Divine Country
Author:Abigail StoneIn the midst of Sonoma County, Alden Miller Interiors designs a home as intoxicating as any vintage
The family loved it: “The girls immediately ran to their rooms and started pointing out all the personalized items and features we had incorporated just for them…I feel gratified that we were able to achieve all of the key concepts the clients were looking for in the design of the house,” says Miller.
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
“We invited nature inside as inspiration for many of the colors and materials we used in the rooms.” The bold colors and textures are in sharp contrast to the family’s more subdued San Francisco home. In addition, numerous areas of the house create a connection to the beautiful Sonoma landscape.
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
Thoughtful layouts and furniture selections enable to the home to lend itself as well to formal events as it does to casual get togethers and family time. Careful furniture placement compliments the scale of the rooms and look appropriate in the large spaces without compromising the design vision.
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
The main entryway and front portion of the home take on the role of the older part of the house while the bedrooms and family room are washed with modern architecture and an open floor plan. This same mix of old and new, modern and antique, was carried into the interior as well.
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
Although the home is new construction, the clients were eager that the home feel organic to the area, as if a modern addition had been added to an existing home. The living room’s palette was inspired by the colors of grapevines in autumn as a way in subtly bring in color.
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
The firm designed and built a massive 2-piece dining table, a console in the living room, a stool, even a light fixture. “These pieces are not only beautiful, but provide a special connection to the property.”
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
Of course no project is without its challenges and this home was no different. “The property is filled with walnut trees, a couple of which needed to be removed and the clients requested that we find a way to use them inside the house,” Miller recalls.
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
“They wanted it to feel different from their San Francisco home and to contain special features that would entice their children and family and to be a refuge for years to come.”
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
Miller and the clients connected while they were in the midst of building the Steve Geiszler designed home. They hoped he could create a warm and welcoming place, with a connection to the outdoors, that could host family and friends. In the family room, pops of strong color underline its informality.
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
Certainly that was the case in this Sonoma home. The client, a husband and wife and their two children, live and work in San Francisco. This home is the family’s escape valve from the daily grind.
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
The firm puts the emphasis on natural materials, quality lifestyle and original details. Along with planning and critical evaluation, the project becomes a living collaboration between clients, artisans and craftspeople.
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
“All projects start with an understanding of the mission and essence of the space that is being created,” says Miller.
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston
Interior designer Alden Miller launched her firm, Alder Miller Interiors on the principle of Design for Living, centered on the core philosophy that a home is not a showcase. “I believe that every home is filled with its own rituals, and that the rooms we inhabit should perfectly fit the function of our daily lives,” says Miller
Photographer: David Duncan Livingston