Sausalito Retreat — 1951 Hillside Home Recast for Indoor-Outdoor Life
Sausalito Retreat sits atop Wolfback Ridge in Sausalito, CA, United States, a three-level house reworked by 35th Collective. The 2,500-square-foot, 1951 structure now expands to three bedrooms and three baths with broad glazing and timber-lined rooms. Inside and out, the project reads as a quiet refresh that leans into wood, stone, and brass while opening to the San Francisco Bay.
Late sun washes the hillside decks and warms the wood grain underfoot. Through tall panes, the bay throws a silver band across the rooms while the forest edges stay close.
This house is a three-story residence in Sausalito, reworked by 35th Collective into a three-bedroom, three-bath home. The renovation keeps the 1951 frame and leans into material character: timber inside, expansive glass at the perimeter, and stone set with brass. Interior choices drive the experience, from the foyer to the bathing rooms.
Timber Wraps Rooms
Walls and ceilings are lined in warm-toned boards that run cleanly around corners and into window jambs. The grain reads continuous, giving bedrooms and sitting nooks a steady rhythm and a calm glow through the day. A compact wood-burning stove tucks into a bay, its black flue punctuating the cedar and adding a crisp vertical note. Textiles stay quiet so the wood can hold the room.
Glazing Draws Light
Floor-to-ceiling windows and a glassy upper sunroom pull views of the San Francisco Bay deep into the plan. Sliding doors open to stacked decks with slender rails and clear guards, keeping the sightlines unbroken while moving air through the house. Morning light grazes the boards; after dusk, the façade becomes a lantern for the ridge. Indoor and outdoor rooms read as one sequence.
Stone and Brass Baths
Bathing rooms trade the hillside’s rugged greens for cool stone and precise metal. One suite pairs dark, veined slabs with slatted wood screens and a broad shower, where brushed brass valves and pulls add a soft sheen. Another bath sets pale marble tile against cedar cladding; a freestanding tub sits under a clerestory, lit from the side like a trough of light. The fixtures feel solid and spare, not fussy.
Crafted Thresholds
At the entry, a diagonally laid wood door meets a slim sidelight and a trim brass detail at the sill. The move is small yet memorable: a tactile cue that sets the material tempo before the rooms open up. Beyond, terraces hold Adirondack chairs against a green backdrop, with wood decking tying back to the cladding. Every crossing from room to deck is a quick reset of air, texture, and view.
Evening returns the focus to craft. Joints align, the stoves tick as they cool, and the bay dims to charcoal. The renovation doesn’t chase novelty; it relies on proven materials and clear light to make a hillside home feel renewed.
Photography courtesy of 35th Collective
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