The renovation of this small cottage resulted in a more direct entry sequence and an exposed third gable that was hidden by a shed-roofed addition. But apart from these critical foundational moves, it was the interiors that wowed the jury. “For such a small building, it feels airy and clean, and that’s hard to do in this medium,” a judge noted. They applauded the sawtooth ceilings, as well as the new windows that bend up into the roof in the living room, dining room, and primary bedroom. “It isn’t a sunny site but an iconic Mill Valley site with the stream and redwoods,” explains Heidi Richardson, FAIA. “With the two windows that face the stream and fold up into skylights, you get the redwoods and the stream together. As you move around in that space, you’re always aware of that.”
The removal of a central Tahoe-like stone fireplace also cleared sight lines through the house, and a bedroom was sacrificed to enlarge the entryway. “We grew the house in the front by around 90 square feet, but all of a sudden that gave us a strong rectangle in which to put the kitchen, dining, living areas,” Heidi says. Praising the “great detailing,” a judge noted that it “feels warm and livable, like a lovely place to be.”
[To see our expanded previous coverage of this project, click here.]
Citation
Architectural Interiors
Richardson Pribuss Architects
Redwood Cottage
Marin County, California
Project Credits
Architect: Heidi Richardson, AIA, and Andrew Pribuss, AIA, Richardson Pribuss Architects, Mill Valley, California
Builder: Abacus Builders, Corte Madera, California
Interior designer: Jack Dakin and Danielle Velasco, Richardson Pribuss Architects
Landscape architect: Gretchen Whittier, Arterra Landscape Architects, San Francisco
Structural engineer: Turbin Structural Engineering, Mill Valley, California
Project size: 1,600 square feet
Site size: 0.18 acre
Construction cost: Withheld
Photography: Thibault Cartier
Key Products
Cladding: Nusky Fireblock
Countertops: M. Teixtera soapstone, custom hemlock
Decking: Western red cedar
Dishwasher: Miele
Engineered lumber: Douglas fir
Entry doors: Sun Valley Bronze hardware, Della Lever
Faucets: Dornbracht
Fireplace: Ortal
Flooring: Dinesen white oak
Foundation: Helical piers
Hardware: Rocky Mountain Hardware
Icemaker: Sub-Zero
Lighting: Unique Lighting, Allied Maker spot, StickBulb pendant
Ovens/Dishwasher: Miele
Paint: Benjamin Moore Hidden Falls 712 (exterior); C2 Scallywag 727 (kitchen cabinets)
Refrigerator: Sub-Zero
Shower enclosure/Tub: Kohler
Sinks: Blanco, Haussmann Natural Stone
Skylights: Royalite
Toilets: TOTO
Tub: Kohler
Wallboard: EcoStucco lime plaster
Windows: Jada