This remarkable residence in San Francisco’s desirable Cow Hollow neighborhood is a four-level contemporary triumph offering four bedrooms and 4,885 square feet of refined living and entertaining space.
“In a world that is increasingly dominated by the visual and virtual,” says the mission statement of revered Bay Area architecture firm Aidlin Darling, “we see design as a multisensory experience, one in which the way something feels, smells, and sounds is as important as how it looks. We pursue an architecture…that engages the senses, connecting us to place and to ourselves.” In keeping with this outlook, the firm created a trailblazing plan for a remarkable residence in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood—a four-level contemporary triumph offering four bedrooms and 4,885 square feet of refined living and entertaining space.
San Francisco, California | Gregg Lynn, Sotheby’s International Realty – San Francisco Brokerage
Every surface and space has been impeccably crafted for what Aidlin Darling might call “experiential living,” using materials carefully selected for their ability to engage not just sight but sound, smell, and touch—and ultimately, to endure and age gracefully. The scale is voluminous and airy, materials are both rugged and sleek, and light and views play active roles in nearly every room. Naturally, sophisticated security and technological systems are in place. Not surprisingly, the home has garnered acclaim: the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s National Design Award, bestowed on both Aidlin and landscape architect Andrea Cochran, and the American Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum.
Announcing the residence with one-of-a-kind flair is a captivating façade composed of poured-in-place concrete and louvered wood panels, while 40 feet of the home’s northern face is dedicated to glass. Stairs on the eastern flank lead to the main level and a great room with awe-inspiring 20-foot skylit ceilings, a cinematic 13-foot sculptural light fixture—an art installation in and of itself—built-in shelving, a modern gas fireplace, and a breathtaking postcard-worthy vista encompassing the Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the hills of Marin. Majestic 12-foot pivoting doors open to a cantilevered terrace, all but erasing the boundary between indoors and the iconic backdrop. Behind movable glass panels is a soothingly streamlined kitchen, handsomely clad in walnut, concrete, and stainless steel.
On the level above are a cantilevered office area and a lofty, light-filled primary suite with a luxurious bath and an impeccably outfitted walk-in closet. Two of the three guest bedrooms are bounded by the north-facing wall of glass, offering floods of light and access to outdoor spaces.
Designed by Keith Yates, the illustrious master of acoustics, calibration, and the trademark “You-Are-There” Effect, a large home theater with a wet bar and a DJ booth encourages immersive film screenings, dance parties, and other varieties of revelry soundproofed by below-street-level bedrock. One of two bedrooms on this floor could easily serve as a home office or gym and opens through disappearing glass to a cool, shady north-facing terrace with a dining area and a built-in grill. Just below is a cabana, part of an enviable backyard oasis featuring a heated lounge with a wet bar, a hot tub, an outdoor shower, and a personal bamboo grove creating an envelope of privacy. The fourth bedroom and a bath share the lowest level. High above it all is an irresistible landscaped rooftop terrace serviced by a dumbwaiter lift from the kitchen, and a spectacular 360-degree view. This aerie amounts to a virtual crown jewel, the perfect perch for appreciating a panorama of San Francisco’s singular sights and cityscape.
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