Designers Take A Contemporary Approach To A Lake Tahoe Abode
Exterior materials such as concrete, black-painted steel, hemlock and charcoal-stained cedar help the home blend into the forest. Landscape architect Mike Voelkel brought in trees, including quaking aspens, for seasonal color. The windows are by Sierra Pacific Windows, and the lift-slide doors are by Andersen Windows & Doors.
For the owners of this Lake Tahoe dwelling, a prior remodel was just the warm-up to the main event.
When it comes to forever homes, sometimes a test run is helpful. That was the case for a couple who renovated their former Danville dwelling before feeling pulled north to live in the Sierra Nevadas. There, they tapped architect Ryan Marsden and interior designer Katie Geresy to create a new Lake Tahoe residence that includes all the necessities they specified in their prior renovation, plus some luxuries they identified after that project was completed.
The design of the new abode began with the landscape. “We spread the house along the contours of the site to get big views of the Carson Valley below and the mountains beyond,” explains Marsden, who worked with project manager Keegan Byrnes. In the great room, window walls retract to engage the terrace, while flanking private wings (one housing the couple’s bedroom, the other a junior primary suite) are accessed by suspended, glass-lined passages. “From the road, the house has an understated presence given how it nestles into the topography,” the architect notes. A material palette of concrete, charcoal-stained cedar, hemlock, metal panels, exposed steel and glass allows the structure to blend into the wooded site. The three-story design, executed by builder Kyle LaMoureaux and project superintendent Brett Hall, also includes an adult bunk room for friends, an office, a rec room and a gym.
“Their past renovating experience informed this project in very specific ways, including counter heights and cabinet functions,” Marsden says. The homeowners even created a PowerPoint presentation outlining additions. “That was great,” Geresy recalls. “It helped paint the picture of what they wanted, both for the exterior and interior aesthetics, and it gave us context.” Top of their list was an uncluttered entryway, so Marsden designed a light-filled foyer to which Geresy added a clean-lined console. “The couple didn’t want a ‘catch all’ space right at the door, so we discussed back-of-house options where they could drop mail and packages,” she explains. The solution, a hybridized office-scullery behind the kitchen, was so successful, the designer says she now “implements variations of the concept in many of our projects.”
Stepping into the great room reveals the views, which Geresy highlighted with low-profile furnishings, like the vintage shearling chairs near the window. “Curvy midcentury shapes keep the room from feeling too rigid,” she says. “This is a really fun, social couple, and the house reflects their personalities,” Marsden adds. In the adjacent dining room sits a table inspired by images the wife had collected. “Every table she showed us had an interesting base, so we worked with local furniture maker Ken Goodreau for a custom piece,” Geresy says. The space works seamlessly with the adjoining kitchen, where travertine walls are the backdrop for ebonized oak cabinetry.
Home Details
Architecture:
Ryan Marsden, Marsden Architects
Interior Design:
Katie Geresy, KTG Design
Home Builder:
Kyle LaMoureaux, NSM Construction
Landscape Architecture:
Mike Voelkel, LVF Landscape Architects
The entryway opens with a door from Red Horse Pivot Door. Stepping inside to the right leads to the great room, while a glass bridge on the left connects to a guest space. Above the Oaklore console is a painting by Scott Kerr.
In the living room, a sofa in Pindler fabric, Pierre Freyupholstered Invisible Collection armchairs and shearling chairs from The Round Top Antiques Fair gather with an Oaklore coffee table and console. The rug is Holland & Sherry.
Below a Roll & Hill chandelier, Quintus chairs surround a Twisted Mountain Furniture dining table. Just beyond, Roche Bobois stools pull up to the Caesarstone-topped kitchen island. Dornbracht faucets and a travertine backsplash from Da Vinci Marble complete the scene.
Behind the kitchen is the scullery, which doubles as an office for the wife. Adorned with Ashley Norton hardware, the ebonized cabinets from Sierra Craftsman mimic those in the cooking area. The white oak floors are from Artistry Flooring.
A Rubelli-covered bed with linens from Pom Pom at Home anchors the primary bedroom. Above the Oaklore nightstands are Flos pendants. The Erik Lindström rug grounds a Kravet armchair and ottoman, and the draperies are made with a Pindler textile.
Occupying a corner of the primary bathroom are a Badeloft soaking tub and Watermark tub filler. Designer Katie Geresy discovered the stool and ceramic vessels at Found Antiques.
Just off the primary bathroom, a concrete retaining wall creates the perfect spot for an outdoor shower. The wall-mount system, complete with integrated foot wash, is by Sonoma Forge.
The primary bedroom’s private outdoor space includes a stainless steel spa with an automatic cover by Westland Bath & Spa. At the far end of the terrace are a custom cantilevered fire pit with a burner kit from Firepits Direct and a dining area with an RH table and chairs.
In the couple’s bedroom, glass walls offer astonishing views. To anchor the space, the hemlock ceilings were brought down to the wall behind the bed. “With the tufted-velvet headboard, it’s a cozy nook,” says the designer, who worked with project manager Jill Akers. From their bathroom, the couple can step out to a private terrace with a semi-enclosed outdoor shower and a hot tub open to the stars. “Throughout the house, you lose the line of where indoors ends and outdoors begins,” Marsden adds.
Further blurring those lines is landscape architect Mike Voelkel’s design. “Outdoor spaces feel like an extension of the home, but seasonality was important too,” he says. “We wanted flowers in spring—western serviceberry, Pacific dogwood—with an understory of summer perennials that add interest through the fall and mugo pines, red-twigged dogwoods, and quaking aspens for the winter months.”
It’s a dwelling truly designed to capture the seasons—perhaps no sight more charming than fawns exploring the hillside each spring. “The owners have a real connection to this house,” Geresy says. “A lot of happiness is found here.”