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Houzz Tour: Open and Inviting Mountain Home Near Lake Tahoe
A designer creates a warmly minimalist California getaway that can stand up to snow and mud
“We wanted this house to feel like you were living in a snow globe,” interior designer Katie Geresy says. After moving from the San Francisco Bay Area to New York City, her clients, a family of four, wanted a relaxing and welcoming West Coast base. The contemporary house in Truckee, California, has neighborhood access to the Northstar ski resort and many hiking trails and is a short drive from Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake.
The entryway, visible on the right, opens to the dining room and expansive views out to the woods. The large windows used throughout the house provide the “living in a snow globe” feeling. “The floor plan is very open and inviting,” Geresy says. There’s a great room and kitchen open to this dining area. The first floor also has a guest bedroom suite, a powder room and a mudroom-laundry room.
“The homeowners like things really clean — they are minimalists but they also wanted a comfortable transitional feeling,” Geresy says. “The spaces are quiet and soft, a relief from the busyness of New York City.”
Browse dining chairs in the Houzz Shop
“The homeowners like things really clean — they are minimalists but they also wanted a comfortable transitional feeling,” Geresy says. “The spaces are quiet and soft, a relief from the busyness of New York City.”
Browse dining chairs in the Houzz Shop
Natural light fills the home thanks to the many large windows, transom windows and clerestory windows.
The dining room opens to the great room to the right and the kitchen at the back. The floors have radiant heating. “This provides such a nice, even heat that works well in our climate,” Geresy says.
To attain a soft, quiet feel, Geresy composed a palette of French oak engineered hardwood floors, hickory ceilings, white walls, zellige tile, London Grey Caesarstone countertops and rift-sawn white oak cabinetry. In the kitchen, she added soft green cabinetry to play off the natural scenes beyond the windows. The kitchen is open and symmetrical and provides a nice view from the dining and great rooms.
To attain a soft, quiet feel, Geresy composed a palette of French oak engineered hardwood floors, hickory ceilings, white walls, zellige tile, London Grey Caesarstone countertops and rift-sawn white oak cabinetry. In the kitchen, she added soft green cabinetry to play off the natural scenes beyond the windows. The kitchen is open and symmetrical and provides a nice view from the dining and great rooms.
The kitchen has clean lines that fit right in with the rest of the architecture. The paneled wall on the left conceals the fridge, freezer and pantry cabinets. The alcove along that paneled wall contains a secret door to the daughters’ playroom.
The kitchen island has a waterfall countertop that’s 3 inches thick. “This thickness makes it look like it provides the support to the island,” Geresy says.
The designer recommended Farrow & Ball’s Treron paint for some of the cabinetry. “This soft green color picks up on the exterior elements — it feels very natural,” she says. “And it really pops against the rest of our very light natural wood palette.” The slab-front cabinetry maintains the clean, modern feel. Some handmade texture and color variation comes in through the zellige backsplash tiles.
Backsplash tile: Cloe, Bedrosians
The kitchen island has a waterfall countertop that’s 3 inches thick. “This thickness makes it look like it provides the support to the island,” Geresy says.
The designer recommended Farrow & Ball’s Treron paint for some of the cabinetry. “This soft green color picks up on the exterior elements — it feels very natural,” she says. “And it really pops against the rest of our very light natural wood palette.” The slab-front cabinetry maintains the clean, modern feel. Some handmade texture and color variation comes in through the zellige backsplash tiles.
Backsplash tile: Cloe, Bedrosians
The island contains the sink, dishwasher, a microwave drawer and storage drawers.
“My clients wanted a bar but didn’t want it in the kitchen,” Geresy says. So she tucked it along a wall in the great room, where it’s convenient to all three spaces.
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Suspended black metal shelves provide space for displaying glassware and liquor bottles. The cabinetry matches the rift-sawn white oak cabinets in the kitchen, and the countertops are the same quartz used there.
There’s a paneled beverage fridge and pullout drawers for bottles within the bar. “The bar nestled into this space really well here,” Geresy says.
The floor-to-ceiling windows in the great room also add to the snow globe feel. Geresy kept durability in mind when choosing the furniture and finishes. “With the furniture we used a lot of performance fabrics, indoor-outdoor fabrics and leather,” she says. “And the engineered flooring works well in our dry climate. It’s not as susceptible to bowing or buckling as through-body hardwoods can be, because it has a sturdier foundation.”
The doors to the right of the fireplace lead to a covered porch.
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The doors to the right of the fireplace lead to a covered porch.
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The mudroom, located off the garage, has a thin-set brick floor in a herringbone pattern. Much like the stone in the front entry, it can stand up to mud and snow. “The mudroom provides plenty of space for lots of coats, hats, gloves, boots and more,” Geresy says. The garage has an area for ski and bike storage.
“Powder rooms are kind of temporary spaces — you don’t linger for very long in them,” Geresy says. “So we wanted to go bold and whimsical in here.”
An eclectic wallpaper of flora and fauna is like a fantasy version of the woods outside. And the smoky glass sconces add a sultry touch. The rift-sawn white oak and London Grey Caesarstone counter on the custom vanity provide continuity with the rest of the home.
An eclectic wallpaper of flora and fauna is like a fantasy version of the woods outside. And the smoky glass sconces add a sultry touch. The rift-sawn white oak and London Grey Caesarstone counter on the custom vanity provide continuity with the rest of the home.
In the guest suite, rift-sawn white oak built-ins allow the space to double as a home office.
The second floor contains the primary suite, a second guest room, a bunk room and another full bathroom.
“The primary bedroom has floor-to-ceiling windows all around. It’s very light and bright,” Geresy says. “So we wanted to balance that with something bolder and darker in here.” She used horizontal alder paneling with a dark stain on the headboard wall. This lends a cozy cabin feel to the room. Meanwhile, wall-mounted nightstands and reading sconces create a clean, minimalist look.
“The primary bedroom has floor-to-ceiling windows all around. It’s very light and bright,” Geresy says. “So we wanted to balance that with something bolder and darker in here.” She used horizontal alder paneling with a dark stain on the headboard wall. This lends a cozy cabin feel to the room. Meanwhile, wall-mounted nightstands and reading sconces create a clean, minimalist look.
The one piece the homeowners already had and wanted to use in the house was this midcentury leather chair. Geresy used it to create a reading corner in the primary bedroom.
In the primary bathroom, a long rift-sawn white oak vanity with a cast-concrete countertop and backsplash continues the clean-lined look. The custom counter with integrated sink was made by Clastic Designs, a local fabricator. Extra-tall mirrors provide contrast to the long, horizontal lines of the vanity and stand up to the room’s high ceilings.
Like the dark-stained alder in the primary bedroom, blue-gray slate zellige shower tiles add dark contrast in the bathroom.
Shower tile: Zia
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Shower tile: Zia
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
Geresy created a bunkroom for the girls, with a total of four beds. The built-ins include stairs that make it easier to get to the top bunks, drawers underneath the lower beds and reading lights. She also added tongue-and-groove paneling on the back bunk wall for some texture.
She chose various shades of dusty rose for the bedding. “The girls’ favorite color is pink, so we wanted to incorporate it in a way that would grow with them,” Geresy says. “We also incorporated it in a way that wasn’t a fixed element. They can always switch out the bedding someday.”
She chose various shades of dusty rose for the bedding. “The girls’ favorite color is pink, so we wanted to incorporate it in a way that would grow with them,” Geresy says. “We also incorporated it in a way that wasn’t a fixed element. They can always switch out the bedding someday.”
The bathroom that serves the upstairs guest room and bunkroom has a cast-concrete countertop with an integrated trough sink. Wall-mounted faucets are another clean, modern element. The long mirror bounces light around the airy room.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two young daughters
Location: Truckee, California
Size: 3,200 square feet (297 square meters); four bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designer: KTG Design
Builder: Casey Custom Builders
This house was made for comfort after outdoor activities like skiing, biking, hiking and swimming. Donner Lake is about a 10-minute drive away, and Lake Tahoe is about 20 minutes away. Between muddy hiking boots, wet snow boots and plenty of outerwear, Geresy knew she had to create entryways that could stand up to muck and moisture. The front entry has a stone floor, a concrete bench for removing boots and hooks for hanging up outerwear.
Wall paint (used throughout the house): White Dove, Benjamin Moore
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