Like so many New Yorkers who have made the cross-country move to Southern California, Nina Freudenberger found herself enamored with the sunny, surf-centric way of life. But of course, being the interior designer behind Haus Interior, she zeroed in on one aspect in particular: the intimate places these wave riders call home. Her new book, Surf Shack: Laid-Back Living by the Water, offers a deep dive into 26 such residences, spread across 18 cities and four countries. And while on the surface you might think that a house in Sayulita, Mexico, has little to do with one in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, or that a barn in Topanga Canyon, California, is world’s away from mountain quarters in Hayama, Japan, Freudenberger connects the aesthetic dots while profiling the very chic homeowners — like Tory Daily favorites David Netto, Julia Chaplin, Rachelle Hruska MacPherson, Heather Tierney and Kassia Meador. “All of the rooms you see in this book prioritize ease over elegance, good vibes over any sort of grand vision,” Freudenberger writes in the introduction. “Spaces become whatever they need to be: bedrooms double as home offices, abandoned aviaries serve as surfboard lockers, throw pillows are passable seating. These homes are flexible and relaxed, a perfect snapshot of the people who live in them.” Here, we chat with the author.

Three interior-design tips I’ve picked up from visiting these homes…
1. Trust yourself! These homeowners did things that I wouldn’t have dared to (yellow leather sofa!) or just haven’t tried yet and reminded me to (fireplace in kitchen). I also think it’s important to try new things that are out of the box and unexpected.
2. Don’t have furniture that needs to be treated in a precious manner. As a new mother I really took note of this. I loved how things looked comfortable and then actually were comfortable.
3. I think the use of natural materials is critical! Everyone leaned heavily towards materials such as linens, stone and wood.

Favorite part about working on this book…
The entire experience. The process was nothing like I expected — way more work but also more fun. Traveling was totally fun, but also working with so many people, who are all so talented, to put the book together. This was seriously a team effort — and I relied heavily on a lot of people who are experts at what they do.

And the most challenging…
Leaving my son! I had him in December and I had to start traveling, for a few days at a time in February, to get the book completed by deadline. I hope he forgives me one day!

The most surprising thing I learned…
That the world is so small! Everyone always says it, but finding homeowners around the world just through social connectivity was amazing to me. It even brought me to Japan, Australia and Mexico.

How we selected the homes in the book…
That was not easy! That was definitely the hardest part of making this book. I went through hundreds of submissions. I would connect with the homeowners and ask to see some photos, very casual snapshots. And from there I had to make selections. I was looking for something naturally beautiful — design that felt REAL and wasn’t following trends. I picked homes that were inspiring to me personally, and that I wanted to dive into. I hoped this would be what other people wanted to see as well.

My favorite surf shack featured…
So, so hard to say. But Sofie Howard’s trailer in Paradise Cove was so inspiring we bought our very own! But, really, I love her style and she just took so many awesome design risks (blue ceiling) that I left feeling motivated to do something crazy too.

Favorite destination visited for Surf Shack…
I would say Bell’s Beach in Australia, near Torquay. The natural beauty was just amazing, totally pure. And after checking out the beach, Kirsty and Simon (the homeowners we feature in the book) drove us around on a little safari to check out the kangaroos. They are scattered in the fields, just hopping around and obviously are adorable.

My own surf shack…
We recently sold our house and are looking for our next big project. But we did just purchase a weekend home, which I mentioned above, a double-wide trailer in Pt. Dume in Malibu. I can’t wait for it to be done so we can enjoy some beach time! And while I don’t currently surf, I will absolutely be getting out there this summer.