Dezeen Magazine

Cow Hollow

Geddes Ulinskas Architects includes cast-glass staircase in San Francisco home

Local studio Geddes Ulinskas Architects has completed an expansive home in Cow Hollow, San Francisco with indoor-outdoor spaces, a cast glass staircase and stone detailing.

The Bay Area studio designed the 12,000-square foot (1,114-square metre) home on a vacant 0.26 acre (1,073 square metre) lot that looks out to the Golden Gate Bridge.

House by Geddes Ulinskas Architects
The Cow Hollow home is defined by indoor-outdoor spaces

"We were deeply inspired by the natural environment for the design of this home and sought to bring the outdoors in as much as possible," principal and founder Geddes Ulinskas told Dezeen.

Completed in 2021 for developer Troon Pacific, the three-storey, six-bedroom home is comprised of stacked envelopes that allow for continuous glazing.

Stone and glass house
Geddes Ulinskas Architects added wood-wrapped roof eaves to the structure

"The structure is pulled back from the exterior walls," the studio said. "Columns are set in with glass to create a floating effect of the roof and allow for a linear ribbon of bronze windows throughout the home."

Warm wood-wrapped roof eaves hang over the smooth plaster exterior walls that contrast the rough split-faced limestone entry, while a wooden 20-feet-tall (6 metres) monumental door leads inside from a landscaped entry.

Geddes Ulinskas Architects living room
A seating area opens up to the garden

"Before the entrance, a seating area and adjacent dining room open up to the garden through floor-to-ceiling, full-width pocketed sliding glass doors," the studio continued. "The doors cast a minimal footprint to create the most transparent relationship between interior and exterior living."

On the interior, natural materials such as wood and hand-textured stone pair with custom paneling and blackened steel finishes.

Sliding doors
Sliding glass doors continue throughout the home

"We utilized nature-inspired colors such as charcoal and dark green with fixtures inspired by water ripples, lightning, and other fractal forms," Ulinskas said.

Sliding glass doors continue throughout the home opening living spaces to sweeping San Francisco views, while subtle details – like fabric stretched over the ceiling to conceal technical equipment – create clean lines and uninterrupted surfaces.

Cast glass staircase
A cast glass staircase features inside

The double-height foyer features a steel and glass staircase that "reads more like a two-storey piece of art than the product of construction," the studio said.

Oakland-based artist John Lewis crafted the sculptural stairwell by pouring molten glass into a four-inch thick form and cooling the solid glass treads for three months. The staircase is suspended between a reflecting pool and an operable skylight.

The home also features a private movie theatre, wine room, gym, 72-foot lap pool, built-in stainless steel spa and a wellness spa with a glass-enclosed sauna and steam shower.

Atop the home sits a large rooftop deck with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay and a stone-crafted fire table.

Geddes Ulinskas Architects rooftop
A large rooftop deck features views of the San Francisco Bay

Other homes in San Francisco include John Maniscalco's angular four-storey home and a four-storey townhome by Feldman Architecture topped with a rooftop garden.

The photography is by Jacob Elliot.

More images and plans

Level 1 floor plan
Level 1 floor plan
Level 2 floor plan
Level 2 floor plan
Level 3 floor plan
Level 3 floor plan