09/28/2026
Like many older homes, Lily Kanter's 1907 Mill Valley house was broken up into isolated rooms that didn't suit contemporary gatherings. For two decades, she made only cosmetic updates while raising her sons and building her companies. As she moved into a new phase centered on fundraising, making connections, and entertaining, she asked RPA to rethink how the home functions, not just how it looks.
We started at the entry, where an L-shaped stair and small doorways made the space feel cramped. "The scheme was a bit ad hoc," says principal Heidi Richardson. We enlarged the openings to the library and living room and reconfigured the stair into one long run. A failing roof deck became a sunroom clad in European white oak, and the sliding doors between the dining and living rooms came out to form a great room. The new kitchen now sits in that great room, since, as Kanter puts it, guests always end up in the kitchen.
Thank you to and for sharing the story!
Architecture:
Interiors with Richard Chapman while at RPA
Interior Design & Client: Lily Kanter //
Contractor: .9
Photography:
