At Camens Architectural Group, every project begins with a simple but powerful belief: Architecture should reflect the people who inhabit it – how they live and what they love. A home should be designed to metaphorically wrap around your lifestyle.

So, whether chief architect Marc Camens is designing a brand-new home from the ground up or transforming an existing space through a renovation, his approach stays the same.

Especially for renovations, he looks past existing walls, beyond current blueprints, and toward all news possibilities. He leads with intuition, guided by the lifeblood of a home – light and flow – and the surrounding views. Above all, he designs with intention, so the finished home feels not only beautifully relevant and personalized – but also like it has always been that way.

His architectural design process recently shaped the transformation of a dated oceanfront house into a serene, transitional retreat for a couple ready to embrace the next chapter of coastal living.

The Challenge: Dated Interiors with Untapped Potential

In this Camens Architectural Group architectural home renovation, Marc completely reimagined a 1990s-era Spanish-style house on the ocean for a couple. While it had good bones and a stunning location, its interior was dated and didn’t align with the homeowners’ lifestyle and everyday rhythms.

The small rooms, heavy finishes, and closed-off spaces also made it feel disconnected from its greatest asset: the water just beyond its windows.

The Solution: A Total Interior Redesign

Marc starts by listening to homeowners’ dreams and ideas for their space. For a renovation, he walks through the existing home and envisions how it could better elevate the lives lived within it while becoming more in tune with its setting. Never confined by existing layouts, he sees paths, experiences, and sightlines where others might only see walls and limitations.

For this project, Marc led a comprehensive renovation rooted in his signature architectural design principles: create flow, embrace and maximize the views, emphasize the impact of ceilings, and make every room feel intentional and personalized.

He restructured the home’s layout to bring openness and connection between spaces. He also identified and framed the stunning views of the ocean, letting those views inform the new layout – an integral part of this redesign.

And, of course, he moved entire rooms – including the kitchen – to better align with how the homeowners live.

An often-overlooked detail is the “fifth wall” of the ceiling. Here, Marc’s signature ceiling work defines the spaces and adds architectural details for depth, light, and sophistication.

He also collaborated closely with interior designer Margaret Donaldson to make every detail feel as cohesive as possible.

The result? A timeless, transitional-style home that is both grounded and modern. It’s not only a reflection of the owners’ personality, but also the power of the surrounding landscape.

The Camens Effect: A Transformation That Disappears

Perhaps the most remarkable part of this renovation is what you don’t see. “When I’m finished, I want it to look like I was never there,” says Marc.

That’s because a successful transformation – whether a renovation or a new build – doesn’t call attention to itself. It simply feels right. Like the house was always supposed to be this way.

In this oceanfront remodel, Marc and his team didn’t just create a beautiful home with modern contemporary architecture. They uncovered the one that had been waiting to emerge.

It’s what makes him one of the best residential renovation architects across Kiawah Island and beyond.

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🎯 Let’s Begin Your Architectural Home Renovation With Purpose and Possibility

At Camens Architectural Group, a renovation is never just cosmetic – it’s architectural. We reimagine homes to better reflect how you live today, using light, flow, and purpose as our guides.

📞 Call us at (843) 768-3800
📩 Or connect with us here to start your transformation.

Let’s bring your next chapter to life with beauty, precision, and timeless architectural design.