Celebrity homes often provide hints about growing building trends and when the home belongs to a star who earned his fame in the kitchen, those hints are particularly useful. Tyler Florence’s move from his cottage in Mill Valley to the Villa Madera estate in Corte Madera is a perfect example.
Room for Everyone
Although the Mill Valley home afforded the Florence family 2,500 square feet, it had only two bedrooms when originally purchased. Major renovations to the home turned the basement into three additional bedrooms and a bathroom, for a total of five bedrooms and two bathrooms. Their new Corte Madera home, however, sprawls out across 6,300 square feet. With seven bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half baths, there’s significantly more room.
Understated Grace
Unlike the ostentatious designs of many celebrity homes, the architectural style of both Florence’s old and new homes is simple, featuring clean lines and wood siding. While the Mill Valley cottage’s flat roof gives it a rather plain appearance, the Villa Madera estate brings more visual interest with multiple levels of gabled roofs.
Its projecting turret-like wing also adds dimension and a sense of flow to the otherwise restrained design. Decks on every side of the Villa Madera estate offer more room for outdoor entertaining than the Mill Valley cottage’s relatively small porch.
Timeless Beauty
Both homes retain the warmth and character of the early 20th century. The Mill Valley cottage, built in 1926, features a brick fireplace and slightly rough-hewn parquet flooring. Villa Madera’s somewhat earlier date of construction in 1909 shows in the great room’s vaulted ceilings and its own somewhat larger brick fireplace.
Custom features are common in celebrity homes and both Florence’s new and previous residences have their share. During renovations to the Mill Valley home, marble-topped built-in shelves were added in the kitchen. Similarly, the Villa Madera estate has been outfitted with custom-made wood bookcases.
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