Artistic Approach

Author:Lindsey Shook

Holly A Kopman curates a gallery-like setting inside a Mill Valley home

“I like my designs to really reflect the client-who they are and where they are going,” says designer Holly Kopman on her work inside this Mill Valley home. “Timeless design that showcases the art, but is not boring.” A passionate art collector and budding glass artist, Kopman’s client is a major patron of the arts. “She loves to take submersion art classes,” she says. “The design had to be as curated as the art collection.”

What began as a quick update in her son’s room, soon blossomed into a full home makeover of the 3,700-square-foot modern Craftsman home. “She had and grew her art collection while we were working together,” says Kopman. “The house had to morph with the changing collection and make space for new pieces.”

The most impactful change was by simply changing the color of the floor throughout. “It had cherry floors which we worked around for the first phase of the design,” says Kopman. “We finally got to a place where the red floors could not be ignored any longer. This was a challenge to change the color to ebony.”

The dark floors and vibrant walls in the main spaces created the perfect backdrop for installing the client’s robust collection of art. Kopman echoed the fine art with the placement of custom decorative pieces throughout including sconces of her own design that drip down a built-in, a blackened steel railing created in collaboration with Tom Sellars and Jafe Custom Finishing and beautiful furniture. “We created a walking gallery where no detail was left unturned,” she says. “The handrailing is a piece of art as well as the intake vent that was such an eye sore prior. ‘

In the private quarters, the team created more intimacy through the application of textured wallcovering and finishes including custom wax painted walls by Caroline Lizarraga in the primary bathroom.

Kopman and her client’s aesthetic was so aligned that the process was a true collaboration that led to more design work throughout the property. “She was always happy with the changes and it spurred us to keep going,” says Kopman. “It is like the golden gate bridge being painted, you get to one and and start back at the other. There are always new pieces of art and new ideas.”