San Mateo Residence
Emerald Hills, CA
Project Description
With expansive views over Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay, this custom house and landscape was the result of close collaboration with architect Mauricio Melchor. The landscape features four distinct garden zones, each with its own contrasting character and purpose.
With the goal of providing a calming arrival experience, the entry drive passes under the limbs of a magnificent Coast Live Oak, one of many that we worked to preserve in order to ground the project in this unique place. Lush plantings and a unique water feature formed from a massive native boulder welcome the visitor at the front of the house. Passing through the glassy atrium, one reaches the meadow garden where a sheet of water stretched taut over a black granitic reflecting pool provides reflections of the golden California sunsets and extends the view to the horizon.
