Whenever Holly Snow Hollenbeck, principal designer of HSH Interiors, set off to the rim of Donner Lake in Northern California with her family, she would seek out a classic A-frame to house the bunch. "I rented them whenever we traveled to the Lake Tahoe area on the weekends," she says. "My real estate agent called me when this one came on the market, as it was a vintage property built in 1962." 

Holly Snow Hollenbeck spent about a year giving her A-frame home near Donner Lake a gut renovation.

The birch is custom kerfed to look like planks and finished in a white varnish. The table and peninsula were custom made to fit snugly into the A-frame.

Besides having the distinctive roofline she long admired, this two-bedroom property also appealed to Holly for its location and community. "It’s a quiet neighborhood of small, dead-end streets that has hiking, skiing, and boating right out the door," she says. "The backyards tend to be small, so in the summer all of the action is out front with kids and dogs playing and families barbecuing."

The sofa is finished in black corduroy to match the surrounding lights and furnishings.

Nevertheless, it needed a lot of work—and so Holly steeled herself for the challenge. She just didn’t think other people would line up to purchase the property.

"It turns out we weren’t the only ones who were interested, and we had to outbid 24 other people to buy it," she says. "Who knew that many people would want an A-frame that needed absolutely everything done to fix it!" 

The living area is anchored by a custom L-shaped sofa and a Jotul stove.

The home felt even smaller than its 1,200 square feet, because four feet on either side of the roof’s namesake pitch comprised unusable space. Windows set on the structure’s front and back sides did little to illuminate the interior, and orange-toned Douglas fir walls only added to the shadowy effect. There was plenty of linoleum and shag carpeting to contend with, too. But as soon as Holly got the keys, she knew how to salvage and modernize the space. 

"We came up with the design for the sofa on-site, and mocked it up using all sorts of things—paint cans, empty boxes, and so on—to be sure that heads would clear the pitch, and that the angle would cut back correctly to create a cozy fireside seat," Holly says.

"The primary bedroom has a king bed, the second bedroom has twin bunks, and the loft has a queen sleeper sectional, so the cabin can comfortably sleep six people," Holly says. The loft is open on the second floor.

"I immediately told my real estate agent that my vision was a ‘Nordic Bento Box,’" she says. "Nordic for bleached wood, clean lines, and simplicity. And bento box because smartly designed and highly-efficient storage would be key to making the footprint functional."

HSH Interiors designed the bed’s custom coordinating linens with Vacilindo Quilting. The Node ceiling light is by Kelly Wearstler. 

Holly clad everything in Baltic birch plywood, and introduced terrazzo as a recurring material that adds dimension to mostly black accents. "There is no sheetrock, and I didn’t use any recessed lighting," she notes. "I wanted to create warmth, so I eliminated the cans in favor of surface and mounted lighting. I also wanted as much of the furnishings to be built-in as possible, as a nod to classic Sea Ranch homes."

A custom desk with a Resident Kashmir chair is tucked behind a closet in the primary bedroom. 

Concrete Collaborative terrazzo slabs top the kitchen counters.

She did so in the living area with an L-shaped custom sofa with storage behind and beside it to tuck things away. Across the room, the kitchen countertops and dining table square up against the roof’s slant, while the newly up-to-code spiral staircase leads to an open loft. "I adore the Concrete Collaborative terrazzo slab countertops, and I’m glad we decided to cover the peninsula with them on the top, side, and back, so it appears like a monolithic cube within the space," Holly says. It’s a game changer."

Holly designed the bunk beds to  be as wide as possible. 

Beyond the central common area, Holly installed custom wood pieces in the bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry room to stay on theme and maximize every last inch. The primary bedroom has storage beneath its mattress alongside a bespoke desk and closet, while the bunk room features a wide ladder and pillow-side nooks. A clever vanity has room for seven compartments, and it faces a wide bath that sits below a shower.

"The terrazzo has embedded marble chips of white, black, honey, and blush," Holly notes. "That provided direction for the palette used throughout." 

The bathroom features Concrete Collaborative terrazzo tile. "I edited the materials to feel calm and timeless," she says. The sink is by Nood, and the plumbing is from Watermark.

It took about a year for Holly to complete the full interior renovation in October 2021, and she is currently working on the new decks in time for her family’s summer vacation. "I certainly got the challenge I wanted in gut remodeling an A-frame," she says. "It require creative thinking and intelligent planning, and I think we accomplished that."

Designer and homeowner Holly Snow Hollenbeck sits on the custom sofa in the Little Owl A-Frame.

The Little Owl A-Frame’s matte-black exterior sets it apart from its woodsy neighbors.

Floor Plan of Little Owl A-Frame by HSH Interiors

16570 Salmon St in Truckee, California is currently listed for $1,500,000 by Katherina Haug of Sotheby’s International Realty.

11 Alluring A-Frame Homes You Can Rent Right Now

Interior Design: Holly Snow Hollenbeck, HSH Interiors / @hshinteriors

Cabinetmaker: Chris Nelson, Natural Edge Saw Works

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