Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Calm, Organic and Highly Functional
An interior designer creates a light look that can stand up to toddlers and includes a place for everything
The adage “a place for everything and everything in its place” drove the design of this down-to-the-studs renovation in Mill Valley, California. The homeowners, a couple with a small child and another on the way, hired interior designer Ann Lowengart, with whom they were already working on their wine country home, to design the renovation.
“My clients like a very calm and quiet aesthetic, but they also wanted to nod to the home’s Mediterranean style,” Lowengart says. In addition, they needed it to function for a busy household and two little ones. Before she began the design, she inventoried everything they needed to store, learned how they liked to live and found out what kinds of objects and memories of life at home meant the most to them. Then she thoughtfully incorporated all these things into the design.
“My clients like a very calm and quiet aesthetic, but they also wanted to nod to the home’s Mediterranean style,” Lowengart says. In addition, they needed it to function for a busy household and two little ones. Before she began the design, she inventoried everything they needed to store, learned how they liked to live and found out what kinds of objects and memories of life at home meant the most to them. Then she thoughtfully incorporated all these things into the design.
This is the original entrance to the home. Lowengart hired a metalworker to craft a new iron handrail in keeping with the Mediterranean style.
The front entry is one of the best examples of having a place for everything. “My clients are very straightforward and chic people,” Lowengart says. “While they wanted everything to be calm and quiet, making it all function beautifully took precedence.”
She gave them both functionality and beauty. A large faceted light fixture catches interest and elevates the space. “I love oversized lighting, especially in smaller spaces,” Lowengart says. “The spaces in this house are not big, but they have high ceilings, which keeps large lights like this from making them feel overcrowded.” In this case, she had the manufacturer custom-make a pendant it offered but in a much larger size.
Browse ceiling lights in the Houzz Shop
She gave them both functionality and beauty. A large faceted light fixture catches interest and elevates the space. “I love oversized lighting, especially in smaller spaces,” Lowengart says. “The spaces in this house are not big, but they have high ceilings, which keeps large lights like this from making them feel overcrowded.” In this case, she had the manufacturer custom-make a pendant it offered but in a much larger size.
Browse ceiling lights in the Houzz Shop
The functionality comes in through extensive cabinetry. “We needed to make it quick and easy to get the little ones inside and settled, with everything put away,” Lowengart says. Accordingly, she took inventory of everything the family needed to store. The bench makes it easy to put on shoes and take them off. The drawers beneath are for shoe storage.
The cabinets are inset, with minimalist Shaker-style profiles. The oil-rubbed bronze hardware adds just a touch of contrast. New white oak flooring was installed throughout the house.
Cabinet hardware: Rocky Mountain Hardware
The cabinets are inset, with minimalist Shaker-style profiles. The oil-rubbed bronze hardware adds just a touch of contrast. New white oak flooring was installed throughout the house.
Cabinet hardware: Rocky Mountain Hardware
The living room, just off the front entry, exemplifies the calm and quiet vibe. Another oversize light fixture anchors the space. Lowengart used organic materials throughout the house, such as the rattan on this fixture. The coffee table was crafted from a walnut tree from the homeowner’s property in the wine country.
Lowengart also used the same paint color, Benjamin Moore’s Simply White, throughout the house for a cohesive feel. “I love Simply White so much that I used it on my own house, inside and out,” Lowengart says. “What makes it so great is that it has a touch of umber in it. This works well with antiques and keeps it from feeling clinical.”
See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
Lowengart also used the same paint color, Benjamin Moore’s Simply White, throughout the house for a cohesive feel. “I love Simply White so much that I used it on my own house, inside and out,” Lowengart says. “What makes it so great is that it has a touch of umber in it. This works well with antiques and keeps it from feeling clinical.”
See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
The beams and fireplace are original. The fireplace has a new wood mantel, a new coat of stucco and a new hearth in Bateig Blue limestone. Lowengart also used this material for the kitchen and bathroom countertops.
By upholstering everything in the house in outdoor fabrics, she was able to combine white furniture with toddlers. The rug is an outdoor rug.
By upholstering everything in the house in outdoor fabrics, she was able to combine white furniture with toddlers. The rug is an outdoor rug.
The pocket door on the left leads to the home office, which has a powder room off it. New glass doors open to the balcony seen in the first photo.
The staircase has another new iron railing. “I popped a few fun surprises into the design,” Lownegart says. Here, she clad the stair risers in hand-painted terra-cotta tiles from Tabarka Studio.
Past the stairs are this family room, the kitchen and the dining area. “One thing I never want to happen is for people to look at my projects and say, ‘Oh, Ann Lowengart must have designed this,’” the designer says. “Instead, I want them to think that it’s the perfect representation of the homeowners in design format.” She notes that at the beginning of a design project, she always asks lots of questions that are psychological in nature.
“I want to understand what lights them up and what’s really fun for them,” Lowengart says. “I ask about memories about things they may have loved about their home growing up, or visiting their grandparents’ or friends’ homes, so that I can incorporate them.” In this room, it was the husband’s cherished Japanese woodblock prints. “We planned this family room in a way that we could show those off,” Lowengart says. She backed the white oak shelves in a burlap wallcovering that complements the artwork.
“I want to understand what lights them up and what’s really fun for them,” Lowengart says. “I ask about memories about things they may have loved about their home growing up, or visiting their grandparents’ or friends’ homes, so that I can incorporate them.” In this room, it was the husband’s cherished Japanese woodblock prints. “We planned this family room in a way that we could show those off,” Lowengart says. She backed the white oak shelves in a burlap wallcovering that complements the artwork.
In keeping with a place for everything and everything in its place, Lowengart added cabinet drawers beneath the shelving. “I love drawers beneath the shelves because it makes it really easy to clean up toys and games quickly,” she says. There’s also cabinetry in the room for the stereo and other electronic equipment.
Find a local cabinetmaker
Find a local cabinetmaker
Lowengart custom-designed a sofa where the whole family could flop together and put their feet up. The color palette, Simply White walls and another oversize woven pendant light keep the room cohesive with the rest of the house.
Browse sectional sofas in the Houzz Shop
Browse sectional sofas in the Houzz Shop
“We wanted the outdoor space to feel like a continuation of the indoor space,” Lowengart says. This pergola-covered patio is a new space. It has playful touches, such as the patterned throw pillows and a coffee table that looks like a boulder.
The kitchen and dining rooms are open to each other.
“I always ask my clients how they like to entertain, whether it’s for cocktail parties or larger gatherings,” Lowengart says. “These clients love to get together with extended family, so we needed a table that could seat eight. The bench seating is great for fitting in more bodies, especially little bodies.”
The dining table has another oversize light fixture, once again custom. “The original fixture from this manufacturer is about half as long,” Lowengart says.
The dining table has another oversize light fixture, once again custom. “The original fixture from this manufacturer is about half as long,” Lowengart says.
In another instance of incorporating playful touches and Mediterranean flair, Lowengart added custom hand-painted terra-cotta tile on this side of the island. “It gives the people sitting at the dining table something pretty and interesting to look at,” she says.
The backsplash is zellige tile that extends from the countertops to the ceiling. The honed limestone countertops and sink were treated with More AntiEtch sealant, which preserves the finish and makes them easy to clean. The countertop on the island is 3 inches thick with mitered edges. “This thickness makes it feel substantial, not dainty,” Lowengart says.
Island tile: Mediterranean 17 in Oxford and Gray, Tabarka Studio; backsplash tile: Idris, Ann Sacks
The backsplash is zellige tile that extends from the countertops to the ceiling. The honed limestone countertops and sink were treated with More AntiEtch sealant, which preserves the finish and makes them easy to clean. The countertop on the island is 3 inches thick with mitered edges. “This thickness makes it feel substantial, not dainty,” Lowengart says.
Island tile: Mediterranean 17 in Oxford and Gray, Tabarka Studio; backsplash tile: Idris, Ann Sacks
“Setting up this kitchen was kind of like setting up a ship. We had to maximize every inch,” Lowengart says. By creating a wall of cabinetry outfitted with pullouts and using cabinet drawers on the island, she was able to forgo upper cabinets yet have places to store everything.
The pendant lights are ceramic with twisted rope cords. They were made by artist Farrah Sit.
The pendant lights are ceramic with twisted rope cords. They were made by artist Farrah Sit.
This small multifunctional room plays a key role on the first floor. It has an office work area under the window and shelves for display and storage. It also serves as a bar. The homeowners can cut through it from the dining room to the living room. The powder room is tucked off this space to the right.
The desk serves as command central for the house. “This was another example of a place for everything and everything in its place,” Lowengart says.
The printer is on a pullout shelf beneath the desk, and she placed a charging station with enough room for multiple devices to the left of the desk. “We also have specific shelves for things like bottles and wine glasses,” she says.
The printer is on a pullout shelf beneath the desk, and she placed a charging station with enough room for multiple devices to the left of the desk. “We also have specific shelves for things like bottles and wine glasses,” she says.
Here’s a peek through the pocket door to the living room.
The powder room is tucked behind the office. “My client surprised me a few times,” Lowengart says. “While they love a calm and quiet palette, she told me she’d always wanted to do a jewel box powder room. I never say no to a jewel box powder room. It’s one of my favorite things.”
On the client’s wish list for the powder room was deep, saturated color, as well as golden tones in the finishes. Lowengart found a deep blue wood veneer wallcovering with gold accents. She played off the latter with brass finishes on the faucet, P-trap, lighting and towel ring.
The designer mitigated the low ceiling in the primary bedroom by adding a tray to it. This made room for another statement ceiling light.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
To make sure there was a place for everything, Lowengart designed nightstands with drawers and wrapped them around the corners of the room with shelf and cabinet space.
“Their bathroom was not large. We wanted it to feel sumptuous and purposeful,” Lowengart says. “We minimized the clutter by using mirrors with integrated lighting.” Natural light streams in from a skylight.
Lowengart brought subtle texture to the wall by using a tile that has a raked texture and an organic feel. Repeating the Bateig Blue limestone on the vanity counter creates connection to the rest of the home.
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Browse photos for ideas
Find a home professional
Shop for your home
Lowengart brought subtle texture to the wall by using a tile that has a raked texture and an organic feel. Repeating the Bateig Blue limestone on the vanity counter creates connection to the rest of the home.
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Browse photos for ideas
Find a home professional
Shop for your home
Sponsored
Industry Leading General Contractor in Loudoun County, Virgina
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with one child and another on the way
Location: Mill Valley, California
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters) including the lower level; three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Designers: Ann Lowengart Interiors (interior design), Hubbell Daily Architecture + Design (architecture)
Contractor: Jungsten Construction
Before the Golden Gate Bridge was built, this Marin County neighborhood was full of summer cottages. But after the bridge’s completion in 1937 made commuting from the area to San Francisco feasible, the summer cottages expanded to become full-time homes. “I think this home had undergone several renovations over the past 100 years,” Lowengart says.
Find an interior designer on Houzz