Measuring around 130 square metres, Staggered Cabin was originally conceived as a weekend ski retreat for an Australian couple based in California. Over time, it became the family’s full-time home, a shift that sharpened the project’s focus towards everyday life, changing needs and the quiet rhythms of living with children.
Set at over 1,800 metres above sea level, the house is composed of four cedar-clad volumes arranged in a staggered formation, stepping down the site’s natural slope. The single-pitch roofs follow the terrain and carve out a series of sheltered courtyards that weave around existing boulders, Jeffrey pines and a sunlit clearing. This approach limits ground disturbance and allows the building to sit lightly on the landscape, extending domestic space into the forest.
Dark-stained western red cedar blends seamlessly with the surrounding woodland, while standing-seam metal roofs are fitted with snow-retention systems, turning winter snowfall into a layer of seasonal insulation. The architectural language is restrained yet precise: a contemporary interpretation that sits somewhere between Scandinavian cabin typologies and California’s alpine vernacular.

Inside, the layout is compact and highly efficient, accommodating three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a central living space, a mudroom, a mezzanine office and a garage with overhead storage. The living and dining area forms the heart of the home, linking the staggered volumes and minimising circulation space. Large sliding glass doors open on both sides, creating layered views through the house and a constant connection to the surrounding landscape.
The interior design, developed by Casper and Lexie Mork-Ulnes, embraces a warm, practical minimalism. Douglas fir cabinetry and shelving, integrated lighting and bespoke built-ins create visual calm and continuity. In the children’s rooms, a mezzanine with a climbing wall and a raised “hideaway” introduces playfulness without disrupting the project’s clarity. Here, reducing furniture is not simply an aesthetic preference, but a way of making room for living.

Sustainability is embedded in the design: cross-ventilation, high-level windows that bring daylight deep into the plan, passive cooling in summer and optimised solar exposure in winter. Stormwater management is integrated into the site, and landscaping remains deliberately minimal, in keeping with Tahoe’s stringent environmental standards.
More than a mountain house, Staggered Cabin is an exercise in balance between tradition and innovation, shelter and openness. A project that shows how architecture can be both quietly contained and remarkably generous: discreet in form, expansive in the experience of inhabiting it.