Carmel II / Located on the Carmel bluffs overlooking Monterey Bay, this residential compound incorporates two houses on a linear lot. The landscape concept reflects the site’s geology, revealing three Coastal ecotypes: Bluff, Meadow, and Canyon. A limestone path inspired by a nearby boardwalk traverses the length of the site: beach, wind-swept bluff edge with native plants and sheltered seating alcove with fire pit, both houses, then street access. A pathway branches off from the ‘boardwalk’ path, crosses a coastal meadow, and merges with the coastal canyon zone at the site’s entrance. Intricately-patterned plantings of native succulents, grasses, and erigeron ripple and flow in the landscape, reflecting the site’s dominant northwest wind and echoing tidepools along the bluffs. Boulders drift through the site and tuck up against (and even inside!) the buildings, underscoring the project’s geologic foundations and wind patterns, further grounding it in its unique place.

Photo: Caitlin Atkinson

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Client: Private Client
Location: Carmel, CA
Dates: 2017-2022
Size: Boardwalk House - .74 acres, Beach House - .73 acres
Construction Manager: Matt Oliver
Architect: Backen & Gillam / Luca Studio
Civil Engineer: Whitson Engineers
General Contractor: Stocker & Allaire
Landscape Contractor: Habitat Gardens
Masonry: Vultaggio & Sons Masonry
Interior Designer: Amber Interiors
Lighting Designer: Vita Pehar Design
Land Use Attorney: Aengus Jeffers