A Creative Couple’s Redwood-Clad Home Draws In Panoramic Bay Area Views

Although the Seeds residence is a delicate fusion of glass and reclaimed redwood—a place where every detail has been thoughtfully considered—owners Elizabeth Paige Smith and Christopher Stringer would be the first to tell you that the story starts with the picturesque site.

At this crest of a forested hill near Woodside, California, beyond the sprawling Silicon Valley megalopolis, it’s possible to see both the Pacific Ocean to the west and San Francisco Bay to the north. Yet the view somehow becomes even more beautiful as visibility decreases.

"When the fog comes up from the ocean, you really experience some incredible drama," says Elizabeth, a visual artist specializing in sculpture, tapestries, and film. "They’re some of the most killer sunsets I’ve experienced." Long before the project was completed, the couple got married at the site in 2013, she adds, "because it’s so special there."

The couple conceived the weekend retreat and studio in collaboration with Albany, California–based architect James Gwise. The project entailed the renovation and expansion of a ranch house that had fallen into gentle disrepair. The original owners were avid gardeners, but as they aged the property became overrun with blackberry brambles and poison oak, and a cluster of non-native pine trees grew to block the view to the west.

Clearing away the overgrowth was so transformative that it impacted the couple’s plans. "Once we opened up the view, we felt that we couldn’t possibly just renovate the existing building," Elizabeth recalls. "We had the revelation that the original house was built in the wrong place. You couldn’t see the whole view. We needed to feel the sea and experience the ocean energy."