Going Downhill (Brilliantly) With Swatt│Miers In Tiburon
Author:Philip FerratoA wonderfully sleek house, created by the eminent Bay Area architecture firm Swatt│Miers, this trio of deep, stacked horizontal elements in stucco, stone and glass, steps effortlessly down a hillside overlooking San Francisco Bay. Taking advantage of Tiburon’s weather, the architects blurred the border between indoors and out with huge expanses of glass, and each level– including the pool–cantilevers into the view.
The front entry is set below street level, accessed through a series of terraces and shielded by a screen of slender teak mullions for privacy. Family bedrooms are on the upper level, with the main public spaces mid-level, and a family room on the lowest level with access to the terraces cascading downhill.
Above and below, the double-height living room is adjacent to the dining area, open kitchen, and a music/media room.
In a nod to feng shui, a covered channel originating in a water feature at the entry sends water through the structure and empties into the swimming pool.
The master bath overlooks the bay and includes the firm’s variation on a Japanese onsen with an outdoor soaking tub, walled but open to the sky.
What We Love: It’s a splendid and original project, but some influences are inescapable. Frank Lloyd Wright would approve of the site and the broad horizontal elements; Richard Neutra would have been proud to have done the expanse teak mullions and glass. Someone was channeling Charlotte Perriand in the music/media room shelving, and Isamu Noguchi could have designed the soaking tub. All in all, an outstanding pedigree.
More: Go to the Swatt│Miers website for a look at the firm’s extensive portfolio.
Photo Credit: Russell Abraham/Abraham + Paulin for Swatt│Miers