In 1968, legendary architect Alex Riley built his own house overlooking Tomales Bay in Inverness of West Marin. As with his other projects, the 1,000-square-foot house is based on principles of organic architecture, designed in harmony with the surrounding environment. Years later, Riley sold the property and in the early 2000s, designed a primary bedroom wring and guest house for the new owner.
Twenty years later, a new client purchased the property and enlisted Los Angeles design firm Commune to bring in the color, texture, and pattern they were after, adapting the home to their lifestyle. It’s West Marin goes Scandi, Commune explains, pulling references of Scandinavian summer houses (and Svenst Tenn patterns to suit) and hyper-local design history (JB Blunk, for starters): “picking up where Riley left off, honoring his original details.” Commune worked with Upscale Construction on the kitchen and bath remodels, adjusted and added millwork to all rooms of the house, and applied limewash to walls and ceilings. Here is a tour of the resulting design.
Photography by Laure Joliet for Commune.
Above: The house was originally built using 3-by-6 cedar tongue-and-groove vertical boards as single wall construction. The floors and wood paneling were all refinished. Commune worked with Oakland-based glass artist Theodore Ellison on an ornamental glass tile fireplace. The trim throughout the house is painted dark to better highlight the architecture.
Above: The ottoman is a custom Adam Pogue Ottoman and the sconce is vintage sourced from Lum Fardo.
Above: The kitchen countertops are Fossil Green Limestone which are leathered from Full Circle Studio. The kitchen faucet is the Vola One-Handle Deck-Mounted Kitchen Faucet in brass. The existing wood flooring was sanded and stained to a deep ebony finish with a blue/green stain: “much testing took place to arrive at the right color,” says Commune.
Above: The rocking chair is the Hans Wegner PP124 Rocking Web Chair. The wood stools are JB Blunk works from the client’s own collection. And the rug is Christopher Farr for Commune Cactus Flower Spring Rug.
Above: A view from the kitchen through a sitting area and into the dining room.
Above: The ceiling is finished in English bullrush matting from Rush Matters in Bedfordshire. “The mats were custom woven and applied directly to the ceiling after a process of verification and templating to address every opening need for electrical or other systems,” the designers explain. The pendant is an antique Tiffany glass pendant found specially for the dining room. The dining table is made custom by Tripp Carpenter of Espenet Furniture in Bolinas. The chairs are the Josef Frank Chair 695 through Svenkst Tenn and upholstered in Textile Lotus by GP&J Baker for Svenskt Tenn.
Above: We used two different Josef Frank/Svenskt Tenn wallpapers for the two kid’s rooms: Josef Frank’s Wallpaper Eldblomman in red [shown here] and Wallpaper Paradiset in white.
Above: A custom peg rail headboard. On the bed is the Coral & Tusk Stargazers Pocket Pillow.
Above: The rugs in both rooms are recreations of vintage Swedish flat woven rugs by Doris Leslie Blau.
Above: The tile is square Heath Ceramics tile in a glossy finish. The shower curtain is made custom from a Josef Frank textile through Svenskt Tenn.
Above: The artwork on the wall is by Lena Wolff from the client’s own collection. The brass mobile is by Ruth Kneass based in Oakland.
Above: The curtains are custom in Josef Frank Celoctocaulis fabric at Svensk Tenn and the coverlet is custom by Adam Pogue.
Above: The wall is finished with a woven grasscloth and cotton textile wallpaper. “The bed is custom by Commune and created by Doug McCullough, it’s a combination of Claro Walnut and linoleum with integrated power and lighting from Howe,” Commune describes. The artwork are JB Blunk drawings from the client’s own collection.
Above: A sitting corner in the bedroom features floor pillows and a leather-finished ottoman.
Above: The pillow fabrics are Kufri Tahoe in Blue Jay and Lauren Hwang Ikat Block San in Lake. The rug is Commune for Christopher Farr Plaid Rug.
Above: Heath Ceramics tiles in the bathroom, Theodore Ellison glasswork in custom wood frame, and Marthe Armitage Old Man’s Beard Wallpaper.
Above: The bathroom consoles feature the same limestone as seen in the kitchen.
Above: “The exterior work was minimal: new lighting, additional decking, and new trim paint at all openings,” the designers explain. The table is made custom by local artist, Ido Yoshimoto,for the property and location from redwood burl from Arborica.
Above: A deck with a view across West Marin.
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