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n the kitchen, the literal and figurative center of this home, Gamble wanted a blend of rustic and modern. “We had used a lot of wood throughout the house, and I wanted to give some relief to it, so we married walnut with modern, white cabinets made of high-pressure laminate,” says Gamble, who looked to the Seattle-based company Henrybuilt to create this custom kitchen. “I wanted it to feel Northern California modern, not European modern.”
She designed the pattern for the wall of Heath tile that surrounds the kitchen window. Two simple open shelves run the length of the wall, right across the window that faces the courtyard. A large, L-shaped piece of burl wood, reclaimed from a lake, creates the island’s top, while silestone counters elsewhere make for modern, durable surfaces. The Agnews left the lighting choices up to their son, Murray Agnew, a lighting designer whose carefully chosen fixtures double as art—and meet LEED requirements, too. Though a few of them came from Europe, such as the Vibia fixture above the kitchen island, the home’s recessed lighting is from No. 8 Lighting, based in Sonoma County.
(this page) GAMBLE WANTED THE HOUSE TO HAVE as many built-ins as possible, a
design feature that’s present in all of the original Sea Ranch houses. She created the fireplace surround using Heath tile. “We didn’t use any strong colors,” says Gamble. “We tended toward a neutral palette throughout the house that related to the sea and the grasses, and the Heath palette is perfect because it’s subdued and feels very much like it belongs here.”
40 S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 MARIN HOME