As a professional photographer, Bess Friday has what she calls “the benefit and painful curse” of seeing many well-designed spaces as she works. “There is so much inspiration to pull from,” she says. “It can be overwhelming.”

She and her husband live with their son and daughter in Marin, just north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, where the summer months are notoriously gray. While they love the area, they were also tired of wearing scarves and jackets in July and August.

Before: Living Area

After: Living Area

“After a decade or more of living with the cold fog of San Francisco summers, I was ready to ditch the gloom for a more solidly sunny experience,” Bess says.

Her husband grew up skiing in the mountains of Utah, and so the couple’s first thought was to check out the Sierra Nevada, three hours away. “The idea of a mountain retreat was certainly born out of a desire to give our kids the same kinds of adventures we had growing up, and Tahoe summers outshine all else,” she explains. “It’s the perfect distance from our primary home, and we can spend our days outdoors.”

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

The couple found a property in Truckee that had hints of the ’90s but room to host their friends and family with ease. It was also surrounded by spruce and pine trees that shaded them from the sun and made them feel blissfully removed from their lives in the city. When they bought it in January 2022, Bess hired San Francisco–based designer and close friend Hana Mattingly to help with the renovation. “It’s always wonderful to have the opportunity to work with clients who are also friends,” Mattingly says.

The original property had wide, angled windows and a living area that was open to the second level above. A stacked-stone fireplace sat in the corner, where spiders made a maze of webs between the curves of the rocks. The kitchen was smushed into a corner, and while the majority of the four bedrooms and bathrooms were fine, they were very woodsy.

After: Bedroom

“We loved the dark hardwood floors and the matching dark alder ceiling beams,” Bess recalls. “We trusted that these dark wood accents would be the perfect contrast against a brighter palette.”

Mattingly created a plan to paint nearly every wall in Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White, and then grout the fireplace stone in a coordinating hue to lighten the feeling of the room. “Then there was the kitchen’s poor layout,” Bess says. “We planned to entertain in this cabin, so the kitchen needed a full overhaul. My mom is Cajun and French, and my Louisiana roots bring with it a deep cultural heritage that revolves around food.”

After: Bathroom

They closed off a doorway leading from the kitchen to create a longer wall for appliances and storage. The range is centered on this new wall, with dark cabinetry and countertops and a glittering yet simple white-tile backsplash. “I wanted the kitchen to feel grounded, especially since it sits within the main space with high ceilings and bright white walls,” Mattingly says. “I have always loved a dark-on-dark palette because it feels sophisticated and classic, which are two words I would use to describe Bess.”

After: Bunk Room

They also gave the exterior a coat of black paint, and installed a new metal roof to match. Bess picked out a navy limewash to add drama to the powder room, and it felt like their shared goal of a bright-yet-moody home was coming together.

“We envisioned records being played on rotation, games of spades happening at a big wooden table, and the fire lit in the background,” Bess says. “It was a priority of mine to create a peaceful environment that allowed us to be immersed in nature.”

As the last big overhaul in the home, Bess and Mattingly created a generous bunk room in the original cabin’s deserted bonus space. “Bess mentioned that in an ideal world, we’d be able to fit three twin beds, two full-sized beds, and one queen bed,” Mattingly says. “They wanted adults and kids to fit comfortably, so we made it happen!” Mattingly discovered that three twin mattresses could fit on the longest wall, with room below for two full-sized mattresses and a perpendicular queen mattress.

“We supported the upper twin mattresses structurally, and built a divider between each of the lower mattresses to make for a fun design detail with a niche and beadboard,” Mattingly says. “This room took a lot of thought and consideration, and many phone calls with our contractor, Jeff, who built the bunks for us.”

After: Exterior

The renovation wrapped up in October 2023—and despite one major issue during construction involving record-breaking snowfall and soggy drywall, the new mountain escape came together smoothly as a dreamy family retreat and a memorable project between friends.

“It’s been especially rewarding seeing Bess, her husband, and their two children loving their cabin,” Mattingly says. Bess adds: “The icing on the cake was getting to shoot my own space once it was finished—that was a real first for me!”

More Before & After stories:

Wood-Laden Lake Tahoe Cabin Gets a Dose of Scandi Cool

Every Day Is Summer Camp at This Groovy, ’70s-Inspired Cabin

A Gloomy San Francisco Garage Is Retooled as a Charming English Cottage

Project Details:

Builder: Jeff Furlong, Furlong Construction

Interior Design: Hana Mattingly, Innen Studio / @innenstudio

Stylist: Jessica Olson, Jessica Olson Interiors

Photography: Bess Friday, Bess Friday Photography / @bessfriday

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