Their Story:
Behold Tequila Shores. This beach bungalow earned its fitting moniker thanks to a prime oceanfront locale and the clever remarks of a famous visitor, who shall remain anonymous. Rest assured, the fun-loving owners who inhabit this place, Kevin and Kelley Towers, live up to all the name implies. Baseball fans will recognize Kevin, who served as the Padres’ general manager for 14 years. He went on to become GM for the Arizona Diamondbacks and is now working as a special assistant to the GM of the Cincinnati Reds. Kelley, a design buff at heart, oversaw every inch of the renovation. “Kevin really just let me run with it,” she says. “The style is hard to define. It’s just kind of everything we love.” The married couple of 19 years splits their time between Scottsdale and San Diego. Kelley owns two local boutiques here, Mod About You in Mission Hills and Moonshadow in Encinitas, which offer everything from haute pet supplies to midcentury-modern furniture. The shops’ bohemian aesthetics are echoed throughout her home, including the low-slung sofa, earthy tones, healing crystals, and a feathered dream catcher. The expansive deck has an outdoor bathtub, private stairs to the sand, and panoramic sunset views, all begging for just one thing—tequila!
Home: Tequila Shores
Without Walls
The great room looks out to the ocean, thanks to accordion glass doors along the back side of the house. Sliding screens by Crestview Doors divide the master bedroom from the living and dining areas. Prior to the renovation, the house “looked like an alpine cabin,” recalls Kelley, who hired AP Cottam Co. as her general contractor. “The mantel was made of heavy rocks like you would see in Big Bear, with big Gothic chandeliers. It was cozy as all get-out, but it was so dark.” Milky walls and white oak floors contrast with the dark espresso beams. “They’re almost eggplant,” she adds. “Browns are hard because they can get really muddy.”
Home: Tequila Shores
Kelley gives her English bulldog, Stella, a well-deserved treat. The courtyard features stylish, self-watering succulents and a double-sided, board-form concrete fireplace that looks through to the living room.
Home: Tequila Shores
Refined Rustic
A live-edge Torrey pine–topped island serves as the kitchen centerpiece. Kelley recovered a set of bar stools from a previous house and powder-coated them for protection against the intense coastal moisture. The mineral-based sculptural wall by InterlockingRock Panels makes for a modern, ultra-stylish backsplash. And as for that Italian Bertazzoni stove? One mention of it prompts a giddy swoon from Kelley, who loves to cook. “It’s the best one we’ve ever had.”
Island and cement countertops by Jax Design Shop in Carlsbad, florals by Adrianne Smith
Home: Tequila Shores
The couple’s master suite is anchored by a custom bed with a flat-screen TV that rises from the footboard. A Sputnik-style chandelier from Tap Lighting in Hillcrest adds a touch of whimsy and vintage glam.
Home: Tequila Shores
A chic goatskin parchment bar cart with brass details, by Aldo Tura, ensures cocktails are at the ready whenever guests arrive.
Home: Tequila Shores
For the master bath, the couple sought to maximize their ocean view. Sliding glass doors open up to the deck and create a virtual outdoor shower. Dual sinks sit beneath a handcrafted mosaic by Laguna Beach–based artist Marlo Bartels. “I wanted it to look like the sunshine was coming through it,” Kelley describes. But then it left her without a place to do her makeup. “I can’t put a mirror on it; it’s just too pretty.”
Home: Tequila Shores
Built for Sunbathing
When it came to the deck, “he really wanted the built-in sofa; I wanted the built-in bath tub,” Kelley says of her and Kevin’s design priorities. The latter is flanked on one side by an antique ceramic bas-relief with ancient Roman symbols. The work of Italian painter Emanuele Luzzati, the piece was once displayed on the MV Victoria. The sofa surrounds a custom fire pit topped with Torrey pine, which mirrors the style of the kitchen island. “You don’t want everything to match,” Kelley says, “but I wanted what was happening outside to connect inside.”
Home: Tequila Shores
Home: Tequila Shores
