How A Tahoe Abode Went Mountain Modern With Scandinavian Nods

Say the words “mountain modern,” and chances are the proffered definitions will differ wildly. For designer Holly Hollenbeck’s longtime clients, their interpretation skews more Nordic, reading minimal but not austere, warm but not stifling, neutral but not bland. “They wanted a house for now and for the future, with a cabin-like feel and natural materials—something that would age well,” says Hollenbeck of the multigenerational Palisades Tahoe retreat they planned.

To realize their vision, the Bay Area couple teamed Hollenbeck with general contractor Cody Heller and architect Kurt Reinkens, who had his work cut for him on the steep, narrow lot he calls postage-stamp size. “We chose to emulate the natural geography that you see on that slope,” Reinkens says of his multilevel approach to the design. He devised a tower—a three-story volume that contains guest rooms at the base and the children’s rooms at the top. Along with the public spaces, the primary suite is situated on the main floor, a forward-thinking move on the architect’s part that ensures the clients can continue to enjoy the residence even as they age. “One of our philosophies is to design a home that can transcend time,” he notes.

Before this project, Hollenbeck and Reinkens had never met, let alone worked together, but their collaboration appears seamless. Perhaps nowhere is their professional harmony clearer than in their respective material selections. To satisfy the clients’ wish for the neutral and natural, Reinkens clad the façade in cedar siding arranged vertically and finished with a semitransparent pigmented finish to stand up to the harsh mountain climate. “There are several vantage points in the living room where you can see the cladding outside, so we brought it inside,” Hollenbeck says. She chose vertical paneling for the main rooms’ walls that’s a near identical match. “It took a lot of stain sampling to get that warm, creamy, light color,” she notes. The oak flooring is a few shades darker, adding a degree of depth.

The home isn’t all pale neutrals. “We wanted that contrast of dark and light,” Hollenbeck says, so charred wood surrounds the fireplace and extends outward around the chimney. The blackened metal Reinkens used for the windows and doors finds its echo in the range hood, light fixture details, cabinet knobs and exposed steel elements, such as the barn-door track in the primary bedroom. The veining of the kitchen countertops’ Mont Blanc leathered quartzite picks up the dark charcoal tones as well. “This came out as the winner because of the mix of warm and cool and dark and light,” the designer says of the stone.

Hollenbeck’s furnishing choices were carefully considered with the location top of mind. In Tahoe, “People prefer to optimize the public spaces and have smaller bedrooms,” she explains, “so the window bench, nightstand and bed in the primary suite are built in. It feels both efficient and like a space where you can breathe and relax.” For the dining area adjacent to the kitchen—one of her favorite spaces—the designer again opted for built-in seating on one side to underscore a warm and cozy feeling. “It’s a nice multiuse space,” she says. “You can put a lot of people there, and it functions as another hangout spot.” The chairs on the other side are versions of those at the island. “This was purposeful to minimize visual clutter,” she notes. “The site has beautiful views to distant ridges, so we wanted to enhance them, not fight or compete with them.” Similarly, the U-shaped sofa in the living room can accommodate multiple people and cuts down on the need for additional chairs, given that the room, while generous, isn’t overly large. Covering the pieces are a mix of leather, suede, wool and even bouclé in charcoals, creams and cognacs, all selected for their ability to hold up to heavy use.

“People come to the mountains to recharge their souls, so we strove for a soothing atmosphere—almost like a spa retreat,” Reinkens says. With its natural materials and earthy palette, the house illustrates a “different kind of modernism,” he adds. Hollenbeck agrees: “I think we accomplished something that is modern but warm and timeless rather than trendy. What I love about this house is that it’s a cohesive whole.”