With the holidays coming up, San Francisco–based designer Noz Nozawa sought a Lake Tahoe rental for a New Year’s Eve getaway with some friends. But when she tried to book a few months out, “Everything left was dumpy, sad—and overpriced,” Nozawa says. Not eager to spend a weekend in those conditions, “I went to Zillow instead.”
There, she found a neglected 1970s cabin that had been on the market for six months. “The bathrooms were horrifying, and the kitchen was the worst thing I’d ever seen, which is an interior designer’s dream come true,” Nozawa says. She and her husband, Daniel Helmhold, leveraged the home’s outdated interiors and long listing time for a quick closing but didn’t rush into the redesign. “We had to wait to figure out what the heck we wanted, identify budget, and find the right contractor,” she explains. She ended up breaking the project into three phases over the course of five years.
Phase one comprised the primary bath and kitchen, where ventilation was so bad that the pair once made fajitas by warming a cast iron pan in the oven and then running it out to the deck to cook the meat. More problematic for a couple who love to host was a constricting peninsula that closed the space to foot traffic. Nozawa nixed it, allowing easier access to the stove and sink for visiting chefs, but kept a pony wall that keeps the kitchen visually connected to the great room. “We personalized the cabin layout to our vision of how we want to host but also, very specifically, to the friends that we knew we would host there,” the designer explains.
That vision extends to the airy great room, where she preserved the fireplace and rafters, then installed party-ready furniture, including the “Convotatsu” (a hybrid of a ’70s conversation pit and a Japanese kotatsu, a low table warmed by a space heater) she designed for the 2020 Whole Home and decided to keep. “I wanted it to connote coziness,” she says.
The basement, done in phase two, ups the coziness with a reading nook surrounded by built-in bookcases. In phase three, a third “secret” bathroom was added to the basement. Now, between the sleeping nook, primary bedroom, guest room, and bunk room, the cabin sleeps 10.
As for that initial New Year’s? “We had mattresses on the floor, a couch, a table, and chairs,” Nozawa recalls. “Somehow, this cockamamie idea I had to host New Year’s in Tahoe ended up coming true.” It would be the first of many.
Mudroom
Nozawa gave the original built-in pine bench and cabinet doors a backdrop of Maryville Brown paint by Benjamin Moore. Flooring: Clé Tile. Coatrack: Rejuvenation.
Great Room
The mantel is hand-painted with a folk art motif. The trophy “deer” is really art by Chase Halland of Faraway Lovely. Gray sofa: Four Hands, with a Pendleton blanket. Table, stool, armchair, and rugs: vintage. Floor lamp: IKEA.
“Convotatsu”
Noz Nozawa designed this Japanese-inspired conversation pit. Pendant: SHO Modern. Art: Meghan Shimek (on wall). Meiji-era Japanese Daruma mold (on table). Rug: vintage.
Kitchen
In this culinary corner, which is part of the great room, the BlueStar range is a vibrant burnt-orange hue, custom-mixed for Nozawa. Tile: Fireclay. Counters: Bedrosians Tile & Stone. Rug: vintage, eCarpetGallery.
Primary Bedroom
Nozawa designed this quilt from remnants of Christopher Farr fabric. Paint: Jade Romanesque, Benjamin Moore. Bed: Blu Dot with a Native American rug on the headboard. Pendant: Moooi.
Bunk Room
Nozawa’s husband’s childhood bunk bed got a fresh look with Martha Stewart bedding. Paint: Black Beauty, Benjamin Moore. Rugs: Flor (bottom), eCarpetGallery (top). Lamp: Mountain Hardware and Sports.
Guest Room
Wall art includes Japanese woodblock prints and a piece from when Nozawa worked at Ralph Lauren’s Philadelphia store. Paint: French Quarter Gold, Benjamin Moore. Lamp: West Elm. Faux fur blanket: RH.
Sleeping Nook
Another Nozawa custom special, this cozy corner is part reading nook, part guest room. Cabinetry: JD’s Cabinets. Bedding: Woolrich. Vintage and modern Pendleton.
Primary Bathroom
An “obsession” with Bavarian cuckoo clocks inspired the decorative paint by artist Caroline Lizarraga. Tile: Artistic Tile. Chandelier: Cisco Home. Fixtures: Newport Brass. Wall art: vintage balloon mold.
Guest Bathroom
“I’ve been in love with buffalo check for years,” Nozawa says of this pattern. Wall tile: Fireclay. Tub: Signature Hardware. Fixtures: California Faucets.
Deck
“We fell in love with the windows,” Nozawa says. She bought the wood bear on the railing along with the 1972 house. Paint: Mystic Black, Flood Pro, with original pine trim.
