Lagoon View marks a significant project for Swatt + Partners, arriving as a full reworking of an existing 4,753 square foot home in the hills above Tiburon. The clients, long based in the Midwest, planned for many years to relocate to the Bay Area to stay closer to their adult children and maintain access to their pied-à-terre in San Francisco. With that goal in mind, they worked closely with the architects during site selection, choosing a property reached by narrow hillside roads that rise from Tiburon’s main street to a ridge with clear views of the town, San Francisco’s skyline to the south, and the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, and Pacific horizon to the west.
HOUSING
The existing structure had passed through several remodels, each one adding material and spatial inconsistencies that left the house visually scattered and functionally uneven. Swatt + Partners set out to unify the residence by developing a design that organized each floor with clarity and created a reading of the building as one composition. The team focused on expanding sightlines toward the surrounding views while ensuring that all new elements adhered to a cohesive architectural direction. The remodel introduced a generous open plan, floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall glazing, and extensions to the roof and decks along the south and west edges of the home.
The reworked architecture establishes a clear duality between the protected, solid north side and the open, transparent south side. The entry facade employs substantial stone and vertical structural elements, creating a grounded profile as one approaches from the narrow ridge. The south facade opens completely to the views with continuous glass walls framed by cantilevered floor and roof extensions. These horizontal projections give the building a distinct presence on the hillside while reinforcing the orientation toward the Bay. The vertical supports echo structural strategies used by Louis Kahn and Ray Kappe, while the horizontal extensions recall moves associated with Frank Lloyd Wright and Richard Neutra.
Interior design by Leverone Design continues the architectural clarity through carefully edited spaces and a selection of pieces that respond to scale and light. The studio created custom furnishings and introduced made-to-order works from Coup d’État, Juin Ho, and Holly Hunt. Outdoor spaces include furnishings by Zachary A. Design, RH, and Niche, positioned to keep focus on the wide-reaching views. The interiors rely on a pared-back approach that supports the clients’ extensive art collection, which includes works by Ansel Adams, Salvador Dalí, Alberto Giacometti, Lin Fengmian, Wu Guanzhong, Henry Moore, and Pablo Picasso.
Landscape design by Stefan Thuilot reinforces the architecture through outdoor areas placed with close attention to the site’s topography. The hillside slopes from the street on the north side down to the property line on the south, creating a gradient that the landscape design follows through layered terraces and paths. This connective strategy gives the house an exterior environment that moves in rhythm with the terrain while extending the spatial experience beyond the interior rooms.
Materials throughout the project include integrally colored cement plaster, clear anodized aluminum windows and doors, stained tongue-and-groove cedar siding, and Windsor limestone. Stroub Construction executed the build with a high level of refinement across these elements, ensuring consistency between indoor and outdoor conditions.
Architecture: Swatt+Partners
Interior Design: Leverone Design
Landscape Design: Thuilot Associates
General Contractor: Stroub Construction
Structural: Structus Inc
Size: 4,153 SF living space; 4753 SF withcarport
Location: Tiburon, CA
Photography: Matthew Millman
