Nestled among towering fir trees and magnificent dogwoods in Cobb, California—just an hour north of Napa Valley—is the 700-square-foot cabin Hope Mendes recreated as an idyllic family escape. “We’ve always had a dream of owning and renovating a cabin in the woods,” Hope says, “a place [where] we could take our kids when we need to get away from the hustle and bustle of our work lives.”

Inspired by the locale, Hope calls her tiny getaway The Cobb Haus. “Cobb is a small, rural town,” she says. “The neighborhood we’re in is made up of very narrow dirt roads and rustic cabins. Our house is situated on a mountainside beneath the road. You’ve to walk downstairs to get to it. Although there are neighbors, it’s secluded and private.”

When Hope first discovered The Cobb Haus, she knew it was the home she’d been looking for. “We were in the market for something small and that needed mostly cosmetic work,” she says. “We found this place and felt that it was the perfect fit for what we were looking for. It was small, affordable and still had lots of charm. We knew we could make it something special by adding our touches to it.”

Before: Exterior

“We just gave [the siding] a good power-wash, which made all the difference,” Hope says. “We decided not to paint because it blends in with the surroundings. We kept the outdoors in mind while choosing all of the decor inside. We wanted it to flow from the inside to the outdoors.”

After: Exterior

Hope, who works in interior design while her husband Tom works in the wine industry, spent almost $20,000 to renovate The Cobb Haus. “It was dated, but we didn’t want it to lose its charm, so we didn’t change things too drastically,” she says.

Hope began recreating the cabin by replacing the flooring. “The entire cabin had funky linoleum,” she says. “We ripped that out and refinished the wood floors.” The wood flooring in the living room and the bedroom was in particularly rough shape. Instead of refinishing the wood in these rooms, Hope painted it bright white to create a feeling of spaciousness.

“With all of the trees around the cabin, it can be quite dark inside, so we wanted to do all we could to brighten the space,” she says. “We decided to leave the ceiling in its natural wood state to keep the rustic vibe.”

Before: Bathroom

“The bathroom was a complete gut [job] and remodel,” Hope says. “The original layout was awkward for the tiny space. It also didn’t have a door! We decided to rip everything out except for the shower.” She moved the plumbing and rearranged the room. “Originally, you walked directly into the toilet and the vanity, which was too large for the space,” she says. “We decided to go with a wall-mounted vanity to maximize floor space and we moved the toilet to a different wall. Those two things made a world of difference.”

After: Bathroom

Hope also rearranged some of the public space, turning the dining room into the living room. “This created better flow,” she says. “We loved the windows in what was the dining room and is now the living room. We wanted to be able to enjoy the views from the comfort of a couch.” Hope outfitted the space with a sofa from Article that she found on Craigslist, chairs she discovered at a garage sale and television cabinets from Ikea. “They’re great for storing things like games, books and toys for our guests,” she says.

Before: Dining Room

Hope also rearranged some of the public space, turning the dining room into the living room. “This created better flow,” she says. “We loved the windows in what was the dining room and is now the living room. We wanted to be able to enjoy the views from the comfort of a couch.”

The designer outfitted the space with a sofa from Article that she found on Craigslist, chairs she discovered at a garage sale, and television cabinets from IKEA. “They’re great for storing things like games, books, and toys for our guests,” she says.

After: Living Room

Before: Kitchen

Hope replaced upper cabinets in the kitchen with open wood shelving. “We left the counters and the bottom cabinets as they were and just painted them and added new, modern hardware,” she says.

Hope sourced an old baker’s table on Facebook Marketplace and repurposed it as a kitchen island. “It wasn’t quite tall enough, so I added casters, which makes moving it around a breeze,” she says. Overall, the designer spent about $100 to enliven the kitchen. “That’s pretty inexpensive with a huge impact,” she says.

After: Kitchen

Before: Living Room

In the former living room and now dining room, she arranged a table she found on Facebook Marketplace and chairs she repurposed from her full-time residence in Napa. “I already had the IKEA curtains, and the shelving unit is from Target,” says the designer.

After: Dining Room

Before: Bedroom

After: Bedroom

By preserving the cabin’s selling points, making cost-efficient but high-impact changes, and sourcing furniture secondhand, Hope and her family have created an uplifting retreat on a modest budget. When they aren’t enjoying the space, The Cobb Haus is available to rent on Airbnb.

More Before & After:

A Pitch-Perfect Remodel Strikes Harmony in a Home Atop a Violin Shop

A Key Layout Swap Smooths Out the Kinks of This Victorian Flat in London

A Drab Midcentury Outside Seattle Gets Infused With California Surfer Vibes

Project Credits:

Interior Design: Hope Mendes / @thecobbhaus

Appears In

Before & After: A Dreary Woodland Cabin Gets a Sparkling Update for $20K