Lagoon View: Open Plan Living Framed by Bay Vistas
Lagoon View sets a new benchmark above Tiburon, United States, where ridge roads crest and the bay opens wide. SWATT + PARTNERS reimagines this house as a cohesive, view-forward residence with generous glazing and strong north–south organization. The commission, shaped for clients relocating to the Bay Area, folds open-plan living, long decks, and quiet materials into one measured composition.
Morning light slides across limestone and cedar at the ridge-line entry. From the street, the house reads as grounded and taut, then loosens as it turns south toward water and sky.
This is a major remodel and addition of a house in Tiburon by SWATT + PARTNERS, organized to bring order to a once-disjointed structure. The throughline is movement: a clear sequence from solid entry to transparent living, from compressed thresholds to generous rooms that hold the panorama.
Ascend The Ridge
Approach comes by narrow, winding roads that climb from town to the crest. At the north side, vertical stone and solid walls collect arrivals, establishing weight and orientation before any view is granted.
The entry level tightens the body and quickens the pace, then releases it as corridors align with daylight and stairs cue the turn south. This measured compression primes the move toward the horizon without theatrics.
Organize The Plan
The redesign resolves older additions into a legible plan on each floor. Circulation reads clean, with living zones stacked to register views while service elements hold to the interior side.
An open plan anchors daily life, and rooms key off long axes aimed at the bay. That clarity makes the house easy to navigate, whether crossing from kitchen to terrace or moving guests down to quieter quarters.
Open To The South
Wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling glazing spans the south elevation, framed by cantilevered floor and roof extensions. Those horizontal projections read as datum lines that hold the view and shade the glass.
Deck extensions pull living outward, setting up a second row of rooms under the sky. Seating yields to the vista, and the long edge turns San Francisco, the bridge, and the ocean into daily markers.
Material As Wayfinding
On the climb and at the threshold, integrally colored cement plaster and Windsor limestone signal grounding. Clear anodized aluminum frames and stained T&G cedar shift the tone as the plan opens and light thickens.
Inside, a restrained interior palette supports art and view rather than competing with them. Custom furnishings and made-to-order pieces sit in deliberate groups, keeping paths clear and sightlines long.
Terraces And Slope
Landscape terraces move with the hillside, stepping from the north street edge toward the southern property line. Outdoor rooms register the grade, linking door thresholds, stairs, and planted zones in a steady cadence.
That choreography extends the interior sequence without break, so walking outside feels like the next chapter rather than a detour. Breezes pass over cedar, and rail shadows mark time across the deck boards.
At dusk, the south face becomes a quiet lantern while the north side retains its calm, stone-forward stance. The route from street to terrace stays legible, and every turn resolves toward water and light.
Photography by Matthew Millman
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