Houzz Tour: Zones Give a Family Home a More Functional Layout
An architect redesigns a home in Mill Valley, California, to improve its flow and create public and private areas
The family of four knew that the layout of their one-story home in Mill Valley, California, didn’t work. The entry opened directly into an underutilized living room; there was no mudroom, quiet zone or cozy get-together space; and the two preteen daughters lacked privacy.
“The homeowners wanted to maximize their space and create more useful areas of the house,” says architect Heidi Richardson. She altered the layout to create public and private zones. “Once we figured out how to divide the house, we were able to create the zones and right-size the rooms to fit the footprint.” The San Francisco Bay Area home on a quiet, tree-lined street with views of Mount Tamalpais is now more functional.
“The homeowners wanted to maximize their space and create more useful areas of the house,” says architect Heidi Richardson. She altered the layout to create public and private zones. “Once we figured out how to divide the house, we were able to create the zones and right-size the rooms to fit the footprint.” The San Francisco Bay Area home on a quiet, tree-lined street with views of Mount Tamalpais is now more functional.
Entry hall. The entry, on the left side of this photo, opens to a center hallway with a handsome new bar area with high-gloss cobalt blue cabinetry and a Carrara marble top. Off the hallway, which leads to the kitchen-dining room, are the den, the powder room and a hall to the girls’ bedrooms.
Girl’s bedroom. The girls’ rooms gained square footage in the remodel and are now connected by a bathroom and a short hallway. A built-in niche features a trundle bed (with a drawer under the bed for a second mattress), shelves and a neat chalkboard wall. “We custom-built a desk to seamlessly fit within the bay window and match the bed casework,” she says.
Den. Cobalt blue walls, casework and a chesterfield sofa highlight the cozy den, which the family uses as a low-key space for reading, homework and “alone time,” Richardson says.
Paint: Champion Cobalt, Benjamin Moore; bookcase lighting: Phoenix
Paint: Champion Cobalt, Benjamin Moore; bookcase lighting: Phoenix
Powder room. A bathroom at the front of the house was demolished and this new powder room was added off the entry hall, near the den.
Kitchen-dining room (before). The existing kitchen and dining area connected to the entry area through a wide doorway. Kitchen cabinets were packed in tightly.
After. A pendant light hangs over the new marble-topped kitchen island. The casework and cabinetry were simplified, with a mix of new open shelving, cabinets and quartz countertops.
The wide opening between the kitchen-dining space and the entryway hall was narrowed during the remodel to make more room for appliances.
The front door is seen in the distance. The den and mudroom are to the left off the hallway, and the powder room, bar area and daughters’ bedrooms are to the right.
Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; range and hood: Wolf; faucet: Rohl; dishwasher: Miele; stools: Palecek
The wide opening between the kitchen-dining space and the entryway hall was narrowed during the remodel to make more room for appliances.
The front door is seen in the distance. The den and mudroom are to the left off the hallway, and the powder room, bar area and daughters’ bedrooms are to the right.
Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; range and hood: Wolf; faucet: Rohl; dishwasher: Miele; stools: Palecek
Before. The existing kitchen-dining room, seen from the other side of the room, also had a fireplace seating area. In the remodel, they removed the fireplace and replaced it with a breakfast nook.
The redesigned room allows the interior to flow easily through French doors into the backyard patio, where the family plays and entertains. The new breakfast nook is in the right corner.
Next to the kitchen-dining room is the new family room, seen through the doorway. It had formerly been a hallway, small bedroom and bathroom.
Family room. The cozy family room is furnished with items the homeowners already owned, and it has touches of Americana decor. Richardson enlarged the windows and added a fireplace (not pictured).
Rug: ABC Carpet
Rug: ABC Carpet
Master bath. Richardson updated, expanded and reconfigured the master bathroom. Neutral colors and soft tones create a tranquil vibe.
The original bathroom had a single-sink vanity and a combined shower-bath. The new bathroom has a double vanity, a walk-in shower and a freestanding tub. The toilet is behind the wall.
Lighting: Circa Lighting
The original bathroom had a single-sink vanity and a combined shower-bath. The new bathroom has a double vanity, a walk-in shower and a freestanding tub. The toilet is behind the wall.
Lighting: Circa Lighting
Richardson gained the area with the freestanding tub from the demolition of a previous adjacent bedroom, which also created space for the new family room.
Tub: Badeloft; tile: Daltile
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Tub: Badeloft; tile: Daltile
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
House at a Glance
Location: Mill Valley, California
Size: 2,400 square feet (223 square meters); three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Architect: Richardson Architects
Richardson reconfigured the home into four zones: a quiet zone for down time, a zone for socializing and entertaining and two sleeping zones. “We used warmer, brighter colors in the get-together zone, and deep, rich colors in the quiet zones,” Richardson says. “The daughters’ bedrooms have pops of color.”
Entry. In the original design, the front door opened into a large, sparsely furnished living room that the family didn’t use because it was not an inviting space. The only furniture in the room was a console table at the front door for keys and a sofa on the opposite wall. The family accessed the daughters’ bedrooms from the large room, which the girls had to enter to use their bathroom.
Richardson repurposed the room, dividing it up to create this new entry area, as well as an entry hallway, a mudroom-laundry room, a den and a powder room. The daughters’ bedroom area also borrows space from it.