Set within a woodland valley overlooking Mount Tamalpais, this garden is conceived as a living nautilus—an inhabitable expression of the Fibonacci sequence unfolding across the landscape. More than inspiration, the nautilus shell serves as the project’s generative framework: a geometry of growth, proportion, and expansion that organizes space, movement, and experience. Translating that geometry into a lived environment demanded the highest level of technical precision and craftsmanship. The result is a landscape where geometry feels inevitable rather than imposed.

The Fibonacci sequence, the quiet mathematics of nature, reveals the structure and calibrated progression of various “garden rooms.” What began as a reconsidered breezeway along the residence’s south and west facades evolved into a ribbon of programmed environments for cooking, dining, gathering, and quiet reflection. Like the chambers of a shell, each zone builds upon the last—intimate, then expansive; sheltered, then open—creating a spatial narrative of outward growth.

The project’s defining gesture, the long swoop of an upwardly tapered Corten steel wall, recalls the outer spiral of the nautilus. This sculptural edge performs multiple roles: it defines hardscape, embraces tropical plantings, modulates wind, and choreographs views. Its curvature is neither decorative nor arbitrary; it is mathematically tuned to the site’s topography and sightlines. Vertical slits weave the metal plane into the tapestry of the garden beyond. They function as windows to the tropical textures behind and mitigate any sensation of overbearing containment. By night, soft washes of light bathe the wall in a warm ambient glow, enhancing the sensation of a shell’s protective embrace.

The selection of natural materials reinforces the site’s thesis of organic growth and geometry. Terracotta pavilions, layered terrazzo paving, and the undulating Corten steel wall mirrors the color palette of the landscape—greens, blues, and rich browns echo plants, soil, sky, and water. These colors are continued through the garden rooms’ furniture, accessories and fabrics, weaving a harmonious natural tapestry.

“High in the Hills, Under the Sea” is a sustainable sanctuary and very site-specific project. As the garden unfolds outward, views to Mount Tamalpais are revealed, reinforcing the dialogue between intimate enclosure and vast horizon. The process was equal parts storytelling and practicality—the nautilus shell, a symbol of evolution and proportion, becomes a lived experience. The result is a deeply personal, woodland valley garden where mathematics, artistry, and ecology converge, and where the timeless intelligence of nature is translated into built form.

ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Living Green – design and planting consultant
Marcia Donahue – terracotta sculpture
John McCoy – corten steel wall
TBS Design Gallery – consultant
Renson – pergola, kitchen
Galanter and Jones – heated furniture
Concreteworks – firepit
Adam Potts Photography – photographer