Midcentury Sausalito

It was a privilege to revive this midcentury gem, designed in 1960 by architect George T. Rockrise and the great Bay Area landscape architect Lawrence Halprin.

The landscape contrasts a quiet hillside garden with a water feature and stairs with an expansive openness and views of Angel Island, Alcatraz and San Francisco Bay. In the front garden, KWI worked with landscape contractor Jael LaFemina to rebuild the pond and stream — using Lava Moss Rock in the Halprin style — and installed a bench from which the homeowners could gaze at the Bay. Corten steel was introduced as edging and for minor retaining functions in keeping with the aesthetic of the house. We chose varieties of softer, low water Westringia and Lomandra to create contrast against more textural plants and two specimen pines to speak to the property’s original pine, which gracefully cantilevers over the garage.

Key elements of Halprin’s design were the rear garden’s fountain and hot tub, which was elevated so that a person soaking could see through the house to Bay views. This feature was rebuilt, nearby walls were enhanced with Lava Moss Rock and a retaining wall was rebuilt with local stone. Our design also celebrated an old cork oak and tree ferns that give the garden a romantic, sequestered feel.