Northern California Beach House

Situated along the dramatic Northern California coastline, the landscape for this private modernist residence was designed to engage both the expansive Pacific horizon and the mountainous backdrop beyond, while serving as a special gathering space for a young, active family. The clients sought a landscape that would temper the home’s architectural restraint without diminishing its clarity, creating a setting that feels both grounded and welcoming.

A sequence of raised ipe decks and permeable gravel and stone paths structures movement across the site, connecting sheltered seating areas with outdoor rooms oriented toward ocean and mountain views. At the front entry, a moss-covered stepping-stone boulder anchors the approach, offering a tactile counterpoint to the home’s linear forms and reinforcing a sense of arrival.

Planting draws directly from the region’s native coastal ecology, favoring salt-tolerant grasses, evergreen shrubs, and finely textured groundcovers adapted to wind, fog, and sandy soils. These compositions define space, frame key views, and soften architectural edges while maintaining a naturalistic character that allows the landscape to transition seamlessly into the surrounding coastal environment. Meadow-like areas are punctuated with restrained moments of color, subtly referencing tones found within the home’s interior palette and wildflowers beyond. 

Material selections echo the home’s architectural simplicity. Warm timber, chosen for its durability in a salt-air environment, and stone elements that weather gracefully over time reinforce a sense of permanence and continuity across the site.

The result is a landscape defined by clarity and balance — a composed environment that responds directly to its coastal context while offering moments of pause and gathering. Shaped as much by environmental forces as by design intent, the landscape is intended to evolve quietly over time.

Interior Design: Studio Meghan Eisenberg 

Landscape Construction: Oxbow Pool and Landscape 

Photography: Haris Kenjar