Washington Residence Fremont, San Francisco real Estate design, SF home images, modern USA proeprty

Washington Residence in Fremont, California

April 22, 2026

Design: Mahya Salehi Studio

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA

Photos by Adam Potts

Washington Residence, California, USA

There was a reason the lot—now home to Mahya Salehi Studio’s Washington Residence—gave buyers pause. It was a flag lot: long and narrow, reached by a driveway that slipped between two existing homes before opening onto the buildable site. Once there, the challenges multiplied. The lot dropped across a slope. Neighbors pressed in from all sides. A creek traced the back edge.

Despite these drawbacks, a couple in tech saw it through rose-colored glasses after struggling for years to find a home that fit their needs. The lot’s unusual shape created inherent privacy—something they valued deeply—and its location meant they could stay rooted in the community they and their two young children already called home. They purchased the parcel and turned to Mahya Salehi and her team to help translate that optimism into architecture, envisioning a light-filled contemporary residence that would transform the site’s constraints into its defining strengths.

The slope, initially a concern, became a strategy. Local zoning limited structures to two stacked stories, but by embedding the lower level into the hillside and carefully staggering the upper floors so no more than two overlap at once, Salehi managed to carve out 4,800 square feet of space.

Privacy and natural light were central to the brief. Salehi conducted a sunshade study to orient the home and calibrate glazing, skylights, and overhangs. A south-facing courtyard carved into the massing pulls light deep into the interior while strengthening the connection between inside and out. At the rear, a window wall overlooks the dense greenery at the lot’s edge, while skylights and a double-height stair volume act as vertical light wells.

Though contemporary in language, the plan resists the temptation of a purely open concept—with its accompanying acoustic, efficiency, and comfort challenges—in favor of visually defined yet connected spaces. The great room, where the kitchen, breakfast nook, and family lounge converge, anchors the main level.

This calibrated approach to light and spatial definition extends outward. Decks on all three levels dissolve the boundary between interior and landscape. Bedrooms open directly to private outdoor space, reinforcing a daily rhythm of in-and-out living. Even within a dense neighborhood, the experience is one of retreat.

The program balances that intimacy with the ability to host, holding space to accommodate extended family and larger gatherings with ease. Two bedrooms on the lower level provide accessible space for aging grandparents, while a dedicated theater room anchors movie nights. A double-height library with a bay-window reading nook offers a quiet counterpoint.

Material choices reinforce the architecture’s restrained clarity. Externally, hand-raked stucco and limestone create a largely monochromatic envelope that emphasizes texture and shadow rather than contrast.

Inside, bold large-format tile, leather-finished dark stone countertops, and wood cabinetry layer warmth
into the contemporary framework. The palette is deliberate, tactile, and quietly confident.

What once seemed like a compromised parcel ultimately proved catalytic. The flag configuration established privacy. The slope generated square footage. In the end, the site’s constraints became its logic, and a lot few would have chosen became the foundation for a home precisely aligned with the family who saw its potential first.

Washington Residence in California, USA – Property Information

Architect: Mahya Salehi Studio – https://mahyasalehistudio.com/

Location: Fremont, CA
Area Lot Size: 12,700 SF
House Footprint: 3,050 SF
Total Interior: 4,800 SF

Interior Design: Mahya Salehi Studio
Design Team: Mahya Salehi
Mahram Akhavan
Salar Tahrirchi
Kimiya Salehi
Contractor: Padam Builders
Structural & Civil Engineers: PEC Solutions

About Mahya Salehi Studio

Mahya Salehi Studio is an architecture and interior design practice based in Walnut Creek, California. Founded by architect Mahya Salehi, AIA, the studio specializes in high-end residential projects that balance beauty, functionality, and a deep sensitivity to site and context. With a holistic approach, the team designs architecture and interiors in parallel—ensuring cohesive, tailored spaces that feel both timeless and highly personal.