San Anselmo Home Fit for Chef
A San Anselmo house is move-in ready with a kitchen tailor-made for any home chef.
WHEN BARBARA BORUN SMITH began looking for a house last spring, she knew exactly what she wanted. “I was looking for a house that was charming and cozy inside and out,” says Smith, “but I also wanted it totally redone.”
A longtime resident of Larkspur, Smith wanted to downsize after a divorce and sending two kids off to college. So she asked her realtor, Susan Hewitt, to find a pre-1940s home that was move-in ready. They did an extensive search, bidding unsuccessfully on two other houses before Smith bought this 1938 home, which, with its vintage European rooftop tiles, painted fir floors and small rooms, emanates old-fashioned appeal.
The home’s charm is the handiwork of San Anselmo designer Julie Neill and builder/ developer Dan Deffner, who expanded and renovated the former one-story cottage in 2011, adding a master bath and an entire second floor. The remodel was so seamless that it feels like the second floor has been there all along.
The attention to period detail is evident everywhere, especially in the kitchen, which has a farmhouse vibe, with wide-planked oak floors and simple, clean gray cabinets. It’s ideal for Smith, who trained as a pastry chef and loves to cook. “This house was like finding a needle in a haystack,” says Hewitt. “There are not a ton of these classic homes that have a gorgeous kitchen like this.”
Smith has added her own style to the place: In the living room, she’s hung a clear and blue Murano chandelier, bought from Venetian glassblowers on a family trip years ago. It’s a stunning conversation piece that she’s carried from home to home. And it blends well with her furniture, much of which was designed by Los Angeles–based Lois C. Esformes, notably the room’s mohair ottoman and chairs.
Like the house itself, Smith’s aesthetic is a mix of old and new. In the dining room, she’s placed a modern painting alongside antique dining room chairs and an Asian tansu chest, finds from her years of San Anselmo antique hunting. The home reflects her own history too: a living-room shelf displays books once owned by her immigrant grandparents. She’s placed new and vintage family portraits (and a few Ansel Adams works) artfully on dressers and desks and hung paintings by her (very talented) college-age daughter throughout.
If one word could be used to describe the house, it would be warm. Smith couldn’t be happier. “This is an amazing home because they’ve totally redone it but retained all the charm,” she says. “I just love that.”
THE DETAILS
WHERE SHE PURCHASED The Morningside neighborhood of San Anselmo
WHAT SHE BOUGHT A renovated 1938 Mediterranean-style home
LISTING AGENTS Kathleen Daly and Lisa Lange, Coldwell Banker
SELLING AGENT Susan Hewitt, Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty STATS Price per square foot for homes in the neighborhood: $520–$820
Check out the gallery below to view more photos of the Smith home.
This article originally appeared in Marin Magazine’s print edition under the headline: “What’s Cooking?“
