British Design Meets Northern California Style in This Mill Valley Home

This Mill Valley home was in decent shape, but was in need of an update for modern living. “It had some dated elements from previous renovations that strayed too far from the traditional bones of this 1907 New England cottage style home,” explains Ansley Majit of LARK + PALM. “The layout was also very compartmentalized in the kitchen and family room section of the home. It felt dated, and while the clients loved the traditional feel of the spaces, they wanted it to feel fresh and to reflect where they were in life.”

John Merkl

The homeowners—a young couple—came to Ansley with the request that she design a home in which they could grow their family. While the home was being renovated they got married and had their first baby. Ansley says the ultimate goal was to create a stylish space that supported daily family life as well as special occasions and spur-of-the-moment entertaining.

John Merkl

Ansley and team drew inspiration from the architecture of the home, the environment, and her clients themselves. “The look was British design meets Northern California,” Ansley says. “The clients are native Californians, but one of them had spent a lot of time in the U.K. and loved the British design sensibility. The vision came pretty naturally because they were so open and trusting of our ideas. We knew that it needed to be the perfect balance of comfortable and sophisticated and we love how it turned out.”

John Merkl

John Merkl

The biggest project was reconfiguring the compartmentalized kitchen and family room. The design team worked with an engineer and general contractor to add in steel beams, posts, and additional shear walls so they could open up the back of the house and create a new kitchen and a casual dining and family room. 

John Merkl

A butler’s pantry is one of Ansley’s favorite spots. “We had a great time hunting for antique doors for the pantry within the butler’s space,” she says. “We refinished them, added aged brass hardware and replaced the glass with an antiqued mirror. There’s also some beautiful stone toe kick as part of the custom cabinetry.“ 

John Merkl

John Merkl

Since the formal living room and dining room were spaces that would be used regularly, Ansley designed the spaces for comfort and visual interest, but chose moody color and textiles for some drama.

John Merkl

John Merkl

New hardwood flooring, millwork, and staircase railings were installed. Decor and details like furnishings, art, wallpaper, and accessories were also brought in throughout the home—in the bedrooms, nursery, formal living spaces, and home offices.

John Merkl

“They absolutely love it,” Ansley says of her clients. “The goal is always for clients to feel like the space reflects them; a space that is comforting but also inspiring. We love the results, too. For us, the client relationship was the best part of this project. They were incredibly amenable, responsive, and excited about and invested in the process. It was a true partnership, which made this project one of our favorites.”