San Francisco bay area interior designer Martin Mitchell’s client wanted a very modern, minimal interior environment. Mitchell’s sleek, settled, classically modern interpretation for this Bay View home fits the bill.
When asked what makes the design of his interiors characteristically his, Martin Mitchell who has worked in the design industry for 17 years, 10 of them at his firm Martin Perri Interiors, answers that it is his involvement with details. “If given the opportunity,“ he explains, “we can go in at the earliest stages of new construction or remodel planning and work with the architect, contractor, and client to create overall space planning and flow. And by working very closely with the client, we can create something unique to and specific for a particular project. The timing is of the essence. Working from the very beginning phases of a project really makes a big difference to the final outcome, and to fulfilling a client’s expectations from a design perspective.“
Mitchell, who had first worked with the client on a project 10 years ago, did get the chance to work on this Benicia home from the very beginning. “My clients had purchased the lot with an older existing home on the property. They spent a lot of time looking for the right piece of real estate for what would be their home, and brought me in at the preliminary stage of architectural development. We leveled the structure and developed a plan adapted from the client’s previous home. But because the plan was drawn up for this specific site, the design plan was different in orientation and scale.“
The ultimate design of the house “had a lot to do with views,“ says Mitchell. From the house, one can see the foothills of the Martinez Valley and a panoramic view of the Carquinez Straight, Carquinez Bridge, and Benicia Bridge. “These views of mountains and water played an integral part in the orientation of the house,“ says Mitchell.
Mitchell explains the homes exterior has an English Tudor feeling, but the materials and colors and textures have been used in a contemporary fashion. “Inside, the client wanted a very modern, minimal interior environment. The exterior materials and colors reinforce what’s happening on the inside.”
In designing the interiors and choosing the furnishings, Mitchell says, “we played with a lot of elements and philosophies, and implemented some of my clients personal preferences in carrying out the landscape design.“
As elsewhere in the home, the living room floor is fashioned from Bamboo. The cocktail table is from Ralph Lauren’s Home Collection. The custom sofa by Directional with fabric from J Robert Scott. Accent table by Barbara Beckman Studios. Window treatments are custom designed by Martin Perri Interiors based in Carmel, California.
