Mill Valley Residence
The program for this Mill Valley Residence was to add an upper level to their one bedroom bungalow, and redesign the overall kitchen/living room flow on the main level. The husband and wife are working professionals that travel extensively for work and enjoy running, biking and anything outdoors when they are home. They wanted their Marin County home to be an oasis for their busy lives, with an open plan for entertaining and a luxurious master suite on the new upper level.
The master suite is perched on the 3rd level of a home in Mill Valley with redwood views to the north and water views to the east. They wanted the master bath to be a place where they could unwind after a long day and their whole master suite was designed around a Victoria & Albert soaking tub. The “wish list” for the master suite was long but existing space constraints gave us only a 5′-0 deep master bath. We decided to cantilever the soaking tub in front of a large window to increase the circulation and promote of feeling of ‘being among the trees.’ Then, we framed a large opening between the bathroom and bedroom that could easily accommodate a pair of barn doors for a future owner to maximize light and the feeling of openness from the master bath. We installed a 5′-0 wide shower and custom vanity large enough to have side-by-side sinks and adequate storage. The shower has an over-sized skylight to maximize overhead light. The bed is oriented facing the water view, so they could wake up with the sun and ocean view.
The main level was completely reconfigured so that existing small rooms could be re-purposed to one large kitchen/family room area that takes advantage of the eastern water views. The finish selections were meant to marry the traditional with the modern. White walls, wide-plank Sapele flooring and a European-style kitchen were designed to bring a crisp, modern feel to an existing Mill Valley bungalow.