All in the Family

Author:Lindsey Shook

Architect Scott Landry of Studio 101 Designs transforms a hillside home into a Hawaiian-inspired modern escape

Perched gracefully atop a scenic hill in San Rafael, this beautifully reimagined home was transformed by Bay Area architect and Studio 101 Designs founder Scott Landry for his brother after his move from New York. The original 4,500-square-foot main structure and a new 640-square-foot detached guesthouse were in need of an updated interior that would accommodate his brother’s remote work life while honoring their family’s Hawaiian heritage. “They wanted to blur the lines between indoors and out and make use of a clean but warm palette of wood and natural materials,” Landry recalls. “The architecture focuses on removing visual barriers using large-scale windows to transform the home into an open pavilion where the primary experience is the Hawaiian-inspired landscape foreground expanding to the panoramic bay-view background.”

The couple’s main goals were to increase living space and access to the sweeping bay views while maintaining the original structure. “Maximizing the panoramic views from every room was a top priority and drove many of the design decisions,” Landry says. “The steep hillside presented a major challenge—it required complex retaining walls to create usable outdoor space.”

In order to achieve their goals, it was imperative that the team install high-performance materials and windows. They turned to the Marvin Ultimate collection, sourced through Golden State Lumber, to ensure the home was energy efficient and could withstand the local climate while enhancing the overall style and connection with the outdoors. “We utilized the Marvin Ultimate collection, including Casement, Awning and Direct Glaze windows, because the aluminum-clad product was selected to accommodate the harsh conditions of the site—salt air, significant daily temperature swings and extreme sun/weather exposure—as well as the large openings with custom geometries required by the design and existing conditions,” Landry notes. “We couldn’t be happier with the choice, and our experience with the product on this project has led us to recommend and specify Marvin products on many others.” 

Landry worked with Morita Construction Company and ​​Bon Terra Landscapes to add approximately 1,800 square feet to the indoor and outdoor footprint. “The site’s steep topography was the defining constraint,” he says. “To create flat, usable outdoor space on what was essentially a cliff, we moved the pool to the edge of the hillside while embedding the new guesthouse and office structure into the hillside below the house. This allowed us to utilize the roof of the new structure as a spacious deck, effectively expanding the yard and creating a seamless transition from the pool terrace.”

Inside, Landry and team allowed the couple’s Hawaiian background to form the “tropical modern” design direction, landing on the warm wood palette and natural finishes. He remarks, “Every major design decision—from the layout of the new guest house to the selection of low-profile window frames—was made to capture and frame this vista.”

The finished result is a breathtaking property that provides multiple areas for the family to entertain and enjoy the idyllic views, which sweep from the McNear Peninsula of San Rafael to various East Bay towns, across to the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge and expanding to Southern Marin and even San Francisco. “They have fully embraced the home as the social hub they envisioned,” Landry remarks. “They describe a certain magic to the way the house reveals its views, noting that the home feels both expansive for large gatherings and intimate for daily life. It has successfully become a flexible backdrop for their active, social family lifestyle.”

Step further inside this custom home designed by Scott Landry of Studio 101 Designs, now:

Presented in partnership with Marvin