Love They Neighbor

Author:Lindsey Shook

MEM Interiors turns a traditional Craftsman into a warm, refreshed home for a neighborhood friend

“The design concept for this specific project was about leveraging trust and creating a balanced and timeless design,” says Madeleine Mahaney of MEM Interiors, a Mill Valley-based design firm that launched in 2019. “There was a synergy and trust between us and the clients immediately at the outset which strengthened over the course of the 18 month project. The design challenge was to remain in balance—modernizing the craftsman bungalow while still giving it a sense of place on the street and in its neighborhood.”

Most designers are hired through referrals, Instagram or editorial, but for this recent project Mahaney and her team recently completed, her client lived within a three-block radius of one another. “Know your neighbors, that’s what they say!” she proclaims. “A neighbor introduced us on the street, aptly pointing out to the clients in search of the right designer our obvious overlap in aesthetics and taste. From there, everything felt very serendipitous and flowed naturally from there.”

Located in Mill Valley’s Sycamore Park neighborhood, the original home was around 2,200-square-feet and designed in the Craftsman style that is commonly found in the region. However, the clients wanted to depart from that original approach and create an expanded and more modern design that still felt approachable and anchored in their family heritage. “The main goal was to identify limitations of the existing structure and find creative ways to transform them into details that belonged in the new vision,” Mahaney says.

They worked with Mark Fischbach or Mark Architecture and Millennial Development on the renovation by creating a second story, updating the door and window systems, adding a smooth stucco exterior, modernizing the rooflines and expanding the front porch that is now perfect for al fresco dining. “The clients made excellent choices throughout the duration of the project. They splurged on millwork, and quality fixtures that they interact with on a daily basis,” Mahaney recalls.

With modernity top of mind, they decided materials would also play a key role in the desired transition. Newly wood-clad walls connect to the outdoors while natural stone, limewashed walls and sleek millwork add contemporary edge while avoiding too much trend. “The clients did not want the spaces to feel sterile or contrived,” she notes. “We agreed to design around family heirlooms, vintage pieces with meaning and a neutral-enough-palette to showcase the family’s art collection.”

To finish the project off, they partnered with landscape expert—Erin Werner Design to extend the warm and welcoming feel to the outdoors. A large hedge now conceals the newly appointed front porch, while lush plantings create layers around seating areas and a small putting range adds an element of fun. “In the end, the clients felt that the finished product reflects their family’s personality,” she says. “When you are in the spaces, they do not feel brand new, they feel storied and reminiscent of the people who live there.”