Explore this redesigned Mill Valley house

roofline of Mill Valley house Courtyard house — (Image credit: Adam Rouse)

A classic suburban Mill Valley house has been upgraded into a contemporary family home by Californian practice Michael Hennessey Architecture. The residence, titled Courtyard House, is located just north of San Francisco, and while it sits in an idyllic, lushly green site with incredible natural views, it was 'tired' and in need of an update.

hero exterior of mill valley house with man walking towards it

A Mill Valley house transformation

The architecture studio founder, Michael Hennessey, obliged – seeking to create a 'not only architecture-as-shelter but also architecture-as-bridge: from past to present; from one landscape condition to another; and from what a family wanted to, and what they could have', the architects write in a statement.

Hennessey and his team got to work on sensitively updating the existing property. For example, the structure's different volumes were streamlined and unified with black, vertical cedar siding.

corner of modern grey house with orthogonal windows next to mature trees and againast blue skies at Mill Valley house Courtyard house

The kitchen and dining area were opened up into a flowing interior that brings together indoors and outdoors, and offers long, wide views of the surrounding nature.

external staircase and detail of facade at Mill Valley house Courtyard house

Meanwhile, rooms were planned with not only the family of four's current set up (the two children are still young) but also bearing in mind some flexibility and potential new needs as the time goes by.

timber elements outside Mill Valley house Courtyard house

The farmhouse typology, a relative modern simplicity, and a modest aesthetic were all part of the mix in the team's inspiration. A refined and consistent indoor/outdoor connection was important too, to make the most of the leafy, rural location.

interior with ceiling heigh differences at Mill Valley house Courtyard house

And while private spaces were kept tucked away from the open plan, communal ones, all bedrooms still look out towards the green outdoors.

Mill Valley house Courtyard house white interior with dining table

Features such as the sleek, timber flanked outdoor shower in the back (a requirement from the clients) smartly underline this Mill Valley house's relationship with its context.

inside looking towards the paved courtyard thrugh large glazing at Mill Valley house Courtyard house

hennesseyarchitect.com

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).