We featured the work of Bay Area designer Jennifer Macdonald of Jennifer Robin Interiors on our September 2016 issue cover. Since then, she has completed a redesign of her offices in an historic 1930 building in downtown San Anselmo. Located just around the corner from her previous space, she says, “I used to walk by it for years and always dreamt of it being mine one day. It was originally the city’s sanitation building, then a landscape firm, then abandoned and neglected for years. Being able to convert this old warehouse into our new design studio is honestly a dream come true.” Learn more in our interview below and in the slideshow!

What were your overall goals in redesigning this space?
The redesign took place in two phases. We did an initial remodel in 2014 when we first moved in to transform the abandoned space into functional workspace for my team of 4. We created an interior room for our offices, added a bathroom and kitchenette and did a basic clean up, but the space was tight and we quickly outgrew it. (At this time I rented out the half of the warehouse space to a letterpress company.)

We were eventually able to take over the entire space and I began dreaming about a more substantial remodel – one that would fit the needs of our growing firm. I wanted a space that inspired creativity, was highly organized and a work environment that reflected our design philosophies around comfortable elegance, rustic chic, the ideals of indoor/outdoor living.

What is the Jennifer Robin Interiors design philosophy and how does it apply to this project?
My main goal as a designer is to create interiors that are a cohesive link to the architecture, landscape and a client’s personal style. Ideally, these elements are equally balanced so one does not outshine the other and all is celebrated.

We design for real people with pets, kids, grandkids, and who all share a love for indoor/outdoor living. With this in mind, we strive to design interiors of the highest quality that are also high functioning with beautiful but durable materials. We believe this balance of comfortable elegance is the best of both worlds.

Our new office space is a wonderful example of this. We brought back to life the architectural beauty of this building while supporting our needs for a more functional workspace. Our design aesthetic shines through and we’re also able to show off the work of some of our favorite vendors, which is terrific!

The result is that we now have a place where we all look forward to coming to everyday, and where our clients love to come and collaborate with us. Truly, a dream come true!