Most people escape to their local coffee shop to get some work done or for a change of scenery, but for one creative couple, they actually wanted to bring those vibes into their Marin County home that was built in 1955. “They are both writers so they wanted it to feel like a mix of a writers retreat and coffee shop, where they could invite friends to co-work and feel cozy and creative amongst nature,” explains interior designer Cathie Hong. “One of their repeated inspirations they kept coming back to was The Mill, a San Francisco coffee shop, except nestled in the redwoods and full of their favorite Heath Ceramics tile.”
Margaret Austin
The couple had been living in the home for three years before they decided they need to update the space. Aside from making it feel like their favorite coffee shop, they wanted the space to feel warm, cozy, organic, modern, functional, beautiful, and striking with lots of wood, but still neutral enough so they could put their colorful art and objects on display.
Margaret Austin
They had gone back and forth about doing a big renovation, or trying to do a few tweaks here and there. First, they explored stripping paint from a few places, but found it wasn’t going to work. When the home was staged for sale, the kitchen and family room cabinets were painted white, but the couple wanted a more wooden, organic feeling to blend in better with the existing wood in the house and the wooded surroundings outside.
Margaret Austin
“They’d been going back and forth on going through the chaos of a renovation, but once they needed to move out for a roof replacement (due to the combination of an infant and the potential of roof debris coming through the tongue and groove ceiling), they decided to move forward with a plan that would increase the functionality and usability of the kitchen,” Cathie says. “The cabinets were wonky and the paint was chipping, so they wanted to upgrade the finishes to match the quality of the rest of the home.”
Their goal of bringing in more wood tones while also preserving the existing wood was one of the reasons why the homeowners enlisted Cathie and team for help. They liked what Cathie had done in her own home—the way she blended deep, rich redwood with lighter-toned white oak.
Margaret Austin
“Their floors were originally a lighter toned oak, and they liked that. The walls in part of their home were the original redwood panels, and they loved those,” Cathie says. “They were just unsure how to blend the two together and how to decide what finish the kitchen and other finishes ought to be. The homeowners are avid wood enthusiasts though, so we tried to be bold and daring in how we blended these different wood tones together while still carefully evaluating whether we were making it feel too busy and disjointed.”
Margaret Austin
In the kitchen and dining area, they had first modified the layout, but ended up changing it back to something is similar to the original so they didn’t have to mess with the hardwood floors. It ended up working out since there’s a beautiful view of the backyard from the peninsula.
Margaret Austin
The white cabinets that seemed dated and out of place were replaced. “We modernized everything with flat panel plain slice white oak cabinetry from local cabinet maker Strong Cabinetry, a solid walnut worktop on the peninsula from local furniture maker Black Crate Designs, soft marble countertops, and our beloved Heath Ceramics backsplash tile,” adds Cathie.
Margaret Austin
The family room also had similar white cabinets and built-ins, which were swapped out for high-quality plain slice white oak cabinets and open shelves so the homeowners could display their curated collection of artwork, books, magazines, and objects.
Margaret Austin
The powder bathroom and primary bathroom were both included in the renovation. The powder bath was originally plain, white, and unused, so Cathie and team were excited to create a fun look for the space. They added a lava-rock faucet, metal basin, walnut millwork, and colorful tile (Zia encaustic cement tile on the floor, Heath ceramic tile on the walls).
Margaret Austin
Because of an unexpected leak, the primary bathroom’s shower was re-tiled with Heath Ceramics tile. Cathie replaced some of the cosmetic finishes to better match the new space’s aesthetic. The walls were painted in Farrow & Ball’s Lichen.
Now the home is a cozy space with tons of natural light and strategic pops of color that gives it personality. It’s a beautiful spot to get some creative work done.
Margaret Austin
“They had a lot of wishlist items and appreciated that we were open to including them in ways that blended well with the overall design,” says Cathie. “The kitchen and coffee bar are much more functional and perfect for hosting. One of the biggest changes of the smallest space is the powder room, which they now love using, as it’s ‘a little jewel box groovy portal that happens to have a toilet.’”
