When a young family moved into their new home in Larkspur, they knew it would need an update. The 2,800-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home felt dark, heavy and characterless inside, and the kitchen was cramped and cut off from the family room. With young twins, however, the homeowners weren’t ready to embark on a big project just yet. Instead, they settled for making a few cosmetic updates, executed by interior designer Ansley Majit’s San Francisco-based firm, L+P Interiors. “We just made the house feel a little bit more comfortable for them until they were ready for a full renovation,” Majit says.
Three years later, Majit got the call from her clients that the time was right, so with San Rafael-based Cal Summit Builders, the team embarked on a full-scale remodel that touched every inch of the home. Along with opening up the kitchen, Majit’s key priorities included brightening up the spaces overall and elevating the design while maintaining a family-friendly vibe. Taking a cue from the family’s love for spending time outdoors, Majit imbued the home with a breezy, California-inspired aesthetic by incorporating plenty of natural wood; woven textures; and a palette incorporating cheery blue, green and yellow accents punctuated with black for a modern touch. “They really wanted a great-looking house that would work well to host their adult friends but also be appropriate for kids,” Majit says.
The kitchen underwent a complete overhaul, starting with the removal of a wall dividing it from the family room, which enabled the team to add an island. Featuring distinctive rounded edges, the island is painted in a warm, dusty dark gray shade from Farrow & Ball, contrasting the creamy Calacatta Borghini marble counters and custom floor-to-ceiling white oak cabinets crafted by local firm Di Build. Behind the island, the focal point of the kitchen is the hand-painted, geometric Tabarka tile backsplash and custom plaster hood floating in front of a window that offers a glimpse of the pool and garden outside. Keeping appearances tidy, since the kitchen is now part of the great room, a coffee bar and appliances are tucked away in a cabinet with receding doors.
The dining area was enhanced to easily transition from cozy family dinners to formal entertaining with a built-in upholstered bench, oval Ethnicraft table, black chairs by Stowed, additional storage cabinets, rift-sawn white oak wall paneling and an oversized rattan Palecek pendant light. Plaster built-ins around the fireplace and repainted shelving were among the key upgrades in the family room, where Majit also replaced the bulky pony walls in the stairwell with a new custom glass railing. A custom white oak-paneled bar in the lounge off the kitchen features concealed dishwasher drawers and a wine refrigerator; its rounded edges, which mimic the design of the kitchen island, and a colorful Pierre Frey wallpaper backdrop make a distinctive style statement.
Upstairs, the primary bedroom features a custom closet behind the bed. The centerpiece of the spalike primary bathroom is the dark-veined marble countertop on the custom floating double vanity, which the clients fell for during a trip to Da Vinci Marble in San Carlos. A steam shower with two marble floating benches, limestone flooring, Visual Comfort sconces, zellige tile and Waterworks fixtures complete the space.
The home’s other bathrooms were completely reimagined as well — each filled with color and personality. In the guest bathroom, glossy green pillow cushion tile from Ann Sacks is complemented by textured green Phillip Jeffries wallpaper, a custom vanity painted in Green Smoke by Farrow & Ball and terrazzo flooring. The kids’ bathroom, meanwhile, features a yellow-pattern shower curtain made from Christopher Farr Cloth fabric, oversized penny tiles and terrazzo floors from Tile Fever in Sausalito, woven mirrors, a pale blue custom double vanity, concrete-style Caesarstone countertops and a Dutton Brown pendant light. Finally, the powder room, completed in the first round of updates, is embellished with an indigo and white pattern St. Frank wallpaper and blue Clé floor tile. “We were really able to infuse some happiness into the house to complement this bright, outgoing and energetic family,” Majit says.
Details
What: 2,800-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home remodel
Where: Larkspur
Interior design: L+P Interiors
Construction: Cal Summit Builders
Lotus Abrams has covered everything from beauty to business to tech in her editorial career, but it might be writing about her native Bay Area that inspires her most. She lives with her husband and two daughters in the San Francisco Peninsula, where they enjoy spending time outdoors at the area’s many open spaces protected and preserved by her favorite local nonprofit, the Peninsula Open Space Trust.
