Built from the ground up
Mill Valley home includes spacious porches
Precise planning and methodical execution are mandatory for anyone hoping to build a new home in the Bay Area. In the case of 5 Nelson Ave. in Mill Valley, Postcard Properties spent two years preparing to break ground and another year erecting the four-plus-bedroom plantation home with spacious porches and a contemporary interior.
“We didn’t want to build a huge home in the neighborhood, we wanted the home to fit the aesthetic of the community,” said Jennifer Tidwell, principal designer for Postcard Properties. “One of the reasons we chose (architect) Kelly Haegglund is because she’s great at building homes that fit the neighborhood.”
Haegglund and Postcard Properties actually subdivided the lot shortly after acquiring the land and built an individual home on each. Both of them, 5 Nelson Ave. and 275 Sycamore Ave., are open this weekend and listed by Radhi Ahern and Scott Kalmbach of Pacific Union.
The Nelson Avenue home offers a contemporary twist on the classic plantation style. A standing seam metal roof tops the two-story home accented by divided-light windows and a covered front porch supported by a series of posts connected to the railing.
Modernist flair abounds in the light-filled interior that features an open floor plan. Rift-cut, wide-plank European oak flooring complements the ceiling’s tongue-and-groove paneling in the great room, crafting a dynamic linear affect leading to French doors opening to the oversized deck and landscaped backyard.
Just as the team sought continuity with the surrounding neighborhoods, the designers valued consistency inside the four walls, Tidwell said.
“We wanted certain finishes and looks to repeat themselves,” she said. “We carried the gray-washed wood throughout and we have a touch of pattern in laundry room, dining area and master bathroom.”
A light fixture from Urban Electric installed in the kitchen above a marble island with waterfall edges inspired much of the interior design, Tidwell said.
“The fixture has a white shade and a touch of dark. We chose that and it set the direction for the rest of the house,” she said.
Three zinc cone pendant lights illuminate segments of the great room and play off the gray-stained oak cabinetry and herringbone pattern wallpaper lining a wall segment off the dining area. Tidwell said the floor-to-ceiling wall segment plays an important role on the main level.
“We have this long great room but wanted to separate the dining area from the entry,” she said. “The partition creates separation while maintaining spaces that are open and flowing.”
The opposite end of the great room offers a fireplace with concrete surround flanked by built-in shelving, as well as a walk-in pantry opposite the designer kitchen.
Both the great room and master suite share a wraparound deck behind the home. The deck overlooks the backyard’s garden, lawn and fire pit. A bathroom accentuated by Thassos marble counters, a walk-in closet, a stand alone tub and oversize shower provides the master suite with spa-quality indulgences. Once again, patterns and color schemes represented elsewhere in the home repeat in the master bathroom.
Visit www.5Nelson.com for more details.