The Hillside Courtyard House is a 1,220 sqft remodel of a 2,536 sqft midcentury home on a steeply sloping site in Marin County. The client, a mother of three college-aged children, asked to create a new home base for the family that would help her transition to the next phase of her life.

As one descends the property they pass through multiple thresholds of privacy. Each step leading further toward calmness and seclusion, as one moves from the driveway to the courtyard through the house to the tree canopy.

Bringing new life to this midcentury home, we removed interior walls to maximize the connection between rooms while layers of privacy allowing the client to separate from the hustle and bustle of the world and recharge. The guests pass through the central ceremonial axis of the living room. The family uses the more private parallel access of the kitchen and the dining room. Warm durable materials, such as walnut cabinetry, Calacatta marble, locally produced Heath Tile, and solid oak floors, warm and refresh the space while working with the classic midcentury bones of the building. The existing vintage lava rock fire place was kept and rejuvenated by adding a new hearth extension of precast concrete from Concreteworks. A fascia of blackened steel plate which is bent to create a mantle, surrounds the fireplace. The linear kitchen connects to the dining room, living room, and to the courtyard to increase the indoor/outdoor quality. The master suite increases the flow between the bedroom and the master bath. Textured tiles highlight the changing light and shadow from above, while the frosted shower glass borrows light from, and creates a connection of shadows and movement with the master bedroom.

Photography: Bruce Damonte