Mill Valley House

Miniature figurines of a man and woman shaking hands, standing among various bottles and glasses on a shelf.

A thorough remodel and discrete expansion of an older home in the village center showcases art & furniture carefully collected by a creative couple. 

The only thing better than developing a strong client - designer relationship over the course of a project is getting to do another project together. There is no learning curve when the “getting to know you” phase is already in the rearview mirror.

With solid trust already built, the time spent together on a 2nd & 3rd project feels so much more productive, efficient and friction-free.  I’m extremely grateful that a large percentage of our work in recent years is for repeat clients.

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A room with white walls, a framed portrait of a woman in a blue dress hung on the wall, an antique carved wooden chair with a dark finish centered in front of the wall, and black tiled floor.

For these particular empty-nesters, a move across town was more than a typical downsizing. Having recently sold secondary & tertiary abodes in NYC & SoCal meant that the contents of the new smaller home in the village center became a “best of” compilation.  

With so much beautiful furniture and artwork to work with, the primary tasks in this case were optimizing the limited space, expanding the usable area where possible and concentrating on the most artful compositions possible —  editing, editing, editing. 

Living Room

The client’s own paintings mix well with other works of art. The piano gets plenty of use and deserves its corner. 

Living room with large window, white walls, framed artwork, a black grand piano, and beige seating. There is a floral arrangement, a colorful ceramic vase, and a rustic wooden side table.
A living room corner with artwork on the wall, a glass vase with decorative branches and green hydrangea flowers on a table, a bookshelf, and beige curtains letting in natural light.
Living room with a white fireplace, abstract painting above it, two pendant lights on either side, and a blue vase on the right.

Fireplace & Dining Table

Close-up of a metallic appliance with a decorative grating on a dark countertop.

The brass & steel fireplace screen and massive turned walnut table base are examples of highly customized efforts to meet very specific wishes.

The table has interchangeable tops of different diameters to accommodate various size dinner parties. The custom fireplace screen riffs on one the client long-admired at a hotel they frequented far away.

Worth noting is the custom fireplace screen motif was repeated for the air-conditioning return grille beside the dining table base. While subtle, this keen attention to detail is consistent and difficult to miss. 

A round white dining table surrounded by eight chairs with black frames and floral patterned upholstery, in a room with framed artwork on white walls and a dark wooden floor. A woven pendant light hangs from the ceiling.
A dining room with a round table, eight chairs, framed artwork on white walls, a wicker ceiling light fixture, and a kitchen visible through an open doorway.

Kitchen & Bar

The kitchen, bar area & breakfast nook benefit from newly vaulted ceilings & skylights that flood those spaces with natural light and airiness.

Custom cabinets, end-grain black walnut butcher block, another custom table base and rare quartzite tops all coordinate seamlessly with the personal treasury of paintings, sculptures and period light fixtures.  

A modern kitchen with white cabinets, dark wood floors, a black chandelier with exposed light bulbs, and a dining area with white chairs and a wooden table. There's artwork on the wall and a skylight letting in natural light.
A row of toast stacked in a metal toaster, viewed through a glass display case.
A close-up view of a chandelier with hanging light bulbs and black metal fixtures against a white background.
Abstract watercolor painting of overlapping circles in shades of yellow, green, black, and brown, displayed on a white wall.

Sunroom

Living room with a beige sectional sofa, a coffee table, large windows with white blinds, a flat-screen TV on the wall, a vase with sunflowers, and a wooden cabinet.

The cozy & comfortable sunroom / media room is used daily for TV viewing and reading.

In typically nuanced fashion, the custom sofa is upholstered in (4) different fabrics in a way that casually fills the eye without calling attention to itself — quietly sophisticated.  

A living room with a beige sectional sofa decorated with dark patterned pillows. There is sunlight streaming through the window, casting shadows on the sofa. In front of the sofa, there is a glass coffee table with a sculptural, white base and a reflective surface.

The table was custom designed for the living room of a previous residence (see West Village townhouse) yet feels entirely at home here.

Its design loosely references the 1970’s work of a Parisian sculptor, Fred Brouard. This one object involved at least a half dozen meetings with two highly skilled craftsmen pouring over 3-D cardboard mock-ups in a Brooklyn metal studio. 

A wooden cabinet with shelves displaying books, vases, and decorative objects, including shells and a framed photo or artwork. There is a polished wooden surface with some seashells and a seashell fragment on top.

The ‘cerused’ oak wood finish is inspired by a wood finish also popular in 1940’s Paris. 

Guest Suite

Living room with off-white wallpaper, framed photos and artwork on the wall, a gray couch with pillows, a black chair, and a wooden coffee table with books and a notebook. Large windows with white trim and a beige curtain. Stylish floor lamp with globe shades.

The lower level guest suite required extensive excavation beneath the original home. From the local zoning perspective, the lot was already “built full.”

The only opportunity to expand on this tight hilly site was to dig down. 

The whole house gently spirals from top to bottom with a step or two or three or six between rooms. 

The newly excavated Guest Suite added critical area enabling us to complete the desired program for the project.

Details such as the ‘over-painted’ wood plank ceiling helped us do it in a way that appears original to the home. 

View through a doorway into a bedroom with pink bedding, floral painting above the bed, and a modern chandelier on the ceiling.

The four rooms on the uppermost level comprise the primary suite (the large shared walk-in closet not shown).

The bedroom hallway houses an extensive collection of family photographs fairly out-of-view to visitors. 

Home office space with a desk, an iMac computer displaying a cityscape at night, a red chair, a window with blinds showing greenery outside, and a closed wooden door.

The secondary bedroom on the uppermost level is mainly used as a home office. 

The built-in standing desk in the office (not shown) cleverly disguises a large pull-down guest bed for when the lower level guest suite can’t accommodate all overnight guests.

Modern bathroom featuring a large mirror, two ceiling lights above, white walls, a white towel hanging on the right side, and a dark countertop with a sink and multiple drawers.

Conveniently, the one bathroom on that uppermost level is directly accessible from either sleeping quarters.

Outdoor Terrace

An outdoor patio area with a gray outdoor sofa, gray pillows, and decorative plants including succulents and leafy greenery. Behind the seating is a wooden privacy fence and a bamboo garden wall, with a black metal framework overhead.

Taking full advantage of California’s favorable  climate, one can lounge peacefully upon a secluded terrace. And one can also cook comfortably in a generously equipped outdoor kitchen

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