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In collaboration with Redhorse Constructors in San Rafael, we had the privilege of designing a structure that seamlessly complements the original residence — itself a landmark work by the esteemed Fernau + Hartman Architects in Berkeley, CA. Working alongside builders and architects of this caliber pushed the design toward something truly special: a boutique, site-specific structure that feels both purposeful and inevitable.
What makes this sauna extraordinary is not just its architecture, but its relationship to the land. Three natural boulders found on-site were thoughtfully preserved and integrated into the interior —anchoring the space to its place in a way no imported material ever could. Corner skylights flood the interior with natural light, standing-seam metal siding gives the exterior a clean, contemporary edge, and a custom cantilevered foundation allows the structure to hover delicately within the landscape.
The result is a jewel-box building — small in footprint, but rich in detail and intention. This is contemporary design at its most considered: every element earning its place.
Nestled among Napa Valley's apple orchards, this modernist sauna was conceived as a meditative retreat — a place to step away, breathe, and reconnect. Framed views of the surrounding landscape draw the outside in, dissolving the boundary between architecture and nature. It is, in the truest sense, boutique design in harmony with one of California's most beautiful landscapes.
Larson Shores Architects is a San Francisco-based architecture firm specializing in modern architecture, contemporary residential design, and bespoke boutique structures across the Bay Area, Napa Valley, and beyond. If you have a site, a vision, or simply a question, we'd love to hear from you.
