Mill Valley In The Trees

Interior designer Suzanne Childress is known for melding classic and modern elements to create a space that is sophisticated yet subtly unexpected and her recently completed project in exemplifies this. When Suzanne started the project, she says the home was “very chopped up and in rough shape.” But the homeowners and Suzanne knew there was plenty of potential once she opened the space up by knocking down the wall between the living room and formal dining room. Plus, its location in the idyllic town of Mill Valley, California and the redwood forest that surrounds the home offered Suzanne plenty of inspiration. It’s a full house with four kids ranging from 8 to 18 and plenty of their friends always coming and going, so having lots of space to entertain and hang out was important to the clients. Suzanne says, “Since they have a large family and love to frequently entertain, they wanted a comfortable, approachable, and beautiful home.” She selected a calm and unified color palette for the home and combined natural texture with luxurious details. “We wanted the home to feel earthy in that it is in canyon surrounded by Redwoods yet also wanted it have a little glam to keep it fun and interesting.”