Cabin Fever
Architect James Phillip Wright brings a breath
of fresh air to a stodgy log cabin on the shores of Lake Almanor
Overlooking beautiful Lake Almanor in the northern Sierra Nevada
mountains is a modern-day guest cabin that has only one possible
drawback—guests may never want to leave. Inspired by a
backdrop of sweeping natural beauty, the cabin is as bold as
the mountains in the distance and as raw and rustic as the pine
and fir trees that sway outside.
The owner, who had spent childhood summers on Lake Almanor,
had always dreamed of owning property there. His dream materialized
in 2000, when he purchased a home on the lake and, one year
later, bought the cabin next door as a guesthouse for his
family and friends.
But the guest cabin’s dark, inwardly focused design simply
didn’t work. So he recruited architect James Phillip Wright,
AIA—renowned for his innovative luxury residences—to
transform the dowdy cottage into a spacious, modern lakefront
playland that would work as a retreat for both Fourth of July
weekends and winter holiday celebrations.
“It was sort of criminal that the original design wasn’t
taking advantage of the outdoors,” Wright recalls. “It
was such an introverted, compartmentalized cabin, and we wanted
to create spaces that would capture the exterior views.”
Wright’s redesign required gutting the space—interior
walls and all—to create a spacious floor plan, with the
kitchen, living area, and loft open to one another. The windows
were raised to the roof on both ends of the gable structure to
offer expansive views of the shimmering lake and towering trees,
and to allow plenty of sunlight to flood into the center of the
living space. What began as a 3,500-square-foot, three-bedroom
cabin would ultimately become a 6,000-square-foot lodge with
five bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms, a game room, a loft,
a barbeque area, and an expansive deck. “I wanted this
to be a place where we could have a good party and go crazy,
but also where people could have their own bedrooms to get away
from the chaos,” the owner says. “And having the
[original] log house next door gives my parents a quiet place
to go and not be affected by all the noise.”
Wright embraced the owner-builder’s idea of a cabin that was both contemporary
and luxurious, using rustic, natural materials to enhance the connection to the
outdoors. “People often associate luxury with polished brass and marble,” Wright
says. “But we wanted to take this to the other extreme, which is luxury
in marriage with nature.”
Owner and architect were committed to incorporating local resources,
so Wright suggested using salvaged materials from an old lumber mill
that was being demolished nearby. The flooring from the old mill
became the cabin’s wall paneling,
and a stack of broken band-saw blades, discovered while poking around the mill’s “boneyard,” was
artfully fashioned into a wainscot in the powder room.
Because the region is known for its historic craftsmanship,
a team of top talent was easily assembled to help bring Wright’s vision to life. Skilled carpenters
painstakingly coaxed and scribed each log and cut the margins so precisely that
no trim was needed.
“Everyone says, ‘Oh, contemporary architecture is so simple,’ ” Wright
says. “But the subframes and everything beneath the finishes have to be
perfect, because you don’t have moldings like you do in traditional architecture.
Any imperfections in the rough structure are telegraphed through.” In the
end, a crew of 12 carpenters contributed their talents, several working on the
cabin full-time for two years.
The building’s stunning woodwork is complemented by plenty of local stone—much
of it courtesy of nearby Mount Lassen, the now-dormant volcano—which was
used to create rugged fireplaces, support columns, and other elements.
Wright and stonemason Ed Bishop allowed the rock’s organic forms to inspire
the design, as evidenced by the fireplace in the main space. “The mantel
is actually asymmetrical,” Wright says. “It’s a slab of stone
that has a chip the size of half a watermelon scalloped out of it, which makes
it less functional, but the aesthetic is so unusual that it really complements
the stonework on the balance of the house. Ed is a passionate artist who can
do unbelievable things with stone. He even wove roots into some of the stonework,
which is just beautiful.” Bishop also added some whimsical touches, such
as the image of a rock climber in the stone of the tapered chimney.
Wright says his close partnership with the owner was key
to realizing his artistic vision. “Some clients are afraid to just let a design become what it wants
to become,” Wright says. “But this client was willing to take risks
and really helped nourish the creative germ.”
While getting the details right was important, the greater
goal was to provide a comfortable mountain getaway for
all seasons. “In the wintertime, the
place takes on a warm and cozy feel,” says the owner. “And in the
summertime, it feels open and airy, with these great windows that open onto the
lake and let all the colors in.”
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