Tucked into a hillside, taking advantage of the steep one-acre site, this contemporary house was designed for a young couple and their four children. At 5,300 square feet, the house maintains a low profile, causing little impact on both the environment and the neighbors, with the bulk of the house stepping down the hill so that the house appears as a single story from the street, but rises to double height as you enter the highway. The house was designed to fit into the environment - interlocking interior and exterior spaces through use of materials.

The house is composed of two long stucco-clad volumes that are knit together with sections covered in cedar siding. The interior contains quarter-sawn red-birch floors, mahogany cabinetry and railings and Douglas fir trims, which compliment the stone counters, limestone floors and concrete tiles on the fireplaces. The house contains a series of corridors with unobstructed views of the San Francisco Bay and the hills of Marin.

Project Team

  • Photography: Cesar Rubio
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