A 1963 A-Frame in the Woods

Two creative visionaries transform an A-frame into a sleek and airy four-seasons escape.

It was the winter of 2015 and Jason and Laura ODell, owners of the clothing brand called The ODells and a retail store called The ODells Shop, had brought their kids to Big Bear, California, for a sledding trip. While they were there, Jason casually browsed listings for homes in the area when he stumbled upon one for a lakefront A-frame built in 1963. “We drove over to it and called the real estate agent,” Jason says. “Within an hour, she was giving us a tour.” Despite the fact that the interior was covered in mouse droppings—the couple recall carrying their children the entire time so they wouldn’t touch the dirty carpet—and that it seemed as though no one had been inside it for ten years, Jason and Laura knew it was perfect.

front porch of 1963 Big Bear A-frame — Both sides of the house feature Ipe wood decks, along with wide stairs leading to and from the entryways. “The stairs and deck are midway through the patina stage,” Jason says. “Eventually, they will all be silver, which will look amazing with the black house.”

outdoor firepit on deck Big Bear 1963 A-frame — For this circlet of chairs on the deck, Jason says, “We wanted a little sitting area where we could watch our kids play in the backyard.” There are also a couple Aspen trees they love to watch flitter in the breeze.

After all, the creative couple are natural visionaries who see potential where others might just see dilapidation. Jason grew up around his parents who remodeled every house they lived in. Laura is a designer who breathes print and color as naturally as air. “Laura and I remodeled our first home in Los Feliz, sold that house and moved to Silver Lake, where we remodeled again and did an addition,” Jason says. “We get a lot of joy bringing a house back from the dead.” Soon, the couple turned the neglected A-frame into an architectural feat that celebrates the Mid Century Modern concepts of minimalism and natural light.

One with Nature

When it came to the exterior of the home, everything was transformed, but the couple made certain to keep the original design in mind, parti

cularly the distinctive A-frame profile. “There’s something about the shape of the A that is Mid Century Modern,” Jason says. “Not in a traditional way, because you can take an A-frame and make it really woodsy—but in going modern, we embraced the original intent of its design.”

A-frame living room Big Bear — Opening up the interior area around the A-frame was the main priority for the couple, and they had to remove an old fireplace, staircase and second story to do so. An intricate network of wood beams interplay beautifully with glass triangle windows that had to be cut on site. “This area is all about hanging out together,” Jason says. “It’s really nice to open up the bi-folding doors and spill out onto the deck. We can be cooking in the kitchen, have friends sipping wine on the stools, and see kids playing on the deck and in the backyard.”

A-frame living room with Malm and blue sectional sofa — Big Bear is a Southern California vacation destination during all four seasons, so a cozy fireplace was essential for cuddling up and gazing at the snow falling outside. “The house had a wood-burning fireplace but unfortunately it was unsalvageable,” Jason says. “We went for a Malm fireplace and the installation was very easy.”

bunk beds in kids room — For their kids’ room, four bunk beds (“every lake house needs a bunk bed,” Jason says) were built directly into the framing of the house and IKEA bed slats hold the mattresses. “Our bigger kids always fight for the top bunks, so luckily there are two,” Jason adds.

They hung a huge I-beam along the back of the house to get a wall of windows facing the lake. Then they added ‘wings’ on both sides of the A-frame, along with Ipe wood decks in both the front and back of the house. In addition, it was important to Jason and Laura to integrate the home’s exterior into its natural surroundings, and they artfully worked to blend the two. Now, the A-frame profile reflects the linearity of the trees while floor-to-ceiling windows become mirrors for the forest setting.

open concept A-frame kitchen — Since Jason and Laura splurged big on the counters, they went for a budget-friendly option for their kitchen cabinets. IKEA only offered these cabinets for a short time and the couple, loving the finish, snapped them up.

Black paint was chosen to help the home meld into the trees and the Ipe wood decks epitomize organic beauty. The craftsmanship also extends to the union between the home’s inhabitants and landscape—Jason intentionally made both sides of the house have decks so “there is always a place to sit and take in nature.”

A Great Room

The great room, which is the heart of the A-frame, is breathtaking to behold. The anatomy of the house is on full display with myriad beams rising to form the A. In order to figure out the best architectural steps for the home, Jason sat for four hours in a lawn chair during construction, considering the various options. “I wanted to make sure that the sofa had a nice view of the fireplace as well as the lake and was having a hard time trying to place the TV,” he explains. In the end, he decided to eliminate the TV in favor of a retractable movie screen, which allows anyone lounging in the seating area to easily see out to the waterfront view.

black and white kitchen in Big Bear A-frame — Additional wings added onto the A-frame push the house out further toward the lake and give the dining room a breathtaking view of the water. Here, black trim contrasts the light floors and walls but everything is kept neutral—Jason says, “I wanted to create a blank palette so Laura could bring in pops of color with the décor.”

A blue sofa and ornate Turkish rug anchor the airy great room and add pops of color against the white oak floors. “We love vintage Turkish rugs,” Jason says. “This one was purchased on a whim while Laura and I were on a date night in Los Angeles, while the sofa is from our friends at Artless. I love the walnut framing and shelf on the back.” These intentional design decisions allow the great room to be a wondrous experience that both draws the eye skyward through the rafters and outward to the beauty of the lake.

black and white floral walls — The entryway is one of the new “wings” that Jason and Laura added onto the A-frame. Laura designed the striking wallpaper and, because of the copious glass, the wallpaper is visible from the exterior of the home. “We wanted something that would really pop from the outside,” Jason says. “Since the windows are floor-to-ceiling, the wallpaper really shines when you walk up to the house.” The design is called Paeonia Black, and the couple offers it online and in their brick-and-mortar boutique, The Odells Shop.

master bedroom macrame — Unconventionally, there is no true main bedroom in the A-frame.

“We had limited space to fit three bedrooms and two bathrooms on our lot footprint, so we don’t have a traditional main bedroom, and the two bathrooms are right next to each other,” Jason explains. “It’s very unorthodox, but I studied a lot of European forest houses when I was designing the floor plan.” Additional wings added onto the A-frame push the house out further toward the lake and give the dining room a breathtaking view of the water. Here, black trim contrasts the light floors and walls but everything is kept neutral—Jason says, “I wanted to create a blank palette so Laura could bring in pops of color with the décor.”

master bath with freestanding tub — Texture and smoothness meet in the bathroom. “I wanted a wall with depth and then to contrast it with the smooth design of a bathtub,” Jason says.

Discovering that 2″ x 8″ black cement tile is much more expensive than an 8″ x 8″ size of the same kind, the couple got to work cutting 8″ x 8″ tile into 2″ x 8″ pieces—“it only took one day of cutting!” Jason says. With their newly-resized tiles, they covered the whole wall in a herringbone pattern. A freestanding white tub provides distinction from the wall in both color and texture.

Originally, Jason and Laura considered using the little 1963 A-frame in the woods as a vacation spot and renting it out when they weren’t there. Very quickly, they had a change of heart. “We love it so much, we decided against renting it,” Jason says. “Now our family spends time there almost every weekend making memories together.”

If you enjoyed reading about this 1963 A-Frame in Big Bear, read on about Phoenix Rising: A Modern Lake Tahoe A-Frame Structure. For more fall MCM vibes and ideas, don’t miss our new fall issue! In it, find inspiration for your home from the inside out, from wall art to the patio. Get your copy here!