Houzz Tour: Eclectic Mountain Modern Decor in a Cozy Cabin
A couple’s new ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, is perfect for hosting overnight guests and indoor-outdoor parties
A historic log cabin on a couple’s property in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, inspired them to create a mother-in-law suite. “At first they looked to outfitting the historic cabin, but at somewhere between 200 and 300 square feet it was just too small,” says interior designer Sierra Fallon. Instead, they built an 800-square-foot accessory dwelling unit, or ADU. It serves as overnight digs for their parents and college-age kids when they visit, an entertainment hub for parties and card game nights, and a great spot for sitting outside and enjoy the adjacent creek.
The covered patio enjoys the views and sounds of Butcherknife Creek, seen on the right side of this photo. Outdoor entertaining played a big role in the design of the cabin. The design team created seamless transitions from indoors to out. “It was important to have a large covered area, especially for year-round use. You really need the shade in the summers here,” Fallon says. The porch roof wraps around the corner to protect the main entry, located to the left of the chimney, from rain and snow. That entry faces the main house, which is similar in style to the cabin. Large sliding-glass doors provide a large opening between the main living space and the porch.
Big timbers, stone and wood add rustic touches to the exterior. “We added rustic rusty metal planters with modern shapes to combine the two styles,” Fallon says. “The black and white houndstooth upholstery on the lounge chairs is an homage to my client’s love of bold style. You wouldn’t expect to see that here, but it works.” The fabric hints at bold surprises that await inside the cabin.
Big timbers, stone and wood add rustic touches to the exterior. “We added rustic rusty metal planters with modern shapes to combine the two styles,” Fallon says. “The black and white houndstooth upholstery on the lounge chairs is an homage to my client’s love of bold style. You wouldn’t expect to see that here, but it works.” The fabric hints at bold surprises that await inside the cabin.
This is the view through the main entry door, which has four glass panels. “This is a nice modern door we like to order in paint grade so that we can paint them whatever color we like,” Fallon says. In this home they painted them black.
Opening the door immediately reveals a counter-to-ceiling view of encaustic cement tiles in an eye-catching Moroccan pattern. While getting to know her client’s style, the designers had learned that she loved blue, so they used a saturated blue on the kitchen cabinetry. “The main house is quite traditional. They were ready to go bolder and more eccentric out here,” she says.
The designers selected large-format digitally printed porcelain tiles that resemble the stone patio pavers for the interior flooring. This allows the patio surface to appear as though it continues inside the house. They also incorporated ADA-compliant standards into the design, as one of the homeowners’ frequent overnight guests uses a wheelchair. This is one reason the historic log cabin would have been way too small to create a suitable guest house. “We didn’t build this exactly to ADA code, but we made sure there weren’t any steps up to the house and left ample room for the chair’s turning radius throughout the cabin,” Fallon says.
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Opening the door immediately reveals a counter-to-ceiling view of encaustic cement tiles in an eye-catching Moroccan pattern. While getting to know her client’s style, the designers had learned that she loved blue, so they used a saturated blue on the kitchen cabinetry. “The main house is quite traditional. They were ready to go bolder and more eccentric out here,” she says.
The designers selected large-format digitally printed porcelain tiles that resemble the stone patio pavers for the interior flooring. This allows the patio surface to appear as though it continues inside the house. They also incorporated ADA-compliant standards into the design, as one of the homeowners’ frequent overnight guests uses a wheelchair. This is one reason the historic log cabin would have been way too small to create a suitable guest house. “We didn’t build this exactly to ADA code, but we made sure there weren’t any steps up to the house and left ample room for the chair’s turning radius throughout the cabin,” Fallon says.
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The main space has a neutral natural backdrop with pops of pattern and color. To keep the tile floor from making the space feel cold, Fallon added thoughtfully placed wood finishes. She covered the ceiling in white oak to bring down the scale and add warmth overhead. “This is a low-cost engineered floor product,” she says. “Adding the wood brought a woodsy Colorado feel.” A beautiful chandelier with speckled glass shades also brings the height of the ceiling down. “This has such interesting texture to it. The orbs look like the moon at night,” she says.
In addition to radiant heat warming up the floor tiles, a colorful vintage Moroccan shag rug adds visual warmth and injects bold color into the room.
Looking down the hall past the kitchen, the bedroom is on the left and the bathroom is behind the kitchen on the right. The door at the back of the photo leads to a visitor’s carport. The area around it is a small mudroom-laundry room.
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In addition to radiant heat warming up the floor tiles, a colorful vintage Moroccan shag rug adds visual warmth and injects bold color into the room.
Looking down the hall past the kitchen, the bedroom is on the left and the bathroom is behind the kitchen on the right. The door at the back of the photo leads to a visitor’s carport. The area around it is a small mudroom-laundry room.
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This photo shows an alternative furniture arrangement, with a cozy sleeper sofa placed in front of the gas fireplace. Jewel-toned and animal print pillows add bold touches to the neutral upholstery of the sofa. Rather than going full mountain rustic with a stone fireplace surround, the designers came up with a more contemporary look by arranging marble tile in a herringbone pattern. The walnut mantel adds warmth and contrast to the marble.
Also adding warmth is blonde wood on the baseboards and around the door jambs. “This is one of my favorite details. I love the way it complements the wood on the ceiling. And I love the contrast between the blonde wood jambs and the black doors,” Fallon says. “The wood really warms things up.”
Also adding warmth is blonde wood on the baseboards and around the door jambs. “This is one of my favorite details. I love the way it complements the wood on the ceiling. And I love the contrast between the blonde wood jambs and the black doors,” Fallon says. “The wood really warms things up.”
Large sliding doors open up the family room to the large covered patio. The round dining table seen in other photos is in its usual spot behind the island on the left. The upholstered leather bench serves as an ottoman, coffee table and extra seating. It’s easy to move when they need to open up the sofa bed.
The guest cabin is not just for overnight guests but also for the family to entertain. “She loves to have her girlfriends over to play cards out here, and her kids love to hang out here when they come home from college,” Fallon says. “And when their parents are here visiting, they all usually gather in the main house for meals together, so they didn’t need traditional kitchen appliances.”
Instead, she installed a SubZero wine cooler with two refrigerated drawers underneath. And the island houses an icemaker to chill plenty of beverages for a crowd. White oak shelves provide storage for everyday china and glasses as well as decorative items. They also provide a connection to the white oak ceiling.
Gunmetal hardware on the cabinetry nods to the Rocky Mountain locale. “Gunmetal has a black and silver sheen to it,” Fallon says.
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Instead, she installed a SubZero wine cooler with two refrigerated drawers underneath. And the island houses an icemaker to chill plenty of beverages for a crowd. White oak shelves provide storage for everyday china and glasses as well as decorative items. They also provide a connection to the white oak ceiling.
Gunmetal hardware on the cabinetry nods to the Rocky Mountain locale. “Gunmetal has a black and silver sheen to it,” Fallon says.
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A 24-inch range from BlueStar is plenty big enough for their needs out here. To the right is a microwave drawer. “This a great option for tucking a microwave out of sight,” Fallon says. It also left room to show off more of the bold backsplash above the range.
A textured linen wallcovering adds bold pattern to the cabin’s one bedroom. “This is such a pretty paper. It has lots of sheen to it, so it adds so much depth and color,” Fallon says. A dash of plaid and a leather headboard contribute just the right dose of western mountain cabin style. And the white oak ceiling adds to the cozy cabin feel.
The bedroom is compact but large enough to accommodate a king-size bed. Mounting reading lights to the wall saved space on the surface of the nightstands. And drawers in the nightstand provide extra storage for clothing.
The bedroom is compact but large enough to accommodate a king-size bed. Mounting reading lights to the wall saved space on the surface of the nightstands. And drawers in the nightstand provide extra storage for clothing.
Bold patterns continue in the bathroom. A handmade Moroccan encaustic cement tile covers the wall behind the vanity and extends onto the shower surround.
A leather-framed mirror and reclaimed wood vanity nod to Rocky Mountain style. Local craftsman Rod Williams made the vanity as well as the floating shelves in the kitchen. Williams has retired, and the designers will miss working with him. “We could always give him the idea for the design and he’d put his own creative spin on it in such a great way,” Fallon says.
Fallon’s firm often works on second homes for people from out of town. “They are usually looking for mountain modern in their mountain vacation homes, which is nice. But it was really fun to work with locals who wanted to do something different,” she says.
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A leather-framed mirror and reclaimed wood vanity nod to Rocky Mountain style. Local craftsman Rod Williams made the vanity as well as the floating shelves in the kitchen. Williams has retired, and the designers will miss working with him. “We could always give him the idea for the design and he’d put his own creative spin on it in such a great way,” Fallon says.
Fallon’s firm often works on second homes for people from out of town. “They are usually looking for mountain modern in their mountain vacation homes, which is nice. But it was really fun to work with locals who wanted to do something different,” she says.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple whose kids have left the nest
Location: Downtown Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Size: 800 square feet (74 square meters); one bedroom and one bathroom
Designers: Sierra Fallon and Lindsey Jamison of Rumor Design + reDesign
Architecture: Mountain Architecture Design Group
Builder: Dobell Contracting
This photo shows the historic log cabin on the right. The main house (not shown) is to the left of the new cabin. The property is located at the end of a cul-de-sac and borders a park. So it’s a rare downtown spot that’s surrounded by nature but is also a short walk away from the shops and restaurants of Steamboat Springs. Interior designers Sierra Fallon and Lindsey Jamison of Rumor Design + reDesign collaborated with an architect from Mountain Architecture Design Group from the beginning of the design process.
The new cabin, or ADU, has a mountain modern look, meaning it mixes modern architectural style with rustic materials like wood and stone. The wife liked bold eclectic style and the husband leaned toward a mountain modern look, so the design team created a pleasing balance between the two.
“We weighed in on some of the materials like siding and the patio surface, but Mountain Architecture Design Group came up with the concept for the exterior. This included a really cool green roof over part of the cabin,” Fallon says. She and Jamison made the finish selections for the interior; designed the kitchen, custom cabinetry and the fireplace surround; and selected the custom upholstery, furniture and the rest of the decor.
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