Houzz Tours
House Tours
Houzz Tour: A Calm, Organic and Highly Functional Family Home
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 California. The homeowners, a couple with a small child and another on the way, hired interior designer Ann Lowengart 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,” Ann 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,” Ann 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. Ann hired a metalworker to craft a new iron handrail in keeping with the Mediterranean style.
The front entrance is one of the best examples of having a place for everything. “My clients are very straightforward and chic people,” Ann 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,” Ann 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 in a much larger size.
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,” Ann 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 in a much larger size.
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,” Ann says. Accordingly, she took inventory of everything the family needed to store. The bench makes it easy to put on and take off shoes. 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 entrance, exemplifies the calm and quiet vibe. Another oversized light anchors the space. Ann 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.
Ann also used the same paint colour, 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,” she 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.”
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
Ann also used the same paint colour, 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,” she 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.”
Discover 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. Ann also used this material for the kitchen and bathroom worktops.
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 cloakroom off it. New glass doors open onto the balcony seen in the first photo.
The staircase has another new iron railing. “I popped a few fun surprises into the design,” Ann says. Here, she clad the stair risers in hand-painted terracotta 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,’” Ann 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,” she 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,” Ann says. She backed the white oak shelves in a burlap wallcovering that complements the artwork.
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,” she 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,” Ann 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, Ann added cabinet drawers beneath the shelving. “I love drawers beneath 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.
Ann custom-designed a sofa where the whole family could flop together and put their feet up. The colour palette, Simply White walls and another oversized woven pendant light keep the room cohesive with the rest of the house.
“We wanted the outdoor space to feel like a continuation of the indoor space,” Ann says. This pergola-covered patio is a new space. It has playful touches, such as the patterned cushions 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,” Ann 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 bespoke oversized pendant light. “The original fixture from this manufacturer is about half as long,” Ann says.
The dining table has another bespoke oversized pendant light. “The original fixture from this manufacturer is about half as long,” Ann says.
In another instance of incorporating playful touches and Mediterranean flair, Ann added bespoke hand-painted terracotta tiles 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 splashback is zellige tiles that extend from the worktops to the ceiling. The honed limestone worktops and sink were treated with More AntiEtch sealant, which preserves the finish and makes them easy to clean. The worktop on the island is 7.5cm thick with mitred edges. “This thickness makes it feel substantial, not dainty,” Ann says.
Island tile: Mediterranean 17 in Oxford and Gray, Tabarka Studio; backsplash tile: Idris, Ann Sacks
The splashback is zellige tiles that extend from the worktops to the ceiling. The honed limestone worktops and sink were treated with More AntiEtch sealant, which preserves the finish and makes them easy to clean. The worktop on the island is 7.5cm thick with mitred edges. “This thickness makes it feel substantial, not dainty,” Ann 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 maximise every inch,” Ann says. By creating a wall of cabinetry containing pullouts and using cabinet drawers on the island, she was able to forgo wall units 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 cloakroom 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,” Ann 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 cloakroom is tucked behind the office. “My client surprised me a few times,” Ann says. “While they love a calm and quiet palette, she told me she’d always wanted to do a jewel box cloakroom. I never say no to a jewel box cloakroom. It’s one of my favourite things.”
On the client’s wish list for the cloakroom was deep, saturated colour, as well as golden tones in the finishes. Ann found a deep blue wood veneer wallcovering with gold accents. She played off the latter with brass finishes on the fixtures, lighting and towel ring.
More: The 5 Most Popular Cloakrooms on Houzz Right Now
More: The 5 Most Popular Cloakrooms on Houzz Right Now
Ann mitigated the low ceiling in the main bedroom by adding a tray to it. This made room for another statement ceiling light.
To make sure there was a place for everything, Ann designed bedside tables 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,” Ann says. “We minimised the clutter by using mirrors with integrated lighting.” Natural light streams in from a skylight.
Ann brought subtle texture to the wall by using tiles that have a raked texture and an organic feel. Repeating the Bateig Blue limestone on the vanity unit worktop creates connection to the rest of the home.
Tell us…
Which features caught your eye in this home renovation? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Ann brought subtle texture to the wall by using tiles that have a raked texture and an organic feel. Repeating the Bateig Blue limestone on the vanity unit worktop creates connection to the rest of the home.
Tell us…
Which features caught your eye in this home renovation? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Sponsored
Who lives here? A couple with one child and another on the way
Location Mill Valley, California, USA
Size Three bedrooms and two bathrooms; 279 sq m including the lower level
Designer Ann Lowengart Interiors
Architect Hubbell Daily Architecture + Design
Contractor Jungsten Construction
Photos by Paul Dyer
Styling by Yedda Morrison
Before the Golden Gate Bridge was built, this Marin County neighbourhood 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,” Ann says.
Find an interior designer on Houzz