photos by ann coen photography How we Met During the summer of 2011, Billy and I started dating in a place that is dear to both our hearts and is where we call home: Long Beach Island. Coincidentally, it’s also the place both our sets of parents met! After courting for that magical summer into fall, we were quickly approaching our first holidays together. Since I was a little girl, I have been traveling to Kauai with my family to spend Christmas and New Year’s. Billy had alre

photos by ann coen Devon Karvan, owner of Black Sheep Studios, takes classic moves to the next level by incorporating full engagement of the core muscles. Check it out! Spiderman Plank Crunch -Stand with your feet hip distance apart. -Hinge forward at the waist and touch the floor with your palms. -Next, walk your hands forward into a plank position making sure that your core is engaged and spine is long. DO NOT let your lower back or hips sink in. -Draw your right knee to th

photos by ann coen

Written By Chris Gaydos @searchingforamerica Photos By Chris Gaydos How did a remote, sandy island off the coast of NJ, primarily known for fishing and hunting, become a Victorian playground for the rich in the 19th century? To answer this question you would have to look back to the mid-1800s, when Long Beach Island, then known as Long Beach, was a sparsely populated island of sand dunes and small ponds. Long Beach still had its share of men who participated in whaling, but w

Written by emily warne From the dock of the Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club in Beach Haven, Linda Colgan is gesturing out onto Barnegat Bay at the coastal wetlands in front of her—45 acres of rapidly eroding salt marsh called Mordecai Island. Colgan is President of the Mordecai Island Land Trust, a Long Beach Island-based nonprofit that has devoted itself to bringing awareness to the marsh and raising funds to lead restoration efforts designed to stymie the effects of erosion. A

When it comes to coastal interiors, there are several mainstays of design that have continued to be relevant for many years. Weathered woods, durable fabrics, and natural materials remain at the heart of coastal style. Color palettes often pull from sand, shells, sea, and sky with a myriad of cool blues and greens. Drawing from the simplicity of the ocean, white is often the key to a beach palette. But Bobby Huber, Jr. of Oskar Huber Furniture & Design believes there may be m

Written by Matt Burton “Let’s see your work!” I say with anticipation. Annie Machotka, of Manahawkin, is walking in the gallery with a box of her handcrafted glass and metal work. This is our first introduction. (As it turns out, we live in the same neighborhood of Ocean Acres.) Annie carefully removes the bubble wrap from her work. I am able to hold and inspect it. I am looking carefully at the quality of the craftsmanship, and I’m impressed. Clean and well done. Annie is vi

Photo by patti kelly There is something about fall…Maybe it’s just that old back-to-school feeling, but to me fall signifies a fresh start. It is time to clear out all of the spent annuals and get ready to plant. Mums, cabbage, kale, asters, and pansies are just a few favorites. So many of the perennials are at their prime, and are highlighted by the fresh plants that surround them. Fall is also the time to plant your spring-blooming bulbs. Crocus, iris, hyacinth, daffodils,

PHOTOS BY John Martinelli Finding undeveloped oceanfront property on Long Beach Island is a rarity. So, when a narrow plot of land tucked tightly between existing homes in Surf City went up for auction, Michael Pagnotta jumped at the chance to design and build a unique new house for a long-time client who was seeking a new project to develop on LBI. Pagnotta runs the architect-led design/build firm Michael Pagnotta Architecture + Construction based in Ship Bottom, and now loo

Photos by Dianne Ahto Graphicus 14 Simplicity and attention to detail make for the successful design of this family beach house in Surf City. The homeowners enlisted the help of Ann and Sara at The Red Chair in Harvey Cedars, who worked closely with the builder Kevin Engelken of KHE Construction to create a home where the elements of nature serve as the inspiration and create beautiful focal points. When the homeowners asked for a home that “felt like summer,” designers Ann a