scarbowcow I'd love to see the building from the outside - and more of the inside.

Becky Harris Stunning! What a breath of fresh air and what a difference a talented woodworker can make!

bubblyjock Love the shelves and the splash of red in the windows - they really add some substance to this sophisticated space.

Andrew Carnegie was a Scot, not an American: this being the day the world's Scots celebrate their Scottishness by eating too much haggis, swigging too much whisky, and reciting not enough of Robert Burns's poetry, maybe I'm extra sensitive!

Annie Thornton This kitchen is great. The materials, simplicity and organization of it all are efficient but warm. It's calming. I wonder if those are all Carnegie bricks?

And scarbowcow, It looks like Matt Bear uploaded the rest of this home too.

midmodfan Wow! Love the brick, the walnut cabinetry and the new skylight. This kitchen has tons of character.

I wonder, though, why the sink is on one side of the island and the cooktop on the other side. Isn't that impractical when preparing the food? Nevertheless, the overall impression is absolutely awesome and I would really like to see the rest of the house.

Distinguished Flooring LLC Looks great

kellystevens Wow. stunning.

steinertbarbara I'm in love!

summilux Don't care for the pendant lights or the chandelier. Everything else- WOW! This might be my favorite houzz dwelling. Needs a full tour.

Lanie Brown Black walnut cabinetry is gorgeous! That massive chandelier against the brick-framed shelving is magnificent!

tetoette This kitchen is so interesting to me: I've been looking at hundreds of them on houzz, as I look at many room types, obsessed by what makes a certain room really BE what it is.
This project is fabulous in terms of colors, light, materials, however it is DESIGNED SO MUCH that somehow it doesn't leave much room for the "kitchenness" of the kitchen, if you know what I mean?
This happens a lot with linear, minimalist design, where the search for pure lines and aversion to clutter imply the erasing of age-old spatial cues - which are more "cultural" I guess.
I often wonder if a child raised in a minimalist home will get "bored" by the absence of complexity (no nooks and crannies and very simple spaces) as opposed to an old fashioned house carrying age-old markers.

mmdvienna I am going to be the voice of dissent, but to me it looks like a medieval prison cell turned kitchen. Dark, red, brown, modern lights above the isle, then the chandelier above the table... again, too many elements, too many styles. Don't like at all.

Michelle Toivonen It's the scale that grabs my attention. The balance of the pendulum lights above the grand counter is perfect.

Wendy Hoechstetter I love it. It's so warm and welcoming, and surprisingly cozy given how big it is.

I completely agree about the appliance placement, however. A functional work triangle this unfortunately does *not* display.

jeanettchka Love the brick walls, the shelving in former windows, the warmth of the wood. Modern is not my style, usually too cold and sterile, but this is very nice. Like the trusses in the skylight. I would also like to see more of this home. Creative use of the existing space.

wohntraum I really love this kitchen!

slavell Beautiful work. Love the creativity.

tracyaine Yum, modern clean but WARM, love the graphics! tracy holland

dotknot It looks like they left a little window at the top of the shelves in the dining area. Most interesting clerestory windows I have seen, and a great way to get rid of an undesirable view while adding more storage. I don't care for some of the decorative elements, but love the brick and kitchen cabinets. I like Old World style, so to me it is not dungeon-like, just old and warm.

flgrandma I'd love to see photos of the entire house.

Joseph parisi Interiors LLC Love this fresh ,clean lined space...could see myself preparing a gret dinner for friends .

The Kitchen Loft The good news: It's a 16' island which means plenty of space for cooking and entertaining. The bad news: It's a 16' island (with the sink and cooktop diagonally opposite each other) which means a hike before every meal. Like others, don't understand why the sink and cooktop weren't placed on the same side of the island. Island attract people. Now, when they entertain, whoever is cooking will be pushing them out of the way to get from refrig to sink to cooktop. Interesting locale, beautiful cabinetry, horsey pendants, silly chandelier, questionable design. Kitchen of the week? I don't think so.

Joseph parisi Interiors LLC Not sure I agree . One would have to understand how the resident uses their space and though the island generally is a place where people gather this kitchen appears to be designed with the possibility that that is not the first consideration for the home owner. After seeing the the kitchens that the Kitchen Loft has posted I can see why he/she does not appreciate the level of sophisticated design this kitchen has.

familialevy The cabinets are very well done and the brick walls are beautiful. I don"t think linen works well in the kitchen. The dark and large pendants are just plain ugly and the scale seems distorted. Who is going to clean above the refrigerator and ovens. People log jams will be a problem, too.

peetsoo Great job!

CAROLE MEYER I love this kitchen.....it is just plain stunning!

twod814 Amazing! I love the fell and look of exposed brick on an interior, mixed with the contemporary, it's right up my alley! Love, love, love it!

Richard D. Wood Wow, clean, crisp, polished and check out the exposed trusses.
rdwoodonline.com

kid12_acadian I like the the layout, plus a touch of modern and country - lots of room to work around. The triangle space between fridge, sink and stove position nicely. This minimize the working area to very close to each other.

lucca LOVE! This is a joy to behold....unlike the previous home...In this home I could "breathe"

Chris Crawford Beautiful wood cabinets. Are they walnut, and what were they finished with? It looks like maybe oil. Definitely not poly, shellac or lacquer.

Esther Price I like the combination of natural and artifical lighting.

wantsideas The cabinets look beautiful. I love the windows in the living room.

mirancreek As a cabt maker the craftsmanship is obvious the convenience of the layout does not seem very well thought out but if its the way the homeowner wanted it great

Transformations It would be fun if we could see the Before photos. In any case, the team did an amazing job. Having lived in Mill Valley years ago, this is in keeping with it's history and the current trends. Very nicely done!

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel I love everything about the kitchen, but was also hoping to see more of the house. I like putting shelves in the windows where the view is horrible, but there could be frosted glass, to let light in. Can't we see more?

Wendy Hoechstetter Joseph, no matter *how* a client uses their space, the fact remains that this is a terrible layout for cooking function. No matter how many or how few people are in this kitchen, it will always be a *loooong* end-run around that island getting between the stove, the sink, and the refrigerator, all three on different sides, and that will drive most people insane.

There's no need to get nasty and snark at other people's work to ridicule their opinions. The Kitchen Loft is entitled to his/her opinion about the style as much as anyone else is, but they are right on no matter what about the positioning of the functional elements. That's a matter of Kitchen Design 101, day one, and it applies no matter *what* the style or materials used int he kitchen are.

kid12_acadian I would like to see a closer look of the counter top. (1) the sink (is it a clean up and preparation station) in front of the ovens (convention - microwave... It look more complicated that just a sink. (2) what appliances are on the other side. I can make out a gas stove top, perhaps a hot plate or grilling board that slides over the burners. The other Item I can not make out?. But my practice is "met en place" clean product, cut up product product, season and so on. You have to be organized at the task at hand. Back to the distances fridge to stove tops - all ready prepared food shot distance. The Kitchen table is it the only table; or Is there a dinning room to the side of the kitchen. (can be addressed) Lots of ifs to really critique the kitchen AND THE USE OF SPACE. THANK YOU.

Joseph parisi Interiors LLC Sorry thats just how I see it.

Chris Crawford To this layman it seems like the architects who do the coolest work, often put function at the bottom of the priority list. Maybe it is impossible to have "form through function" in architecture, but that will be something I seek from my next architect. Still this is an incredible looking kitchen. Still wanting someone to comment on how the wood was finished, and if it is walnut or some other wood. Any woodworkers out there? I think maybe oil then wax or just oil-rubbed.

procrastnovate It is listed in the wikipedia article/list of Carnegie Libraries but has no image associated. The owner, designer, artisans or contractor could upload an image of the exterior there (and possibly one here so we can see the (typically) awesome exterior architecture characteristic of Carnegie projects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Carnegie_libraries_in_California

procrastnovate Also, what I think a lot of people are neglecting to notice is that the cooktop controls are on the top of the cooktop and the island isn't all that deep, meaning that the cooktop can be accessed and used from both sides. Frankly, if I were to install a linear cooktop, it would be positioned to the rear of the counter space, leaving a decent sized preparatory space in front. Personally, I would actually use that specific cooktop from the same side of the island as the fridge and sink are located. Also of note, the oven(s) are located opposite the sink and the downdraft venting appears to be toward the wall side of the cooktop (traditionally venting is placed at the rear of the cooktop) so it is probably designed for use from the "logical" side of the island.

Amber Flooring Amber Flooring from Emeryville was introduced to this amazing project through the designer, Matt Bear. Due to the unique design of the space our team customized a stain that allowed the natural look of the wood to compliment the rest of the design. Once the color was picked, we worked closely with Matt (the designer) and Bill Dew (the contractor) to make sure that the installation of the floor flatter to the rest of the space.

Please visit Amber Flooring page on Houzz.com (see link below), in order to check some other interesting projects we were working on during the last couple of years.

Link to Amber's page: http://www.houzz.com/pro/amberflooring/amber-flooring

Tile-Stones That black chandelier paired against the brick is great!!

gschneider Love the kitchen space! Personally, I may have only gone w/ 3 barrel fixtures over island, instead of four. But not being in space, maybe I can't see from pic alone that 4 was definitely needed (or maybe even just personal preference). Either way, ok & no deal breaker - terrific space!

Rosemary Sleigh Design a beautiful play of materials, & simplicity with detail- masterful

Amanda Pung Where could someone purchase those pendant lights? I think they add so much to the space!

jjdesignkloos I love the transformation; and recycling an old building!
Annie Thornton: I'm assuming the photos of "Project Lovell" are the same buliding....is that correct?

Elle R. Libraries are still needed by communities.

summilux I can see the grounds for some of the criticism here; however, I suspect food will work out just fine in that kitchen. But- do you have any idea of how hard it is to get brickwork to have that patina without it looking artificial or being unstable??!!

zelda88 There was a missed opportunity here - the room has really good bones. Unfortunately, the layout, particularly the siting of the picnic/dining table is impractical and does not, imho, make the most of the fabulous space.

Jubi Arriola_Headley I cannot tell you how much I LOVE the overall aesthetic of this kitchen. The lights (both pendant and chandelier) I might have made SLIGHTLY different choices - but I would have no problem keeping them if they were in a house I purchased.

I am also, like Chris Crawford, really keen to find out how the walnut cabinets were finished. If anyone has any information on that, please share.

While I love the aesthetic, I do wonder about the functionality, like other folks. I did have one thought that might improve functionality a bit - where's there's one sink now, back to back sinks on either side of the island.

Zelda88, not sure why the placement of the dining table is impractical - would be interested to hear why you think so.

Kit Murphy jjdesignkloos: Yes, it is all "Project Lovell." (I live up the street from this house, so I can tell.) I could also take photos of the outside since people seem to want to see it, but I'm not sure it's my place to do so. It's a long street and I live too far up to know the owners and I don't want to invade anyone's privacy or act out of turn.

procrastnovate After reading Kit's comment I realized there's an easy way to see the exterior of the place. The address is on the Carnegie Library wikipedia page and Google Maps has... StreetView! Not sure how recent the image is and there's a lot of vegetation cover but it gives a decent idea of the exterior architecture of the building.

https://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&oe=UTF-8&q=52+Lovell+Avenue,+Mill+Valley,+CA+94941&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x8085906dbe07e55d:0xf798a0ce06fd3f72,52+Lovell+Ave,+Mill+Valley,+CA+94941&ei=VswIUczwL8-00AH6lYDADQ&ved=0CC8Q8gEwAA

zelda88 @Jubi Arriola_Headley: The very long island has created a galley kitchen, with none of the convenience of a galley because there is an obstacle between the stove and other appliances/storage. The article states that the kitchen has been designed for 'conviviality', but the island counter does not appear to have much overhang (I could be wrong) - perhaps that lovely big island is only intended for people to stand around prepping and cooking? For me, conviviality means sitting down with a glass of wine. And with that number of drawers, how would anyone remember where things were stored? The cabinetry is beautiful, but perhaps some open shelving under the island would be more practical. It is a shame that the original windows were bricked up, and even with shelving, they just look like 'blind' windows. Half frosted windows, or bottom-up blinds would obscure the 'awful' view, whilst providing some natural light at that end of the room. Personally I would place a long dining table under that fabulous skylight, and have a squarer island where the current dining table is, with the stove facing the diners, and the back wall housing appliances and storage. The work area would be adjacent to the window storage (if it MUST be bricked up), with cookery books and pretty kitchen things on display, and easily accessible. But everyone uses their kitchen differently, and the space looks beautiful nonetheless.

Jubi Arriola_Headley Interesting, Zelda88 - swapping out the kitchen and dining locations. You know, I can see what you're saying there. I can see how that could be a workable layout...especially with one side of the island facing those storage cubbies...

pattyruane Very unique and beautiful but from a practical standpoint, I can just imagine the dust and grease on those black lampshades in a years time if this kitchen will actually have meals regularly cooked in it. And all those knick knacks too and that chandelier! Yikes! Call in the maids!

raffaello love it.............. is not enuogh !

samandella Absolutely stunning. Breath taking. Adopt me

maripi Kind of proyect that you just love it or you just hate it. Nothing in the middle...an I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!