Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Modern Materials, More Light Update a Suburban Home
A California home gets a major makeover, resulting in a space with sleek lines and an open layout
A family craving the ultimate California indoor-outdoor living landed the perfect location in Larkspur, on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. With fruit trees and a pool out back, the setting was idyllic, but a dated exterior offered no curb appeal. Inside, dark, compartmentalized interiors had no connection to the backyard and made for a drab, everyday feel. In an effort to ditch the suburban look and feel, the homeowners enlisted some San Francisco pros to open up the floor plan and give the place the cool factor they wanted.
AFTER: To bring in more light, views and a sense of indoor-outdoor appeal, as well as visual interest to the home itself, architect John Lum chose large black anodized windows. Meanwhile, a material palette mix of cement plaster, vertical-grain clear heart red cedar siding and a preweathered Galvalume sheet-metal roof brought a more modern look.
Outdoor furniture: Mama Green and Janus et Cie
Outdoor furniture: Mama Green and Janus et Cie
A multifunctional, oversized granite-topped island anchors the kitchen. Rift white oak cabinets flank a bank of stainless steel-fronted units below a large sink window.
Bar stools: Emeco; suspension pendant: Dan Yeffet Design Studio
Bar stools: Emeco; suspension pendant: Dan Yeffet Design Studio
Lighted open shelves next to the sink store everyday dishes.
A run of skylights floods the home with daylight, which is further enhanced by white-painted wood plank walls and gray-stained white oak floors.
Two living areas, each with its own TV, sit on either side of the kitchen. This informal sitting room opens to a private, leafy balcony.
Sofa: custom; side chairs: CB2
Sofa: custom; side chairs: CB2
For a small bedroom in which the homeowner wanted some impact, O’Neil chose to paint the walls a dark gray. “This allows the creamy textural fabrics to really pop,” she says. She also repeated citron yellow-green accents throughout the home for connectedness.
Bed: custom; paint: Not My Fault, Kelly-Moore
Bed: custom; paint: Not My Fault, Kelly-Moore
Each boy’s bedroom has an integrated desk space with open upper shelving and cabinets made of the same rift white oak used in the kitchen. “Cool Roman shades with a modern horizontal stripe echo the accent color and add a playful, graphic finishing touch,” O’Neil says.
Wall paint: Union Station, Kelly-Moore; accent color: Deagsy, Kelly-Moore
Wall paint: Union Station, Kelly-Moore; accent color: Deagsy, Kelly-Moore
O’Neil liked how the new wood and cement plaster exterior blended into the natural, wooded setting and decided to use a similar approach indoors, including this bathroom, which features natural wood cabinetry and slate floor tiles.
Window bench fabric: Designers Guild; window coverings: Cowtan & Tout; fixtures: Axor, Hansgrohe
Window bench fabric: Designers Guild; window coverings: Cowtan & Tout; fixtures: Axor, Hansgrohe
AFTER: A new bluestone-clad stairway leads straight to a repositioned black steel and glass front door and cedar-wrapped entry vestibule. A new board-formed concrete retaining wall offers a crisp cap to the updated design.
AFTER: The roof got a dramatic pitch, enhancing the curb appeal. New picture windows, a garage door and house numbers (which were water-jet cut and backlighted) strengthen the aesthetic.
“The focus of this project was on quality of space, materials and finishings — not the quantity,” O’Neil says. “Its restrained footprint and interior epitomizes clean, intelligent design.”
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“The focus of this project was on quality of space, materials and finishings — not the quantity,” O’Neil says. “Its restrained footprint and interior epitomizes clean, intelligent design.”
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance:
Location: Larkspur, California
Who lives here: A family of four
Size: 2,809 square feet (261 square meters); three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Designers: Lisa O’Neil and Tiffany Mansfield of Mansfield + O’Neil
Designers Lisa O’Neil and Tiffany Mansfield teamed up with John Lum Architecture to rethink this house with design elements that would foster gracious California living.
The team opened the public spaces to eliminate the home’s dark, closed-off feel and create a connection to the backyard. The three bedrooms remained in the same locations, but walls came down between the kitchen and the family, living and dining rooms. This created an unusual great room, O’Neil says, and opened up views to hills.
Custom sofa: Mansfield + O’Neil; sofa fabrics: Romo and S. Harris; coffee table: Kravet; pillow fabric: Stroheim