I’ve been working in North Lake Tahoe for a while now, for Kelly and Stone Architects, and one thing that strikes me about living here is the progressive direction mountain home design is heading. When you imagine a Mountain home (ie a ski cabin or lake house) what do you think of? Does it look like one of these…
Here in Martis Camp however, where most of the projects I am working on are located, they are pushing a more modern aesthetic. Many of the homes here, which are predominately second homes, are mixing in more materials, typically combining steel panel, mixed color barn wood, clear cedar siding, stone, and board formed concrete. My first time in Martis Camp, I was surprised at the modern aesthetic of most of the houses. I have to say, if this is where the “mountain home style” is headed, I’m excited to see what else is in store.
The developers who are running Martis Camp right now, the DMB/Highlands Group, are doing a great job with the review process. Each project in Martis goes through a preliminary and final design submittal, where each project is examined by the development team to ensure the desired quality and aesthetics are being carried out. Martis Camp is also not for the faint of heart – lots are typically in the million dollar range, and the most of the components are custom – no Home Depot parts here!
One thing that has impressed me in Martis Camp is the level of detail put into every single project. Many houses have exposed steel and wood structure with interesting connections, really showing the viewer how the house is being held up. In traditional mountain homes there is often exposed structure, but it is refreshing to see exposed steel and glulam wood beams.