Apart from the monkeys that swing between the dipping palm trees, life at Villa Magnolia goes slow. And this is the way owner Corina Larpin and her husband like it, breaking from their otherwise busy schedules in faster-paced Hong Kong, from where Corina runs jewellery brand Stefere. “The place is very special – there’s an energy here,” says Corina of this peaceful stretch of Danang’s coastline, flanked by a rich, green junglescape. “Here, I find the right balance between work and family life. I love the fact that the beach is only five steps away, so I spend my mornings walking on the beach, or swimming in the sea, to refresh my mind and start the day right.” 

The traditional Vietnamese beach house is in harmony with its surroundings – a vision upheld by renowned architect and interior designer Bill Bensley, who worked exclusively with local Vietnamese artisans to ensure this was the case. Every piece of furniture was made bespoke, with “artisans helping to bring Bill’s vision to life,” says Corina. The materials are natural, with exposed wooden beams and floorboards, weaved-bamboo walls, and luxe marble bathrooms. Shell-adorned sculptures reflect the seashore outside. Indoors and out blend seamlessly, with the three minimalist bedrooms – all wood and white linens – opening out onto terraces with daybeds upholstered in sea-green and -blue fabrics. Similarly, the double-height dining room – with its grand wooden pillars – benefits from doors that retract from the decking outside, where a stripe-tiled infinity pool basks in a sea breeze from its elevated position. “Bill believes in minimal intervention, and so, even when I’m inside the house, I feel connected to nature.”