With its warm, subdued palette and thoughtful space planning, this Mill Valley home offers a sense of intimacy and timeless charm, perfectly in tune with its wooded surroundings. Corine of CM Natural Designs masterfully balances nostalgic character with modern practicality, creating spaces that feel both inviting and enduring. Captured beautifully by Aaron Leitz, the transformation comes to life through rich textures, muted colors, and a curated collection of antiques that tell a story all their own.

From CM Natural Designs… This home is one of the earliest in Mill Valley, CA—one of the many reasons this family of five was drawn to it. However, once inside, you might not immediately recognize its age unless you noticed a few subtle details. One of our main goals was to reintroduce its nostalgic charm while ensuring it functioned seamlessly for modern life. With minimal construction involved, we focused on transformation through wallpaper, paint, and a carefully curated mix of antiques—such as the dining room cabinet, breakfast nook table and chairs, kitchen runner, and various art pieces.

Throughout the shared spaces, we leaned into rich textures—leather, velvet, linen, and natural wood—ensuring the furnishings felt appropriate for the home’s wooded surroundings and the nearby mountain views. The color palette was carefully considered to create a continuity between the indoors and the outdoor landscape.

The bedrooms, particularly on the smaller side, required thoughtful space planning to maximize function and create a sense of openness. In both kids’ rooms, the dresser doubles as a bedside table, and in the boy’s room, a wall sconce replaces a traditional lamp to free up surface space. A bed with built-in storage and a dark upper wall and ceiling further enhance the sense of height and spaciousness. When incorporating color in the children’s rooms, we kept it tonal and subdued rather than bold and modern. The kids’ spaces were also designed to be timeless, evolving with them from toddlerhood through their teenage years.

Discover the talent behind the story… Interior Design: CM Natural Designs · Photography: Aaron Leitz · Styling: Yedda Morrison Studio