Michael Merrill Design Studio

A peek to this beautiful home office

In addition to adding a lot of comfort to a sofa, pillows can help break up what would otherwise be an expansive, blocky mass in a room.

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Two walls were removed in this dining room and replaced by a Venetian plastered column, opening up the space to the adjacent living room and entry. The furniture has been upgraded with additions by Liaigre, and the new focal point is now this large, custom designed mirror and bronze wall treatment.

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This marvelous whimsical sculpture is by Bay Area artist Deborah Barrett, although it certainly bears a resemblance to the work of Alexander Calder.

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A LUXE PAIR OF BATHROOMS

This space was enlarged by removing a wet bar in the adjacent loft space, thereby gaining an additional 24” in the overall length of the bathroom. Once we had that much space to work with, we were able to fit a “ his and his” pair of vanities and two uplifting medicine cabinets. The double shower is visible from the dressing area of the bedroom and features a rear wall in book-matched Italian marble.

This small Nobhill entry foyer now serves as a wine room as well. Cabinets and door are executed in a lovely English sycamore veneer.

Slide 1: Original 1936 Art Deco plasterwork in aforementioned dining room

Slide 2: Hand-crafted rugs mimic closely the shape of the entrance hall and the adjacent oval dining room

We were approached to do a comprehensive rethinking of the structure, spaces and the exterior envelop. Shown is a great way to conceal LED strip lights in an artistic innovative matter.

A peak of our studio’s conference room…

In this showcase setting, silver rimmed abalone plates set off elegant Georg Jensen “Cactus” vintage flatware designed in 1930.

This lovely pair of woven cane back chairs frame the antique table beautifully. The over scaled lamp is drawn with an Imari pattern. The draperies flank the setting and the windows, now a very low luster blank, are the perfect finish in this elegant but loosely gathered room, full of memories and family history.

This refined light fixture is designed by David Weeks in NYC. This version is 9’ overall. More than a light fixture, it is a lighted sculpture. It brings scale and whiskey to a very quiet working space.

When selecting a room in a showcase, we choose one with an eye to solving a real world dilemma. In this instance, our room did not provide for electricity in the ceiling whatsoever - a limitation that existed in many rooms in the Millennium Tower.

Our goal was to create an elegant room that was neither contemporary nor traditional in style. It was to be a place that one could linger and feel grounded in, despite living 52 floors above the San Francisco Bay. A beautiful collection of carefully curated art, beautifully lighted by Randall Whitehead, enhances the timeless feel of this space. Note the hypnotic diptych by Bay Area figurative artist Marianne Kolb

We are a firm believer in the use of inexpensive items mixed with very fine items! Here we have used a very elegant Chinese antique tansu with a moody contemporary painting by Tom Monaghan. Filled with seeded eucalyptus berries, the vase is from Crate and Barrel - but no one would suspect as the pieces work together in perfect harmony.

Having adequate storage in the kitchen is a real challenge for homeowners, regardless of the budget. To make the most of limited space in your kitchen, consider installing some. Lever storage solutions. Open shelves provide ample storage for storing cups, plates, and other kitchen interior essentials within easy reach. You can create a solid visual contrast by using glass shelves above this beautiful sleek black granite.

With the addition of a few key pieces, this previously underused patio came alive as a spirited outdoor space. The coral-red chairs and the espresso-stained teak table hearken bacon to the red Japanese maples surrounding this beautiful Larkspur garden.

This ten foot long live edge shelf is an original design by Michael Merrill. Art Deco sterling flatware and dresser plates by Jean Puiforcat are used in conjunction with a hand hammered bowl by Danish silversmith Georg Jensen.

For several years, we have had the privilege of transforming this unique hillside home in Larkspur. Our goal in working with her home was to make every inch of home useable, fun, and elegant and to take lifetime of collecting and her inheriting art to make the house truly come together. Airy and light, this modern Dutch lighting piece adds some hipness to this historic antique-filled home.

The mirror over console is one of a pair which flank the French doors which lead to the garden. Each is finished with a frantic mercury glass vase with flowering branches. Consoles were assisted by Michael Merrill.

All this hardware is new with the exception of being lost-wax cast in bronze to evoke the era when the house was originally built in the 1890’s. The residence brought together a lifetime of memorable collections, artifacts, art, family heirlooms and antiques from our client.

There is a subtle English-Japanese mixture to this sitting area. We use the client’s center table, also referred to as a drum or rent table that appeared in England during the late 18th century. These rent tables were used to keep account of rents paid and sue, and some tables even have initials on the drawer fronts. The table is topped with an Imari lamp which is based on the 17th century Japanese porcelain and is produced using authentic underglaze decoration. Shown is also a repainted black windowpanes with a pair of McGuire over-scale lounge chairs with an open back peeled cane.

This fabric is very reminiscent of the silk fabric that this general design is frequently used as a window covering. In this case, the fabric is an indoor and outdoor fabric that is much sturdier and is completely sun fade resistant.

Shown is a small guest bathroom where we elected to use wallpaper which is surely having a resurgence in popularity. Wallpaper is a great way to put patterns and color in a space. Michael Merrill describes wallpaper as almost the “gift wrap” of a space especially to cover hard durable and sometimes overly long-lasting surfaces. As any gift is enhanced by being in a presentation box, it is further enhanced by being wrapped in a lovely gift wrap and maybe an ornamental object on it such as a ribbon or bow, here the ornamental object is the berry arrangement that reflects back to the wallpaper.

This piece of furniture was modified from a cocktail table, and it was a successful modification as you can see the upper portion of the table more openly and beautifully. The piece of art is Giacometti bronze, but done in paper mache. In the background, you see a large simple monolithic Chinese armoire that replaced a closet that seemed out of place in this elegant entrance.

Presented is an area that is part of a very compact yet elegant 1920s pied-à-terre was a pleasure to work on. We worked on every detail throughout the home including the acquisition of all new furnishings, the careful placement of furnishings, and art against the newly placed wall moldings.

Here we show the first peak from the gallery to this over-scale dining room that was created from a space originally intended to serve as both the living room and dining room - both “formal” in style. Our client loved the idea of having one gracious and warm space based on a Santa Fe aesthetic. All the Millwork in this room as well as the entry door is created from some remarkably dramatic Clark Walnut, a native species in this part of California.

After living in their home for 15 years, our clients decided it was time to renovate and decorate! Now open to the adjacent dining room and family room, the entry to this kitchen was redirected from a previously narrow hallway. It was the client’s idea to have a pop of color hence the counter stool. Additionally, the client requested to find an antique tile that had a hand crafted look that reminded her of Italy. Italian marble, hand painted blacksplash tiles, walnut cranberry, wine storage, recessed lighting, and an oversized hanging fixture gives character to this once rather plain home.

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Here we have a stack of books on a cabaret table topped with a bronze amulet that forms an interesting counterpoint to reading on the the English drop arm sofa.