A Personal Narrative

One project in our portfolio – a rustic-meets-modern home on the shores of Lake Tahoe designed for an active, outdoor-oriented family of five – provides a perfect example. Cool and hip, it’s a great place for entertaining and for family lake-side living. Conversational, playful, meaningful to the whole family, this house is a part of their history – a place they will return to again and again, cherishing old memories and making new ones.

The home’s setting, across the road from the lake, means that the best views are from the front porch. In response, we lined the broad porch with a row of contemporary Adirondack chairs painted in a custom shade of powder-coated blue. In the entry, a ski lift suspended from the ceiling, and painted the same in the same blue hue, signals that this is a fun zone.

Our collaborative clients were enthusiastic participants in every step of the design process. Throughout the playful interiors, we captured every opportunity to layer in graphic accents that express the family’s personality and history. It’s a house designed to host a party, in the most personal, laid-back way.

Our clients named their house “The Green House” – a tribute to the green home that once occupied the site. A 1970s-style stencil, given pride of place on the greatroom’s barn door, evokes the eclectic, timeless vacation-house vibe that makes the whole house so much fun for the family. Together, we took it a step further, creating a “TGH” brand that graces everything from cocktail napkins to hats to sunscreen, glassware, and even beer koozies! The home’s elevation is captured in numerous places throughout the home – set into the tile in the master bath, stenciled on cocktail napkins and matches. It’s a great way to illustrate for family and guests exactly where they are in the world.

In the kitchen, a pantry door adapted from a shipping container lists family birth dates in place of the usual ports of call, and a garage door rolls up to open a pass-through “snack shack” set conveniently near the front deck’s row of Adirondack chairs.

In the stairwell, a stenciled graphic calls out the elevations of the family’s favorite ski runs, as well as the Queen of the Snows church in Squaw Valley, where the couple was married. Outdoor blankets from Rumpl reinforce the summer camp vibe.

Every room tells another piece of the family’s story. In the all-black powder room, a stencil with a graphic depiction of the number 5 references the five members of the family, while hand towels note the elevation.

In the primary bedroom, we sourced the camo bedding from a hunting company, then added a bright orange stripe for a bit of couture glam. Close inspection of the bedside tables reveals drawer pulls fashioned from bullets – an unexpected twist just perfect for this fun-loving family.

Customization doesn’t need to be expensive. In the additional bedrooms, we printed IPhone photographs onto custom wallpaper depicting an array of outdoor activities, while bedding calls out the names of beloved ski slopes. My personal favorite – on the wall of what we call the “white-out room” – is a photo shot from high atop a ski lift, capturing the silhouette of the family in the snow below.