Timeless Tahoe

Look all you want, but you won’t find a single ski or snowshoe motif in this renovated Tahoe home. “The clients specifically asked for a less cabin and more mountain home look,” said Sarahliz Lawson of Sarahliz Lawson Design, who headed up the home’s interior design and architecture. “The 1978 home, nestled in the small Glenbrook community, had a very ‘70s vibe.” But instead of emphasizing the quintessential ‘wood everywhere’ cabin interior, Lawson's challenge was to create a modern home with traditional leanings. “In fact, the homeowners were adamant about removing all the wood paneling on all the walls. At first, I was a bit stunned, but as their primary residence, they wanted a family home that just happens to be in the mountains instead of living year-round in a mountain lodge,” she said.

The 5,100-square-foot tri-level residence sits adjacent to Lake Tahoe with views of the lake, surrounding forest, and meadow. The homeowners purchased the home in 2018 with plans to use it as a vacation getaway, but when the pandemic happened, they relocated for the foreseeable future. In 2022, Lawson and her team embarked on a two-year remodel, which included taking the home to the studs and stripping the dark finish from all the beams and ceiling wood. With the project completed by July 2024, the family was back on the lakeside golf course, enjoying the summer season.

The homeowners have two young boys and wanted their mountain home to have some elements from their former home in Menlo Park, CA. One of the major changes that Lawson made was significantly reconfiguring the ground level to accommodate a rec room. “The garage level was dark and had a lot of awkward storage; they always imagined it as a rec room,” she said. In addition to the new kid-friendly space, Lawson also added a substantial mud room with functional storage.

With a roofline that runs right into the mountainside, Lawson was also challenged with creating moments within the home’s cavernous framework. She achieved that by utilizing finishes such as wallpaper and paint colors that speak more cottage than cabin. Some of those moments include the art gallery wall in the dining room, the book-filled upstairs family room and library, which can be viewed from the lower level, and the home’s wallpapered jewel box entry.

An indoor-outdoor feel was achieved by adding windows throughout the home, including replacing a small French door in the dining room with an entire wall of windows and a glass door that opens onto a newly built back deck. Lawson stressed, “The original home did not take advantage of any of the views.”

Masculine and feminine tension is at play with a preppy clubhouse-like feel contrasted with a more feminine, floral aesthetic, all grounded by warmth originating from the interior wood finishes and forest and mountains beyond.

“It’s a happy place and I think we achieved that perfect balance of modern and timeless,” Lawson said.