Thoughtful design choices made this Olympic Valley residence a cozy, contemporary delight

Designed by Kurt Reinkens of MWA, Inc., the three-story home features cedar siding and painted steel for a sleek and sophisticated feel

When looking to build their forever home, a couple from Marin County wanted to be close to their favorite ski resort while also having plenty of space to entertain family and friends. After coming across a sloping corner lot in the Hidden Lake neighborhood featuring stellar views of Palisades Tahoe, they knew they had found the perfect spot.

The owners tapped their longtime friend Holly Hollenbeck, principal designer at HSH Interiors, to oversee the interior design process. Inspired by Scandinavian mountain design, the couple opted for a clean, contemporary look throughout the home.

“We wanted a modern interpretation of an old lake home that felt warm and spacious but not cavernous,” the owner says.

The Nordic feel is present throughout the entire home. For the exterior, Kurt Reinkens, principal architect at MWA, Inc., used cedar siding and painted steel to establish a sleek and sophisticated feel. He aimed to maximize the site’s potential by offering broad, sweeping views of the surrounding ridges. 

“We chose a warm tone [for the wood] and we brought it inside, so it really highlights the indoor/outdoor living,” Reinkens says. 

The kitchen is a showstopper designed by HSH Interiors to echo the materials used on the outside with a custom steel hood surround, custom-stained white oak cabinetry and a pendant by Nuvol Lighting. Mont Blanc quartzite honed counters and backsplash with its veins of gray and gold on cream pull together the warm/cool palette

From start to finish, the roughly 4,100-square-foot home—with five bedrooms, five baths, two offices and a gym—was designed for mountain living. 

“It has a huge amount of outdoor space where you can flow out of the great room either to the west or the east,” Reinkens says. “In the mountains, people want to go outside, but sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate, so [with this layout] they’ve got options galore and great views of Palisades.”

Rather than sticking with a single-story blueprint, Reinkens designed a three-story layout, with the main living spaces (living room, kitchen, dining nook and primary suite) all on the second floor. Equipped with a mechanical room, laundry area, guest bedroom and an additional in-law unit with a private entrance and bath, the first floor was designed with guests in mind. The vision was two-fold: It would provide more privacy for both short- and long-term guests, and would prevent the owners from needing to heat the space if no one was staying there. The third floor was designed for the kids, with a bunk room, family room and media area for entertainment.  

With three floors of living space, the connecting staircases became an important design element of the home. Cody Heller, CEO and owner of Heller Construction, Inc., built a structural steel staircase with floating treads based on a design from MWA. 

“It’s a centerpiece of the home right when you walk in, so it’s gotta be beautiful, but at the same time, it has to comply with all the safety code requirements, and what is beautiful is not always the same as what’s safe,” Heller says. “I think the design team along with us did a really good job of managing all of that and getting to the finish line and coming up with a really unique stairwell. There’s no modern architecture in that little development (Hidden Lake), so it’s cool to see a well-executed modern home. It’s like old-school Tahoe but with a modern touch.” 

Inside, Hollenbeck used wood-clad walls throughout to mimic the Nordic look the couple loved, while also choosing neutral colors and cozy textures to keep it feeling fresh and modern. 

At the dining nook, HSH Interiors decided to forgo a predictable dining chandelier and instead selected sconces to light the space

“Most of the housing stock in the Olympic Valley area is older and more in the masculine, dark, chalet-style of the 1980s-early 2000s,” Hollenbeck says. “We utilized simple forms clad in black steel and light wood for a warm, bright, organic and modern look.” 

Black metals used to outline the doors and windows contrast with the light, neutral woods chosen for the walls, millwork and floors. Hollenbeck and her team selected all the surfaces for the home, considering everything from the wood finishes to the cladding to the upholstery on the sofa to create a warm, woodsy and cohesive feel.

For the living room, Hollenbeck brought in the black stained wood that clads the exterior of the fireplace and wrapped it around the interior of the fireplace volume, creating a seamless connection between indoors and out. The custom-stained light cedar used on the home’s exterior also extends to the interior walls. A U-shaped sofa in the living room maximizes seating and helps facilitate conversations around the fire. Benches on either side of the fireplace complete the sitting circle and house the couple’s vinyl music collection, making it both a practical and decorative space.

Around the corner from the fireplace in the open-concept living space, the dining nook features bench seating, sconces and abstract artwork. In the kitchen, the black metal of the home’s exterior shows up on the hood shroud cladding, while oak cabinets are stained to match the cedar siding present throughout the home. A light quartzite stone on the countertops helps brighten up the space, while a large center island provides ample room for food preparation. Black bar chairs surround part of the island, making it easy to pull up a chair and converse while cooking. 

The guest suite, which was designed like a hotel room, includes a desk and efficiency kitchen with a sink and mini fridge, as well as ample storage for extended stays by friends and family

“We have the most amazing view of Palisades from our kitchen window with a very large bar for company, so whether we are washing dishes or socializing, we can experience the power of the mountains,” says the owner. 

The primary suite leans into the wooded aesthetic with an almost cabin-like feel, complete with large glass windows that look out to the trees beyond. Instead of cladding the walls in a vertical motif to match the rest of the home, Hollenbeck’s team used horizontal wood cladding in the primary bedroom as a nod to traditional cabins. The attached primary bathroom features a double vanity, walk-in shower and deep soaking tub. 

The mountain motif is present in other parts of the home in fun yet understated ways—from Cole & Sons Woods wallpaper in one of the home offices to mountain range wallpaper in the kids’ half bath on the top floor. Another mountain-centric feature is the oversized laundry mudroom accessible for those coming in through the garage. Featuring an individual locker for each family member, a large built-in ottoman where people can sit to put on and take off ski boots, and double washers and dryers, it’s a functional and spacious mudroom. 

The top-floor game/media room includes a chic smaller-sized pool table and full-over-full built-in bunk bed designed by HSH Interiors for extra teenage guests

“The owners wanted a beautiful, sustainable environment with a natural and informal feel that was an intergenerational space to gather in,” says Hollenbeck. 

The house flawlessly accomplishes this result, providing a warm and inviting space where the family can enjoy life oriented around the mountains for many years to come.

Award: Interior Design

Building Design: MWA, Inc.

Builder: Heller Construction

Interior Design: HSH Interiors

Landscape Design: NA

Square Feet: 4,056