Cover to Cover with That Laidback, Coastal Style Known as Surf Shack

Is it possible to crush on a coffee table book?

Surfboards that moonlight as art. Saturated indigo textiles mirroring the ocean. The feeling of sand and hardwood between your toes as you strip off a wetsuit and throw it over a well-worn leather chair. That’s a taste of the “Surf Shack,” and the new shelter tome from publisher Clarkson Potter.

“Surfer or not, you’ve probably found yourself enchanted at one time or another by the thought of a life lived near the water,” says a review in Vogue. “Some lucky ones are living that dream, with homes perched close enough to the sea that they can be in the water and on a board any time the wind is right and the swell is up and the mood strikes. It is this lifestyle—and the home decor choices driven by it—that inspired interior designer Nina Freudenberger’s new book Surf Shack: Laid-Back Living by the Water.”

Peek inside the homes of longtime enthusiasts and dedicated newcomers that reflect not just a sport or passion, but also a way of life. Blake and Heather Mycoskie of TOMS, hotelier Sean MacPherson, Gypset author Julia Chaplin and others have set up their spaces to embrace a casual ease and be the break between the waves. With vibrant photographs of design details and bright beaches—from Malibu to the Rockaways, from Japan to Australia—this book captures the soulful milieu of a lifestyle we all aspire to.