A dazzling nature-inspired palette sets the scene for this lakefront home on Tahoe’s West Shore

A statement stone fireplace with integrated lighting stands out as the architectural focal point of the great room, where exposed steel and stained wood ceilings establish a refined industrial warmth

It started with a candle. 

The homeowners had purchased a lakefront property in Tahoma with visions of building a timeless family retreat. Having completed four previous projects with Marcio Decker of Aspen Leaf Interiors, it was a given that he would handle the interior design. 

At the beginning, Decker says the owner brought him the lid of a candle, Voluspa’s French Cade Lavender. “The client came to me and said, ‘Marcio, when you look at this, this is how I want the house to feel in terms of colors,’” he says. 

The lid shows a sumptuous pattern of greens, blues and golds. “When I saw that,” Decker says, “I was in awe. It couldn’t be better.”

Decker would return to that inspiration again and again as he worked through the home. Meanwhile, the owners chose Andreas Rickenbach of Rickenbach Development & Construction for the build. 

“I was involved when the old house was there,” says Rickenbach, noting that he helped remodel the property’s A-frame. And while he admits it “hurt a little” to tear down a previous project, many of the appliances, windows and fixtures were reused in the nearby 1,158-square-foot guesthouse. 

Rickenbach recommended Scott Gillespie of Truckee’s SANDBOX Studio, whom he thought would be a good fit for the owners’ style. Using expansive glass, exposed steel and clean lines, the SANDBOX team designed a seven-bedroom, 8,367-square-foot mountain home with a transitional twist.

“It’s a fresh take on a West Shore lake estate,” Gillespie says.

Upon entry, huge windows offer stunning lake views through the home. The massive great room is anchored by a natural stone fireplace on one side and the kitchen—with a butler’s pantry behind it—on the other. 

Kitchen highlights include Ocean Blue leather quartzite countertops, a custom François & Co. metal hood, stained walnut and cerused oak cabinetry, and a Berman Rosetti table with a textured bronze inlay

In the kitchen, cabinetry is walnut, with some a ribbed white oak that plays off the leathered quartzite used for the island and countertops, as well as the Ann Sacks tile backsplash. Limestone flooring is used in the common areas on the main level, while wood is used in the bedrooms and bathrooms for a softer feel. 

In the living room, multiple seating areas ensure the large space remains cozy. 

“The great room is very open, and it’s one room that demands separation, but then needs to be cohesive,” Decker says. 

Cascading Bocci bubble lights, which Decker discovered at a show in Milan, manage to be both sculptural and dramatic, working perfectly with the scale of the room.

The living area rug is a custom mix of geometric shapes, perfectly arranged to accommodate the layout of the furnishings. 

In the great room, custom René Cazares sofas in leather and fabric encircle Montauk Sofa cocktail tables; overhead, cascading Bocci pendants bring movement and light

“It looks like a patchwork from the top, with different rectangles put together,” Decker says. “We created a situation where we could do some asymmetrical areas and cutouts.” 

An office features wide-plank French oak flooring and a herringbone-patterned Phillip Jeffries wallcovering that, like the nearby rug, recall Lake Tahoe’s many blues. Christopher Boots light fixtures showcase both smoky and regular quartz and illuminate the live-edge waterfall desk. 

The primary suite includes a Hammerton chandelier and breathtaking views of the lake. Fabric is set between the planks of the poplar ceiling to improve acoustics. Veins in the quartzite fireplace are perfectly book-matched and complement the colors and shapes in the Phillip Jeffries wallcovering. 

In the main bathroom, Decker used tile that he’d been saving. “I got word it would be discontinued, so we bought it up and stored it for like a year because it’s gorgeous,” he says. Custom mirrors in the bathroom accentuate the space’s height. 

The colors from the candle permeate the home, not just in the main spaces, but also guest rooms and throughout. 

“[The owner] loves the purples, blues, aquas and grays, and I try to merge them all here in a way that is subtle,” Decker says. “It feels like you are under the canopy, submerged in the forest.” 

Evoking a sense of winter and ice, a Hammerton fixture overhangs the stairwell and its large acid-on-steel art piece.
Steel-and-timber treads in an open-riser design lead down to the game and media room. 

Here, an architectural custom pool table is made of zebrawood and brushed stainless steel. The glass-encased wine room is complete with a sliding ladder to reach higher bottles.

The well-appointed media room includes a custom pool table, a Christopher Boots chandelier, a custom sectional by Nathan Anthony and a custom rug by Kush that measures 14 by 23 feet

The owners keep horses at their home in Woodside and have competed in the Tevis Cup—the 100-mile horse race from Palisades Tahoe to Auburn—about 10 times. Horse art can be seen throughout the home, including a painting in the media room that reminds them of one of their favorite horses.

“They have a passion for horses,” Decker says. “Those horse paintings were integrated into the new design.” 

The media room rug measures 14 by 23 feet and was too large to go down the stairs; it took eight people to carry it around the home and in through the downstairs Sierra Pacific sliding doors. 

Overhead, the ceiling is customized with a pattern of production-style light fixtures with sound-absorbing panels to eliminate echoes. 

“Designing media rooms can get really noisy, especially when you have stone floors and all that glazing from the sliding doors and windows,” Decker says. 

In the primary bedroom, a DaVinci fireplace clad in book-matched Blue Tempest quartzite serves as the focal point. The wallcovering is made of real wood and explores the natural sheen of authentic wood veneers

This lower level also includes a massage room, gym, bunk room and additional guest suites. 

Outside, the exterior is a blend of western red cedar, natural stone, steel and glass.

“The TRPA regulations always create a bit of a challenge, balancing the desire for a lot of square footage, glass and outdoor terrace area, with tight coverage restraints … and strict restrictions on reflectivity,” Gillespie says. 

Cantilevered decks with glass railings allow uninterrupted views, further emphasized by the home’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Native landscaping and drought-resistant plants keep the outside anchored in its mountain setting. 

Construction took about 26 months for the main house, finishing in August 2024.

“Everything went smoothly,” Rickenbach says. “SANDBOX’s plans were great.”

Despite its large size, at over 8,000 square feet, The home nestles seamlessly into its forested site abutting Sugar Pine Point State Park

He adds that pre-planning was essential to the project’s success. 

“Before we even started digging, they had everything picked out,” Rickenbach says. “It was 90 percent done. That’s why I was able to go smoothly and fast.”

As ever in the Tahoe Basin, mitigating fire risk was essential. 

“The property is very special,” Gillespie says, noting the location beside Sugar Pine Point State Park. “This brings great privacy, but also fire risk from the park. The owners and Andreas worked with the Park Service to clear dead brush from the park, and there is also an external sprinkler system integrated into the house.”

Rickenbach says his team cleared 100 yards in from the property line, cleaning, raking and trimming the forest. He also recycled some of the incense cedars that were cut on-site, turning the wood into tables and chairs.

From the nature-inspired interiors to the thoughtful exteriors, this project—inspired by a candle—sparked into a refined and luxurious home. 

“It was a fun build with wonderful clients,” Rickenbach says. “It’s a unique place—a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Award: Tahoe Glam

Building Design: SANDBOX Studio

Builder: Rickenbach Development & Construction

Interior Design: Aspen Leaf Interiors

Landscape Design: Green Thumb Grounds Care

Square Feet: 8,367 main house; 1,158 guesthouse