LARKSPUR

Calm and Soothing

This city home is a standout beauty with charming details and character that embody the fresh, vibrant feeling of California on both the inside and outside.  Starting with an exterior renovation, what once lacked style and definition, now imbues sophistication.  Black metal windows contrast against the white stucco and accentuate the lines of the home.  A blonde wood front door and blonde wood double garage door soften the facade and bring an earthyness that grounds the design. A slate roof, along with copper colored gutters bring a refined elegance to the facade.  A front yard firepit area with lounge chairs is the perfect handout spot on chilly evenings.  Swapping out a traditional fence with a black metal fence running horizontally underscores the modern, contemporary style of the home.

Enter the front door and there is a zen-like quality within the interior.  Natural tone, wide planked wood floors are found throughout the entire ground floor.  The renovated kitchen is the centerpiece of the open concept living space.  Small, square tiles are used for the kitchen backsplash, which has been taken all the way to the ceiling.  A subtle iridescent quality creates visual interest with sheen along with the slight variations in color of the white color of this handmade tile.  The tile is also the backdrop for the floating shelves that flank the custom white metal hood vent.  A gray quartz counter tops the blonde wood, custom cabinets.  This same wood tone is used on the cabinet front appliances, which streamlines the entire space and it is used on the floating shelves and the concealed storage cabinets in the adjacent living room.  Storage space is often at a premium in smaller, in-town homes, so we utilized the space carved out by the windows to create a built-in window seat in the living room area and a built-in sideboard for the dining space.  Lastly, the natural wood tones are used on the back of the front door and the treads of the staircase to the upstairs bedroom level.

Here you’ll find the renovated bathroom that features a new double vanity in green with a unique quartz top that is reminiscent of the seashore with shells scattered along the white sand beaches.  The shower surround and vanity backsplash use a small, handmade, rectangular tile that’s been stacked in a vertical brick pattern one on top of the other.  The walk-in shower has a concealed drain. Black fixtures and lighting repeat this color accent color found in the window trim and the staircase railing.  The high ceilings in the bedroom make the space feel grand.  A custom, 5-sided, pentagon-shaped window, again trimmed in black, is the cap to a double casement window behind the bed and draws your eye directly up to the vaulted ceilings.