A Mill Valley Cottage, Reimagined

This turn-of-the-century home was transformed with light-filled spaces and smart reconfiguration—explore the before and after.

New owners of a Mill Valley cottage wanted to lighten up their space and bring it to the modern day while paying homage to its roots. Craig and his team updated the home for modern family living, improving light, function, and flow while retaining much of the original wood and charm.

Reworking the Floor Plan for Modern Living

A family of four who wanted to trade in the busy city life for a quieter, forested one bought a turn-of-the-century cottage tucked away in the hills of Mill Valley in a neighborhood known for its infamous historic homes plotted amongst old redwood trees. While wanting to respect its history and hang on to its original character and warmth, the dated home needed a lot of work to make it more functional, bright, and spacious, bringing it into the modern era. 

“When the owners hired me, they knew the house needed a lot of work,” Craig shared in a Marin Magazine feature on the renovation. “Early on, the homeowners told me, ‘It’s just so dark in here. How do we lighten it up without losing all the wood?’ They really liked the nature of the historic feel of the house.”

Focusing on improving the layout of the kitchen and making a utility area workable on the first floor, Craig and his team opened up walls, resized windows where needed, and turned the non-workable utility area into a butler pantry, a guest bathroom, and a laundry room, making the family home far more practical with unique touches.

The living room got a light, bright makeover while retaining its historic brick fireplace, which was painted a warm, earthy brown-gray (Manor House) from Sherwin-Williams.

How to Bring Light into a Dark, Wood-Clad Home

To keep much of the original old-growth redwood while creating a brighter, cheerier space, Craig and his team added more windows, widened existing windows, and softened the wood tone. This involved sanding and refinishing much of the existing wood that had been stained darker, and painting some of it a lighter color. The connection from the kitchen into the dining room was opened up to improve flow.

BEFORE: The dark, dated living room needed a light, bright upgrade to breathe more vitality into the space.

 Craig replaced the bank of windows behind the sink in the same openings and lengthened the window closer to the ceiling on the right, bringing in more natural light.

An overhead metal hood and wooden shelves were placed above the stove by Reunion Creative. A new island and L-shaped bank of steely blue-painted cabinetry with quartz surfaces by MN Builders helped create a new functional kitchen layout.

BEFORE: The kitchen and dining area lacked flow and space. Craig and his team opened it up to flow seamlessly into the living and dining area.

A Surprising Twist: Holding onto Historic Sinks in the Bedrooms and Re-Configuring the Family Room

“Something that was really surprising and fun to work with was that there was a unique situation of a sink and a vanity in both of the upstairs rooms,” says Craig. “It’s typical to see this in historic homes. The owners have two girls, and they were each going to have their own room, so they opted to keep the vanities and sinks so the girls could brush their teeth and use the mirror without fighting over the bathroom. It was a cool thing to hang on to – I’ve stayed in bed and breakfasts before that have this feature, and it’s kind of nice to be able to splash your face or brush your teeth before bed.” 

On the other hand, the primary bedroom had an unconventional bathroom arrangement—a sink and toilet ensuite, with a separate shower accessed on a lower level. Craig reworked the floor plan to create a more functional, fully integrated ensuite, repurposing an existing closet. To make up for the lost storage, MN Builders built a custom wardrobe.

In the primary bedroom, Craig reconfigured the floor plan to use an existing closet to create a larger functional ensuite bathroom while ensuring it had adequate storage.

This primary bedroom got a modern upgrade.

The brand new ensuite bathroom.

Craig and his team transformed this unusable space with a beautiful cathedral-style ceiling into a makeshift guest room and family room. 

Retaining Original Materials and Architectural Details

When it came to the exterior, little was changed or added to preserve the historic cottage aesthetic and align with the Mill Valley vernacular.

“We were able to retain much of the original shingle siding, with the builder patching and feathering it in where new windows were added,” says Craig. “And the antique wood and beveled glass front door was preserved.”

Not much was updated to the exterior of the home, retaining its forestry-cottage feel.

The original wood and glass front door was kept intact with a vestibule/mudroom entry.

This historic cottage is nestled in the oaks and redwoods of Mill Valley, CA.

Read the feature in the March issue of Marin Magazine for more on the transformation.

Rustic modern meets historic in this blending of two worlds.

A Thoughtfully Designed Home

Projects like this are always about more than improving a floor plan. They’re about understanding how a family wants to live and finding ways to bring more ease, connection, and enjoyment into everyday life. Hearing how the home functions for the family now has been especially meaningful.

“This is by far the most thoughtfully designed home we've lived in: the spaces flow to absorb our daily comings and goings, there are quirky old-house details, and all the comforts of modern living.”

Project Team List:

Builder: Buck O’Neill Builders

Custom cabinetry and millwork: MN Builders

Custom fabrication: Reunion Creative

Photography: Brad Knipstein

Styling: Madeline Shields

Artwork: Ryan Lynch