purchased a 1974 upside down house that the Orange County Museum of Art offered her their top job.
Some might say it was kismet—and Heidi, who also hosts the About Art podcast, would agree. “I feel like this is where I was always meant to be and I love everything about living here,” she effuses. “There’s something about the sunshine and the ocean that is just so rejuvenating for me.”
Heidi didn’t truly settle in, however, until she transformed the 1,879-square-foot abode into a tranquil sanctuary. She collaborated with Jessica Brende of Brende Marshall Design on the architectural updates, which included sandblasting the stucco exterior, adding hemlock siding, and building a half-bathroom. Jessica’s best suggestion was to remove the fireplace and refocus the main level toward a new corner window that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
“Everything is about orienting toward the ocean, feeling the ocean breeze, and being able to smell the ocean,” Heidi says. “Everything is very light and white and meditative and peaceful and quiet.”