Lakeside Landing: A Three-Story Home Anchored to a Steep Slope

Graham Baba Architects designed Lakeside Landing, a three-story home replacing an existing house too small for its owners, who sought to maximize lake views and anchor the structure to a steep slope with a monolithic wall. The clients, who lived extensively in Europe, inspired the project with contemporary European minimalism and spa culture. The design team used the slope as an opportunity, orienting the most-used spaces on each level toward the water. A bridge from the street spans a one-story drop to the entrance, where visitors glimpse panoramic views before entering a spacious living-dining room. A linear kitchen extends between the water view and a pantry and media room hidden behind a glass wall. These open public spaces form an L shape around a metal-clad volume housing a coffee bar, wine cellar, elevator, and a sleek toilet. On the middle level, the primary bedroom and a study maximize water views, with two dressing rooms and a spa-like primary bathroom completing the suite. The primary bathroom and a guest bedroom are at the rear, overlooking a private garden. The ground floor contains a second guest bedroom, a sauna, a spa bathroom for outdoor activities, and a living room with direct water access via a cascading garden. A central staircase flanked by a multi-story window connects all three floors, lighting the home's core and unifying the building. A warm palette of contemporary materials creates a modern, welcoming, tactile home.