This Modern Abode Embraces Its Mountainous Lake Tahoe Setting

We wanted to highlight the intrinsic magic of this site,” says architect Clare Walton of a new Lake Tahoe vacation abode she created for a Bay Area-based family. The owners knew they wanted to take advantage of the gloriously wooded Martis Camp property, but it was Walton’s innovative approach to the landscape’s stone outcroppings that shaped the dwelling. “We envision structures as works of art,” she adds. “We create an architectural response unique to each site.” Her striking concept comprises three connected pavilions that follow the mountainous topography, cascading around and cantilevering over massive boulders, all with an air of lightness and grace.

To celebrate the forest views and open sky, Walton designed the residence with large expanses of glass. “This architectural language is about how we perceive walls as windows. It’s a very distinct expression,” she says. “Each of the home’s three connected ‘boxes’ has a thin roof structure seamlessly adjoining glass walls for a weightless feeling.” The first, a guest wing, cantilevers over the driveway; the central volume contains the main living spaces; and the third is a two-story family wing with bedrooms and a bunk room, as well as a library, yoga space and office. 

“The clients love art and architecture and wanted an innovative response to the site, something clear in concept and bold in design,” Walton continues. “That’s in line with what I’ve observed over the last 10 years in the Tahoe area—there’s been a shift in mountain architecture to a much cleaner vernacular.” The architect, who founded her Tahoe City-based firm in 2009, has watched the changes firsthand. “Windows are no longer just punched openings but entire walls of glass, and flat roofs have become increasingly popular as they allow the snow to melt rather than shed, which can then create snow-build issues for the owner.” 

To enhance the home’s connection to its site, Walton, who worked with general contractors Richard W. Loverde and Brian Parker, clad the structure with cedar. “It’s natural to the area, so it really speaks to the environment, plus it weathers well,” she says. Outside, the architect opted for a rich stain to “make the house blend with the dark color of the tree trunks,” she explains, but left the wood a natural finish inside. She also incorporated limestone walls for visual contrast. “It creates a striking relationship with the siding,” she notes. “And its white color speaks to winter’s snowy landscape.”

Walton’s firm also oversaw the home’s interiors, with designer Heidi Barnes taking the lead. “We were really inspired by the architecture, and our selection of forms and materials speaks to its clean lines,” she explains. Drawing from the landscape, she opted for a palette of deeply saturated hues, like dark yellows, rusts and oranges as well as mossy greens—the latter pulled directly from lichen found on the site’s boulders. And because the house is a year-round vacation retreat, fabrics, furniture and finishes needed to be durable. “They didn’t want to have to worry about anything,” Barnes continues. 

To emphasize the views in the great room, the designer opted for low-profile furniture and found light fixtures that hover unobtrusively. But furnishing a glass house wasn’t without its challenges. “There’s a whole wall of glass in the kitchen—I’d never put a range on a glass wall before!” Barnes recounts. In lieu of upper cabinets, she designed a hanging steel shelf (weighing in at nearly 1,000 pounds, it required special engineering) to hold dishes without distracting from the view. 

With plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, the main living areas may be designed to host large gatherings of family and friends, but there is also a quietude to the home. Take the living room’s glass corner, occupied solely by a comfortable reading chair. And tucked atop the family wing, the serene primary bedroom suite offers views in all four directions along with a yoga terrace and an office that cantilevers into the treetops. 

“The beauty of this home is that it’s stripped down to the essence of form,” Walton notes. Barnes agrees, adding: “It’s a marriage of modern architecture and organic materials and textures, and the whole feels warm and comfortable.”