Quiet, friendly, safe—suburbia wouldn’t be such a bad place to live if it weren’t filled with lifeless suburban homes. Just south of San Rafael, California, in leafy Larkspur, John Lum Architecture and Mansfield + O’Neil Interior Design found a set of clients who had fallen head over heels for a wooded hillside plot, but loathed the cramped three-bedroom house that sat on it.
Sliding glass doors connect this renovated home in Marin County to a rear terrace and kidney-shaped pool. The sectional sofa is custom by Mansfield + O’Neil Interior Design.
Together, they embarked on a complete remodel to make the space lighter and more fluid. Interior partitions were demolished to create an efficient floor plan. A linear skylight now follows the path of an original hallway, bisecting the home with a band of daylight. The sense of airiness is enhanced by crisp white paint, simple furniture, and earth-toned textiles, artworks, and objects.
The result is an unexpectedly modern gem that can embrace all the natural wonder suburbia has to offer through a wall of windows angled toward the street.
A painted wood wall marks the boundary between the home’s public and private wings. Linear skylights bathe the open-plan communal area in light.
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