Seal House

Situated on the Bolinas Lagoon, a modernist nine-square-grid home with a Cedar façade becomes an idyllic city escape for an intergenerational San Francisco family. The Seal House is a retreat for a couple, their three adult children, and their grandchildren.

The vacation home is organized around a central courtyard, which provides an outdoor area shielded from the prevailing ocean winds. Openings that sculpt the inner cubic courtyard along with large expansive windows invite the picturesque landscape inwards. The spaces within encourage constant connection to the surrounding waters and nearby Mount Tamalpais. Private to the street but open to the lagoon, the layout is designed to prioritize soft Northern light.