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Perched above the hills of San Mateo, California, this breathtaking custom-built luxury home by Oculus Design & Architecture, in partnership with celebrated interior designer Jay Jeffers, is a masterpiece of high-end residential architecture that balances bold modernist design with effortless family living.
The homeowners, a family of four, purchased two lots with incredible views over the San Francisco Bay and combined them into a single extraordinary property. The cedar-lined house took three years to build, delivering modern, clean lines, comfortable interiors, and a deeply eco-friendly design. At 6,000 square feet of living space, patterned furnishings, organic materials, and bespoke custom pieces add warmth and texture to every room — creating a home that feels as curated as it does lived-in.
DESIGN DETAILS: ARCHITECT Oculus Design & Architecture INTERIOR DESIGN Jay Jeffers LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT GLS Landscape ARCHITECTURE / CONSTRUCTION Drew Maran Construction
The “air stair” — a cantilevered centerpiece that divides public and private
The home is bisected by what the architects call the “air stair”, a cantilevered steel, wood, and glass staircase that floats between floors, visually separating the home’s public and private zones. Sliding glass pocket doors connect the interior living spaces directly to the exterior, dissolving the boundary between inside and out. It is one of the most arresting examples of indoor-outdoor living in contemporary home design, and a signature detail that sets this home apart from even the finest luxury homes with ocean views in the Bay Area.
A LEED-Gold certified sustainable home above the San Francisco Bay
This home is among the most comprehensively sustainable in Northern California, earning LEED-Gold certification through a suite of green building technologies that go far beyond standard practice. Gray water is harvested and reused for irrigation, rainwater is collected for toilet flushing, a living roof provides additional insulation, and radiant heating and cooling maintain comfort year-round with minimal energy use. For anyone interested in energy-efficient home design or passive solar architecture, this residence is a benchmark. It proves that a high-end custom home can be both spectacular and deeply responsible, without compromising a single square foot of luxury.
A luxury kitchen where high-end design meets family functionality
The kitchen in this home is a study in luxury kitchen design done right, open, airy, and perfectly proportioned for a family of four that also loves to entertain. High-end kitchen cabinets run seamlessly along the walls in a minimalist, handleless profile, while premium integrated appliances maintain the clean architectural lines that define every room. The open plan layout connects the kitchen directly to the living and dining areas, making it the true hub of the home. Natural light pours in through floor-to-ceiling glazing, keeping the space bright from morning through evening. This is the contemporary kitchen remodel benchmark that every design-forward family aspires to.
A one-of-a-kind dining room with a custom walnut table shaped like the San Francisco Bay
The dining room of this home may be its single most talked-about interior moment. At its center sits a stunning Hudson Furniture walnut slab dining table, with a bronze inlay painstakingly shaped to trace the outline of San Francisco Bay. It is the kind of bespoke custom furniture piece that transforms a dining room from a functional space into a work of art. The brass and lacquer buffet by Paul Benson adds a further layer of refinement, while Bec Brittain’s Maxhedron chandelier, sourced through Roll & Hill, casts a warm, sculptural glow over the room. Dining chairs by Madeline Stuart anchor the ends of the table, with side chairs by Anees Upholstery completing the setting. Every element was chosen with the same attention to provenance and craft that runs throughout this custom home design.
A wine cellar and shou sugi ban study — where craftsmanship defines every room
Beyond the main living areas, this home reveals a series of exceptional specialty spaces. The wine cellar is a beautifully executed feature for serious collectors, with custom storage and display integrated into the architecture. The study is perhaps the most atmospheric room in the house, its walls clad entirely in Moyasu cypress, charred using the traditional Japanese technique of shou sugi ban. The result is a deeply textured, richly dark space that stands in dramatic contrast to the bright, open living areas. It is a reminder that the best luxury home design always makes room for intimacy alongside spectacle.
Luxury bedrooms designed for comfort and calm
The private quarters of this home are a masterclass in quiet luxury. Each bedroom is designed as a retreat, serene and light-filled, and finished with the same organic materials and considered details that run throughout the rest of the house. Jay Jeffers brought his signature warmth to these spaces, layering soft textiles, custom furniture, and carefully selected art to create bedrooms that feel both elevated and deeply restful. The children’s rooms are playful but refined, reflecting the family-first brief that guided the entire custom home design from the outset.
A spa-inspired master bathroom with statuary marble and Carrara tile
The master bathroom in this home meets the standard of the finest luxury bathroom design: bright, airy, and finished with materials that have stood the test of time. Statuary marble clads the walls from floor to ceiling, while a custom floor pattern in Carrara and Thassos tiles adds a subtle decorative note without interrupting the room’s calm. The result is a spa-level retreat that feels both opulent and serene, exactly the kind of sanctuary that defines truly high-end residential architecture. It is the room you step into at the end of the day, where you immediately feel the weight of the world lift.
A home office where a glass wall frames the swimming pool below
The lower level of this home contains one of its most unexpected and delightful spaces, a playroom-cum-home office where an entire wall of glass frames the underwater portion of the swimming pool. Shimmering blue light filters through the water and into the room, creating an atmosphere unlike any conventional home office design. It is the kind of architectural detail that turns a functional space into an experience, and a reminder that in a home this considered, even the utilitarian rooms are extraordinary.
A double infinity pool perched over the hillside with San Francisco Bay views
The outdoor living spaces of this home are in a class of their own. The centerpiece is a 39-by-19-foot double infinity edge pool, perched dramatically over the hillside with sweeping views across the San Francisco Bay. It is one of the most spectacular infinity pool designs in Northern California, a shimmering blue plane that appears to dissolve into the sky and water beyond. Interior designer Jay Jeffers furnished the surrounding terrace with woven and teak pieces and concrete end tables, creating a luxury outdoor entertaining area that works equally well for a quiet morning swim or a full evening of entertaining under the stars.
A plexiglas hot tub suspended 35 feet above the ground
If the infinity pool is the show-stopper, the plexiglas hot tub is the conversation piece. Suspended a full 35 feet above the ground, this extraordinary feature offers breathtaking city views and unobstructed sightlines all the way to the San Francisco Bay, all while soaking in complete transparency. It is one of the most daring and memorable elements of outdoor living design we have ever featured, and a perfect encapsulation of what Oculus Design & Architecture set out to achieve: a home that constantly surprises, delights, and rewards those who live in it.
What We Love About This Home
This home has it all, and then some. From the cantilevered “air stair” to the walnut dining table shaped like the San Francisco Bay, from the shou sugi ban study to the plexiglas hot tub floating 35 feet in the air, every room and every detail reflects a level of ambition and craft that is truly rare. The Ansel Adams black-and-white landscape photographs displayed throughout further connect the interiors to the natural world beyond the glass. And as a LEED-Gold certified sustainable home, it proves that the most forward-thinking luxury home design doesn’t have to choose between beauty and responsibility. This is an entertainer’s dream, a family home, and a work of art, all in one.
Tell Us: What stands out most to you about this home? Is it the plexiglas hot tub, the one-of-a-kind dining table, or something else entirely? Let us know in the Comments below — we love reading your feedback!
Note: Check out a couple of other amazing home tours we’ve featured in California: Edwardian cottage transformed into playful family refuge in San Francisco and This stunning sustainable home has breathtaking San Francisco Bay views.
PHOTOGRAPHER Matthew Millman Photography
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