Looking to redo your home but not sure where to start? Here we have it all — inspirational remodels to give you ideas for home improvement, design suggestions, plus where to turn for remodeling resources.
Also, check out our directory for more suggestions.
Chambers + Chambers Architects
Architecture • Interiors
Paid Partnership
Chambers + Chambers is a boutique architectural practice specializing in residential and interior design services. Understated elegance, quiet luxury, richness in color and texture, classical detailing, and axial relationships are signature elements of our award-winning designs. Our work has been featured in Elle Décor, LUXE Interiors + Design, Veranda, House Beautiful, and Town & Country.
420 Miller Avenue • Mill Valley, CA415.381.8326
4 Tips for Using Tile Design in Your Home From a Sausalito Designer
After designing thousands of tile and stone projects in her 27-year career, Alissandre Haas opened Tile Fever in her hometown of Sausalito in 2020, a boutique studio showcasing artisan tile and natural stone. “The larger tile companies continue to import mass-produced, machine-style tile in overly predictable colors and sizes,” Haas says. “But I see a new movement in demand for handmade artisan tile and natural stone with texture and body — this is where Tile Fever thrives.”
A Scott Valley Home Reimagined to Maximize Potential of Space and Views
As an interior designer, Shirley Parks spent a decade helping clients turn ho-hum homes into architectural gems. But when her children hit middle school, she decided she needed to take a beat and focus on family. But that didn’t mean giving up her passion for interior design. Instead, she shifted into renovating her own homes with the intention of flipping them for profit. “We’re currently on our fourth project house,” says Shirley, who has since re-launched her interior design business. “Now that my kids are older, I’m less stretched for time. Plus, I feel like I’ve earned the equivalent of a master’s degree through my four renovations and I’m excited to pass on what I’ve learned to my clients.”
Eco-Terric
Rowena Finegan, Founder of Eco-Terric
Paid Partnership
If you’re highly allergic and sensitive to environmental toxins, Rowena Finegan has beautiful news for you. You’ll find sustainable, non-toxic, chemical-free home furnishings in her store and on her website. Rowena is uncompromising in her selections of furniture, carpeting, window coverings, and accents. And she is also happy to help you design your healthy interior spaces with elegance and style.
323 Pine Street • Sausalito, CAeco-terric.com • For Appt.: [email protected]
A Sausalito Craftsman Home Gets a Remodel
SANDY AND DAVID Millspaugh of Asheville, North Carolina, were drawn to the Bay Area after two of their children moved here. One eventually resettled out of state, but the other put down roots, purchasing a home in Marin to live in with his wife and son. After many visits, the Millspaughs fell in love with Marin and decided to buy a home here too, planning on a bicoastal retirement.
Designing a Home for Working, Studying and Playing at Home: How to Create Multifunctional Spaces
Our homes are a sign of the times, and many today look different than they did just a couple of years ago. During the pandemic, Marin families, like many across the country, began redesigning their homes for staying home — creating makeshift offices and study areas and revamping their outdoor spaces in lieu of traveling. Home is now where we work, workout, entertain indoors and out (more so than ever), and spend most of our time year-round. Marin designers are taking note, and rethinking the family-friendly home for this new era. Here, they share their advice.
A Marin Home Gets Remodeled for Outdoor Living
Crafting the perfect home happens with many iterations. The Sullivan-Newman family’s journey started in 2016, with a significant remodel of their home’s interior. Now, four years later, they have completed the finishing touches — the expansion of their outdoor living.
After they put their two-year-old son, Axel, and one-year-old daughter, MJ, to bed, Morgen Newman (the co-founder of Cora, an organic feminine products company) and Kayti Sullivan (a senior vice president at Yelp) will often crack open a craft beer, and sink into the hot tub on their deck, which, thanks to their wood-clad home’s location atop a steep hill, has unobstructed views of Mount Tamalpais. “Living here feels like being on vacation,” Sullivan explains. Read more.
Integrated Resources Group
IRG’s Macauba Quartzite + Form + Field Design
Paid Partnership
Dramatic or soft and gentle, IRG’s in-stock Quartzite selection offers a variety of colorations and veining. One recent example is IRG’s stunning White Macauba Quartzite. Used here on countertops and paired with cool-colored cabinets, the result is a minty fresh update by Form+Field Design. Visit IRG and let our staff guide you through their vast warehouse of in-stock slabs today.
415.657.0280
Together, Yet Separate: Finding Respite in an Airy Homestead Valley Home
In 2010, Jodi and Mark Martini purchased a spacious hillside home in Mill Valley in need of a little TLC. Despite its quirks, they fell madly in love with the property which had spectacular views. They were especially impressed by how the lot felt private and remote, yet still offered easy access to town and the Golden Gate Bridge. For six years they enjoyed the space, as is, while attending only to its most pressing problems, which included fixing the rickety decks, and replacing a structurally deficient platform driveway.
North Coast Tile & Stone
Full Service Tile and Stone Fabrication and Installation
Paid Partnership
Family owned and operated for over 30 years, they are the North Bay leader in tile installation and granite fabrication for residential remodels, new home construction and commercial jobs. From start to finish, North Coast Tile is dedicated to working with you on accomplishing your vision. Hundreds of granite, quartzite, marble, soapstone, limestone and onyx slabs to choose from in their acre large outdoor yard. Inside is a beautiful boutique tile showroom offering hand selected tile lines from all over the world. Six designers are on staff to help you achieve your vision. At North Coast Tile they are also happy to work with you and / or your Designer, Contractor and Architect. Expertise, knowledge and trust make them the tile company that provides the solid foundation you will need to get your project started.
3854 Santa Rosa Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 707.586.2064
Sandra Bird Designs, Inc.
Island “Staycation”
Paid Partnership
If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then the kitchen island is at the heart’s center. An island serves not only as a food prep and storage area, but also a homework station, a Zoom conference room, and as an important gathering spot for family and friends. With spectacular use of finishes, textures, light and color, Sandra Bird creates islands that are unique to each kitchen and to the needs of the individual client. For more exotic islands, visit SandraBird.com or Sandra Bird Designs on HOUZZ.com.
415.927.1171 • Lic #460795
How to Budget for a Home Remodel
WATCH ANY HGTV home improvement show and you quickly realize the cost of remodeling in Marin County isn’t exactly commensurate with prices in the rest of the country. In fact, a luxury kitchen can cost as much as a turnkey home in other parts of the U.S. “For projects in Marin, you’re looking at renovation costs of around $400 to $600 per square foot,” says Michael McCutcheon, owner of the Berkeley-based McCutcheon Construction. But that’s only a rough estimate, he adds. “We’ve done jobs that cost the owner as little as $250 per square foot to as much as $2,000 per square foot. It depends on an owner’s expectations.”
While costs are admittedly steep, there’s a silver lining to living in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the nation: “Every dollar you spend on a kitchen or bath remodel returns up to $4 per square foot in resale value,” says Thomas Dreyer, president of the San Rafael–based Marin Realtors Association. There’s also value in simpler projects like creating a user-friendly entryway, updating flooring, redoing lighting, landscaping or just painting, assuming you don’t over-improve for the neighborhood. “The metrics are obviously different for a modest home in Terra Linda and a luxury estate in Belvedere,” Dreyer says.
Exact costs depend on a range of factors, including scope, finishes and just how much hand-holding you need. The all-in price for a DIY project, for example, will relieve you of considerably less cash than one that engages architects, engineers, contractors and interior designers.
Architectural Design Carpets
Design & Installation Experts
Paid Partnership
The Foundation Of Your Home Starts With Us. Marin County’s hidden gem flooring showroom, Architectural Design Carpets, has over 30 years of experience. With an array of luxury one-of-a-kind statement rugs to family-friendly floors. We collaborate with the Bay Area’s top interior designers, realtors, and homeowners to achieve their flooring vision with our inspirational collection of broadloom carpets, rugs, and hardwood floors.
1111 Francisco Blvd East, Suite 3 • San Rafael, CA415.458.1717
Lamperti Contracting & Design
Redefining Expecations …. One Customer At A Time
Paid Partnership
Is a standard we truly live by. Lamperti Contracting and Design has been providing exquisite and functional modern, transitional and traditional kitchens and baths in Marin County since 1965. The owner, Sean Kelly, has over 30 years’ experience in all aspects of the design/build industry; specializing in high-end Kitchens and Baths. We invite you to visit our newly redesigned and comprehensive kitchen and bath showroom featuring Bentwood, Harmoni, Columbia, Woodharbor and the Sub-Zero/Wolf Parlor – showcasing the latest innovations and trends in appliances and cabinetry. With a full-service design team, we will help you envision creative and functional ideas to incorporate into your dream home. Lamperti Contracting and Design takes pride in knowing each project reflects superior quality and artistic mastery.
1241 Andersen Drive San Rafael, CA415.454.1623
Badeloft
Modern. Simple
Paid Partnership
Here at Badeloft, we take a modern yet minimalistic approach to the design of our bathroom fixtures. We specialize in Stone Resin freestanding bathtubs, freestanding sinks, wall-mount sinks and counter-top sinks. Our Stone Resin products are made from marble and limestone mixed with a polyester resin. As far as bathtubs go, people are moving away from the acrylic and fiberglass tubs as they have zero heat retention. Since Badeloft products are made with natural minerals and the tubs are one-piece, solid fixtures, they have noticeably strong heat retention and will help the water inside stay warmer, longer. Badeloft is a global brand based in Berlin, Germany. With showrooms throughout Europe and N. America, our US offices and showroom are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our products are designed in Berlin ensuring that all of our products demonstrate both practicality and modern innovation. We are confident that they will be the focal point of your new bathroom.
2829 Bridgeway, Suite 101 • Sausalito, CA7305 Edgewater Drive, Suite D • Oakland, CA877.892.3445
City Carpets
Flooring Design Center
Paid Partnership
Creating a beautiful, healthy home is important. The City Carpets team knows the latest trends and understands the Marin homeowner. They offer an expansive selection of natural and sustainable products including wool, seagrass, jute, linoleum, cork, and bamboo that contribute to a healthier living environment. This locally owned store can help you create your dream home from design to installation.
555 E. Francisco Blvd • San Rafael, CA415.454.4200 CSL #746886
Sunrise Home
Stickley’s Walnut Grove Collection
Paid Partnership
We’ve happily created a new gallery devoted to Stickley’s Walnut Grove Collection. You will LOVE its clean and curated aesthetic which promises easy care even in the busiest of environments.Crafted from American walnut, it will stand the rigors of modern life beautifully. The collection includes bedroom groups, dining groups as well as consoles, coffee tables and side tables. Fairly quick ship and well priced, this definitely makes your design decisions easier – you can have it all – beauty, durability, delivery and value! Visit us soon to see the new Walnut Grove collection and ask about our new Partnership Promotion offering 20% off for two years! Stickley has long been considered America’s finest manufacturer. Purchasing pieces that will stand the test of time, long after the trends have come and gone, is eco conscious and a great investment. You will love and enjoy your pieces for years to come!
831 B Street San Rafael, CA 415.456.3939
This Corte Madera Remodel is Cool on the Outside, Warm on the Inside
In 2008, interior designer Alden Miller met a young couple in need of guidance on how to style their modest Corte Madera home. “We worked well together, and over the years, they would call me to help out on few small projects,” she recalls. Years passed. And the couple began to feel they’d outgrown the space. Like many first-time homeowners, they fantasized about relocating to grander accommodations—a place that ticked all the boxes on their ever-growing wish list. But because they’d already fallen in love with their neighborhood, and the home’s 180-degree views of the city, the Bay, and Mount Tam, they eventually decided to stay put, renovate and expand.
