Mork-Ulnes Architects has completed Staggered Cabin, a 1,400-squarefoot residence that reinterprets the traditional mountain cabin for contemporary living. Located at an elevation of over 6,000 feet on the southern edge of Lake Tahoe, the project deploys shed-roofed forms that shift and step down a gently sloping site where the City of South Lake Tahoe meets the Sierra Nevada mountains at Heavenly Ski Resort. The result is a compact home that provides ski-in access while forging a deep connection to its forested surroundings.
Originally conceived as a weekend ski retreat for an Australian couple who had relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, the project evolved into the family’s permanent residence when their two children were born. Guided by the clients’ minimalist ethos, the home was designed to maximize functionality within a modest footprint, creating a serene setting for family life while responding sensitively to the alpine landscape.
Architecture: Stepping with the Slope
The cabin is composed of four cedarclad volumes arranged in a staggered formation along the natural incline of the site. Each shed-roofed form is shifted slightly, creating sheltered courtyards that embrace existing boulders, towering Jeffrey Pines, and a sunlit clearing. This strategy minimizes excavation and preserves the site’s natural features while establishing intimate outdoor rooms that extend the family’s living space.
“The staggered plan allows the house to touch the land lightly,” explains Casper Mork-Ulnes, Principal Architect. “By stepping the volumes with the slope, we reduced grading and soil off-haul while creating usable exterior spaces that connect the family to the landscape.”
The exterior is clad in rough-sawn, darkstained western red cedar, a material that blends seamlessly with the forest’s evergreen tones and weathered bark. Standing-seam metal roofs crown each volume, equipped with engineered snow guards that hold snow in place for insulation and safety during winter.
Program and Interior Organization
Within its modest footprint, Staggered Cabin accommodates three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a great room, mudroom, mezzanine home office, and a single-car garage also with storage mezzanine.
The spaces of the house are organized around a central living and dining space that flows into the landscape through sliding glass doors on either side. Its staggered footprint allows the great room to serve as the connection point for the three other volumes and minimize hallways. The rooms are arranged along the slope in a way that maintains privacy while creating moments of connection between volumes.
“The interconnection between volumes and continuous flow through the house adds a layer of surprise and delight that you wouldn’t expect with the compact, repeated shed-roof forms. You get dynamic views through the house and lots of complex linked spaces,” architect Colin Griffin points out.
The interiors reflect the collaborative work of husband-and-wife duo Casper and Lexie Mork-Ulnes. Lexie shaped the project’s minimalist interiors: Custom Douglas fir face-framed cabinets with flush fronts, custom Douglas-fir plywood open shelving, and concealed lighting create a calm backdrop for family life.
The pitched shed roofs allow for lofted mezzanine spaces that the family uses for a home office and play areas. Douglas fir plywood paneling provides warmth and visual continuity throughout, while custom-built furniture, concealed storage, and integrated lighting reflect the clients’ preference for uncluttered simplicity.
“The material and detailing approach was to make everything feel rationally integrated into the overall form of the home. Simply detailed utility spaces occupy the compressed areas at the low ends of the roofs, while high clerestory windows are detailed to provide a sense of spatial expansion out into the surrounding canopy of trees.” Colin Griffin.
Built-in elements maximize efficiency and delight: a sofa with hidden storage anchors the living room, a plywood ladder leads to a loft used as a home office, and a small mezzanine within the children’s bedroom features a climbing wall and “treehouse” hideout.
“Reducing the amount of furniture and clutter in the house allows the children to run freely and have space to play, imagine, and grow. This minimalism was something that the clients themselves wanted, which we were happy to entertain,” says Lexie Mork-Ulnes, Lead Interior Designer.
Sustainable Strategies
Environmental performance was a key driver of the design. Narrow floor plates and paired operable windows encourage cross-ventilation, while clerestory windows distribute daylight deep into the interiors, reducing reliance on artificial lighting. High and low operable windows also enable passive cooling during summer months, while steeply pitched roofs optimize solar exposure and shed snow efficiently in winter. Snow guards help retain a continuous layer of snow as seasonal insulation, to improve thermal performance. Stormwater management is integrated into the site, with runoff directed to infiltration elements to prevent surface flows toward Lake Tahoe.
Minimal hardscaping preserves natural ground conditions, and felled trees were repurposed as furniture or left on-site to decompose, in line with the Tahoe basin’s strict environmental standards.
Living in Nature
For the family, the greatest achievement of Staggered Cabin is the sense of immersion in Tahoe’s natural environment. Large windows frame views of the forest, a deep sill in the primary bedroom creates a reading nook with abundant morning sunlight, and courtyards provide sheltered spaces for children’s play. The design encourages small, daily rituals of connection to the outdoors: sitting on a boulder warmed by the sun, watching snow fall from the loft, or skiing directly home after a day on the slopes.
“It goes without saying that the central volume is the heart of the home. The oversized sliding doors draw our sight outwards, to take in the serenity of the forest or the excitement of spotting wildlife — helping us feel truly connected to our surroundings.” David Tang, owner
“The house has been so thoughtfully designed that every room affords magical moments for us. The master bedroom gives us an amazing view of the national forest that sits behind our property. The entire family has congregated in this room to soak in sunlight, meditate on the view, or catch a glimpse of a bear or coyote before it disappears into the forest,” adds David Tang.
A Dialogue Between Traditions
Staggered Cabin reflects themes central to Mork-Ulnes Architects’ body of work: the reinterpretation of vernacular traditions, a dialogue between Norwegian and Californian contexts, and a craft-driven relationship between construction and nature. The shedroofed forms recall both Scandinavian cabins and Tahoe’s alpine vernacular, yet the composition is unmistakably contemporary.
“Nordic design emphasizes lightfilled, airy interiors that make modestly sized homes feel more expansive,” says Casper Mork- Ulnes. “We combined that with the Californian spirit of the A-frame, pioneered by Norwegian-American architect and mentor Henrik Bull in the 1950s — a playful concept where architecture and landscape meet, creating tall, triangular open spaces.”
Team:
Design Architect and Architect of Record: Mork-Ulnes Architects
Director: Juan Benavides
Structural engineer: Riva Engineering & Consulting South Lake Tahoe
Builder: Sierra Sustainable Builders South Lake Tahoe
Short film: Juan Benavides
Communication partner and Press office: The Architecture Curator
Photographer: Joe Fletcher Photography
Materials Used:
Exterior Cladding:
- Wood: Rough-sawn Western Red Cedar tongue-and-groove siding, PPG Flood Ebony exterior stain
- Moisture barrier: Henry’s Blueskin
Roofing:
- Metal: 26ga Image II Standing Seam metal roof by Metal Sales, Gracie Ice and Water Shield underlayment
Windows:
- Wood frame: Quantum aluminumclad Douglas Fir windows, Sierra Pacific aluminum-clad Douglas Fir at smaller openings
Doors:
- Entrances: Custom wood door clad in western red cedar siding
- Sliding doors: Quantum aluminumclad Douglas Fir
Interior Finishes:
- Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Custom Douglas fir face-framed cabinets with flush fronts, maple interiors, integral triangular pulls, Custom Douglas-fir plywood open shelving
- Paints and stains: OSMO 3111 White Transparent Wood Wax
- Paneling: Vertical grain Douglas Fir veneered plywood, Armorcore plywood at locations without exposed edges
- Solid surfacing: Caesarstone fresh concrete at all counters
- Special interior finishes unique to this project: Engineered vertical grain douglas fir flooring (Locally milled, 5” width) over radiant gypcrete, gluedown only (no nails or sleepers)
- Climbing Holds: Atomik
Furnishings:
- Upholstery: Custom upholstered built-in couch by Artisan Interiors in Sacramento, Upholstered in Perennials Rough and Tumble Nickel fabric
Lighting:
- Interior ambient lighting: Diode Valent X LED tape lights in recessed ceiling coves
- Downlights: CSL Recessed downlights
- Exterior: Oxygen lighting Titan wall sconces clad in western red cedar
- Dimming system or other lighting controls: Leviton Decora smart switches
