Kirsti Chou is originally from Finland, but she moved to the United States a few years ago to settle in San Francisco with her husband, Bryant, and their two children. The family enjoyed taking extended summer trips to visit relatives in Europe—that is, until the pandemic grounded everyone in 2020.

That summer, Kirsti and Bryant decided to try Lake Tahoe, just a four-hour drive away. Bryant had spent time there as a child, so he had a sense for the lay of the land. “We’re very outdoorsy,” says Kirsti. “We love nature, and that’s really what drew us there. We went hiking, and swimming, and kayaking, and paddleboarding—it’s a place where you can do so many things.” The area is also a wonderland for winter sports, so the couple decided to invest a 1981 cabin at the north end of the lake.

Before: Kitchen

The cabin’s layout checked a lot of boxes for the family. The main floor has an easy, open plan, while the level below holds bedrooms for the couple and their two kids. The bottom floor has a family room, an additional bedroom, and a bath, making it an ideal setup for guests to have their own space.

The finishes were another story—the cabin hadn’t been touched since it was built, so the interiors felt dark and dated. To revitalize the retreat, the couple reached out to San Francisco–based designer Hana Mattingly of Innen Studio for a much-needed intervention. “Even though they had all these beautiful windows, it just felt like a dungeon,” says Mattingly. “Everything had this very orange hue to it.”

Mattingly teamed up with Sandy Lee Welsh, a designer and close friend who runs the studio Gallois Interiors, to help the couple with a cosmetic overhaul that aligns with Kirsti’s aesthetic. “Kirsti is very passionate about design—and particularly Scandinavian design, given her upbringing in Finland,” says Welsh. “That ended up really being the North Star of this project.”

After: Kitchen

“Coming from Finland, Scandinavian minimalism is the style that I typically go for,” says Kirsti. “But we wanted something that was more homey and cozy.” To that end, Welsh and Mattingly streamlined everything from the cabinet fronts to the fireplace facade.

The color palette draws on the blue and greens found outside, “so that everything blends in with the surrounding environment,” says Kirsti. Meanwhile, soft textures—in the wool rugs underfoot, and the walls covered in a Roman clay finish—add visual interest.

“If you look at traditional Scandinavian design, it has very little texture—it’s all very smooth surfaces, which I think can really make it look a little too simple and minimalistic,” says Kirsti. Natural materials, like wide-plank European oak floors and honed marble, further ground the scheme, while furniture picks from Northern European designers speak to Kirsti’s background.

It was important to maintain a mix. Noting an Alvar Aalto pendant in the powder room, Kirsti says “He’s probably the most well-known Finnish designer. Living in Finland, it was an overdose of his designs—he’s just everywhere—but I think when you draw influence from it, and mix it with something else, it’s actually really beautiful.”

Before: Dining Room

After: Dining Room

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

“Coming from Finland, Scandinavian minimalism is the style that I typically go for—but we wanted something that was more homey and cozy.”
—Kirsti Chou, resident

Mattingly and Welsh have known each other since college, over a decade ago, and they jumped at the chance to collaborate on this project at a time when they were opening their own studios. “We’ve been each other’s biggest advocates and sounding boards throughout the years, and especially so while navigating the launch of our own businesses,” says Welsh.

This personal connection was important to Kirsti as well, who points out finishing touches like the artwork and ceramics made by close friends. “We tried to make it personal, because sometimes vacation homes can seem a little sterile,” says Kirsti. “And this is all about being in nature and spending time with people we care about.”

Before: Powder Room

After: Powder Room

Before: Primary Suite

After: Primary Suite

Before: Wet Bar

After: Wet Bar

More Before & After stories:

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

9 “Before & After” Cabin Renovations That Will Make You Look Twice

Project Credits:

Builder: Beyond Construction

Interior Design: Innen Studio / @innenstudio and Gallois Interiors / @galloisinteriors

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