After 30 years of hard work, our clients, a successful Silicon Valley biotech entrepreneur and biotech attorney, rewarded themselves with a new home they could truly make their own. Nearly every finish and light fixture was reimagined for this Portola Valley, California renovation.

Our guiding theme was “casual luxury.” While the home is full of memorable moments, the dining room is its pièce de résistance.

We wrapped the walls in Philip Jeffries’ Adorn, a Japanese wood-veneer wallcovering with hand-applied gold leaf, created using an ancient technique. Its organic, hand-drawn gold motif sweeps across the walls and continues onto the existing soffit, drawing the eye up to the contrasting ceiling wallpaper. The result is an intimate, immersive dining room that beautifully contrasts with the kitchen’s bright, open feel.

Every room is closely connected to the landscape, but the kitchen dining area is especially striking. A custom Christopher Boots chandelier appears to grow from the tree just beyond the window, blurring the line between indoors and out.