This once dark and dilapidated bungalow in Mill Valley, California was given a full transformation by San Francisco-based designer Tineke Triggs of Artistic Designs for Living. The entire re-design took six months and was done on a tight budget forcing creativity without spending a lot of money. The residence evolved into an open and airy floorplan with a warm and contemporary feel. Her clients are personal friends, one of which is an artist and the other once owned a furniture store, where some of the furnishings brought into the home came from. The goal was to transform an old-fashioned bungalow into a more modernized space. The space was brightened up with a fresh coat of white paint, overhead beams made from reclaimed wood were added to retain some of the rustic charm, and some of the spaces were re-purposed and rearranged to make the home more functional and free-flowing.

The home is less than 1,500 square feet, but utilizing mostly a palette of light neutrals helped to create a more spacious feel. The neutral palette helped the colors of the homeowner’s artwork to stand out. Since the homeowner’s do not like a lot of color, the best solution was to add a lot of textures into the home, such as animal hides and faux fur. Texture was also used in the master bathroom floor and shower by applying tile that looks like horsehair. Uber-modern pieces were mixed with antiques and vintage, collected from various places and the homeowner’s furniture store.

The oak flooring is a custom finish in a matte medium gray-brown, which complements the home’s furnishings and the reclaimed wood of the ceiling beams.

The small kitchen feels open and airy thanks to the removal of the wall at right; a large post shows where the wall once was.

A play space was designed in the main living area with a kid-sized table and chairs. The fireplace surround are rough cut ceramic tiles for texture.

The master bedroom closet is made from custom distressed wood and the handles are leather.

The master bathroom vanity is crafted from new oak that was stripped with metal brushes to give it texture and depth similar to authentic reclaimed wood.

This family area is in a separate building, formerly an unfinished studio, behind the main property.

Overgrown trees from the backyard were pruned to bring the outdoors into this office.

A linen corkboard is used above the custom built-in desk for posting favorite artwork and photos.

This where artistic magic happens, and is the one space where authentic reclaimed flooring is used.

This boy’s bedroom mixes vintage, modern, playful and stylish themes; the surf board is used as a growth chart.

The bed was original to the home but used to be in dark wood tones, it was given a fresh coat of white paint to contemporize the space.