A-Frame Escape

One of Sacramento’s most sought-after visual thinkers, Curtis Popp expresses his design prowess in his Lake Tahoe A-frame retreat.

With an impressive collection of mod décor, this cozy Lake Tahoe cabin blends thoughtful updates with a largely unchanged exterior.

From the time he was a small boy up to his late 20s,

Curtis Popp’s family had enjoyed a lakefront cabin in Homewood, on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. He dreamed of buying a home himself in that idyllic area of California, but the push to finally act was bittersweet. In 2011, his mother was terminally ill, and she directed Curtis to buy a cabin after she passed, ensuring her grandchildren would share in the lakeside experience. Five months after her death, Curtis owned a 1969-built A-frame in Homewood.

It was in fine condition but a bit tired. “The kitchen, window coverings and cabinetry were all very Holly Hobby,” explains Curtis, who lives in Sacramento with his wife, Susan, and their two teenage children. A third-generation Sacramentan, Curtis is the head of full-service design firm CPOPP Workshop and a well-established creative who works in a variety of fields. He transformed the once fussy A-frame into a minimalist, yet still cozy, retreat filled with an enviable collection of Modernist furniture.

GOOD THINGS IN SMALL PACKAGES

After the major redesign, the cabin’s exterior remains largely unchanged, but the interior has been refreshed entirely, creating a welcoming space for the family on the weekends. The flooring was updated, and the kitchen and both bathrooms were completely redone. The kitchen has new appliances that are compact but still befit a 1,100-square-foot vacation home; the refrigerator is a fully integrated 24 inches, the range is 24 inches and the dishwasher is 18 inches.

A DISTILLATION

Curtis used the dark umber of the beams and the caramel of the cedar walls and carried the colors throughout the home. “Distilling a space, especially a small one, down to a few elements is critical,” he says. His style gravitates toward minimal and early 20th-century European Modernism, so he turned to black leather furniture by Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier to offset the warmth of the rustic wood. His favorite room? “The living room, where all the jokes and stories are told.”

He transformed the once fussy A-frame into a minimalist, yet still cozy, retreat, filled with an enviable collection of Modernist furniture.

THIS DINING AREA BECKONS WITH A TABLE FROM HERMAN MILLER BY CHARLES AND RAY EAMES AND A LIGHTING FIXTURE FROM ROLL & HILL.

CLASSIC SIMPLICITY

For Curtis, an A-frame is architecturally significant. “It represents for me utter simplicity of form; I don’t think architecture can be pared down more than an A-frame. Our house was actually a kit house, which says a lot about how lo-fi they actually are, but I don’t think the simplicity takes away from its elegance.” If you have a vintage A-frame you are remodeling, Curtis advises, “Embrace the existing architecture and keep editing. The beauty of the vernacular is its simplicity.”

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THE HOME HAS A DECIDEDLY ALPINE VIBE, WHICH IS NO SURPRISE CONSIDERING HOW MANY EUROPEANS MOVED TO THIS PART OF THE U.S. DURING THE 1960s TO 1980s. “AFTER THE 1960 OLYMPIC GAMES AT SQUAW VALLEY, THE WORLD REALIZED HOW GREAT LAKE TAHOE AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS ARE,” SAYS HOMEOWNER CURTIS POPP.

OPPOSITE TOP: THE STAIRCASE IS ORIGINAL, BUT CURTIS STRIPPED OFF OLD SHAG CARPET, PLANED AND SEALED THE WOOD, AND REPAINTED THE STRINGERS BLACK.

TOP LEFT: IN THE LIVING ROOM, FURNITURE FROM CURTIS’ LATE FATHER IS LOVINGLY EMPLOYED. IT INCLUDES TWO LE CORBUSIER LC2 CHAIRS BY CASSINA, A LE CORBUSIER LC2 SOFA BY CASSINA, AND TWO LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE BARCELONA CHAIRS.

BOTTOM RIGHT: CURTIS’ WIFE FOUND THE CARVED BEAR, WHICH IS FITTING FOR THE CABIN’S LOCATION. (A GRIZZLY BEAR IS THE OFFICIAL STATE ANIMAL OF CALIFORNIA.)

TOP RIGHT: THE FIREPLACE WAS REBUILT AND COVERED IN HEATH CERAMICS TILE.

TOP RIGHT: LOOK CLOSELY: THE BAGELS ARE ARTWORK BY THE LATE CERAMIC ARTIST DAVID GILHOOLY.

TOP LEFT: THE COVEY MODEL SIX STOOLS WERE DESIGNED BY SAN FRANCISCO DESIGNER JEFF COVEY FOR HERMAN MILLER IN THE LATE 1990s.

BOTTOM RIGHT: POPP USED SMALL EUROPEAN-STYLE APPLIANCES TO KEEP THE SCALE IN THE KITCHEN APPROPRIATE.