De La Guerra

Marin County

A steep Marin hillside became a series of outdoor rooms, each stepping down the slope on curved, hand-formed concrete walls. Sweeping stairs climb past red-leaf bananas, palms, and drifts of purple salvia to a studio at the crest, while lower terraces hold an outdoor kitchen, a fire-pit lounge, and a pool that catches the afternoon light. Lush and architectural at once, a garden that turns a hard grade into the best part of the house.