Houzz Tour: 1932 Lakeside Cabin in Malibu Gets a Refresh
A designer preserves original details and charm while updating and personalizing a California home for clients
Dining room. A long, primitive farm table suits the proportions of the room, as does the credenza and the painting. The seating is a mix of leather side chairs, caned midcentury host chairs and a gym horse bench. (Catch a peek of this unusual piece in the next photo.)
Ggem and her clients enjoyed shopping for furnishings at local haunts such as Charme d’Antan, where they found the table.
Malibu photograph: William Thoren; leather chairs: West Elm; gym horse bench: Timothy Oulton; vintage chairs: The Ranch Uncommon
Ggem and her clients enjoyed shopping for furnishings at local haunts such as Charme d’Antan, where they found the table.
Malibu photograph: William Thoren; leather chairs: West Elm; gym horse bench: Timothy Oulton; vintage chairs: The Ranch Uncommon
Layout. The main space is open and zoned into a family room area, dining area, reading spot and kitchen. Ggem is a huge fan of this sofa because the ottoman can be moved to turn either side into a chaise.
The right side of the room is an enclosed porch. “We wanted to reinforce that enclosed porch feeling rather than letting the rest of the room engulf it,” Ggem says. The sailboat art is an etching by the homeowner’s uncle; Ggem had it reframed.
Find interior designers in your area
The right side of the room is an enclosed porch. “We wanted to reinforce that enclosed porch feeling rather than letting the rest of the room engulf it,” Ggem says. The sailboat art is an etching by the homeowner’s uncle; Ggem had it reframed.
Find interior designers in your area
Reading nook. “The house wanted to be rustic,” Ggem says. She gave the modern fireplace a rugged makeover by hiring a stonemason to craft a stone surround and hearth. The stones are local and were reclaimed from demolitions, including the big green keystone right above the firebox. Ggem found the oar in the basement. The mantel is a reclaimed header beam.
Ggem placed her clients’ new favorite swiveling reading chairs next to it. The ottomans, which resemble balls of twine, add texture and whimsy.
Mantel beam: Vintage Timbers (Rainbow, California); ottomans: Surya; chairs: available via Studio Ggem
Ggem placed her clients’ new favorite swiveling reading chairs next to it. The ottomans, which resemble balls of twine, add texture and whimsy.
Mantel beam: Vintage Timbers (Rainbow, California); ottomans: Surya; chairs: available via Studio Ggem
Problem and solution. The vintage door that leads to the master bedroom was a special find that led to a bit of a challenge. “Somewhere along the line there was a miscommunication about the door’s dimensions and the door framing was built too high for the door,” Ggem says.
It turned out to be a happy accident since the creative solution was to add a capital detail above the door. Ggem made the most of that and included the millwork detail over all of the windows and doors in the room for cohesiveness.
Vintage door: Olde Good Things; lamp: HomeGoods; shagreen nesting tables: Palecek
It turned out to be a happy accident since the creative solution was to add a capital detail above the door. Ggem made the most of that and included the millwork detail over all of the windows and doors in the room for cohesiveness.
Vintage door: Olde Good Things; lamp: HomeGoods; shagreen nesting tables: Palecek
Living room. Here you can see how the space opens up to the kitchen. The door on the right leads to a vestibule off the bedrooms; the door to the left leads to a bathroom.
The designer added new ceiling beams to bring a warm, rustic touch to the sea of white on the ceilings. Because the beams are 27 feet long, she was unable to use reclaimed beams, so she had these finished in a way that makes them look old. The tongue-and-groove paneling on the ceiling was existing. Ggem was able to have it repaired, and she added more tongue-and-groove paneling to other walls on the enclosed porch.
Sofa: custom; stools: Palecek
The designer added new ceiling beams to bring a warm, rustic touch to the sea of white on the ceilings. Because the beams are 27 feet long, she was unable to use reclaimed beams, so she had these finished in a way that makes them look old. The tongue-and-groove paneling on the ceiling was existing. Ggem was able to have it repaired, and she added more tongue-and-groove paneling to other walls on the enclosed porch.
Sofa: custom; stools: Palecek
Kitchen. Although this wasn’t a budget renovation, not throwing away what was already working well was important to Ggem and the homeowners. “The kitchen was in good shape and had a good footprint and layout,” she says. She saved the peninsula, the lower cabinets and the countertops. She changed the finish on the counters from polished to honed to fit in better with the more casual and natural touches in the house, such as the ceiling beams and vintage door. She also replaced the upper cabinets with open shelves to open up the space.
Ggem concentrated a lot of the storage on the refrigerator wall, with a counter-depth refrigerator and new cabinets with inset doors and exposed hinges. “Initially we wanted flush-inset doors on all the cabinets, but you barely see the lower cabinets and they worked perfectly well,” she says. This decision was about balancing renovation desires with reducing waste. She added new hardware to tie everything together.
Pendants: Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort; hardware: Restoration Hardware
See more cabinet and drawer hardware
Ggem concentrated a lot of the storage on the refrigerator wall, with a counter-depth refrigerator and new cabinets with inset doors and exposed hinges. “Initially we wanted flush-inset doors on all the cabinets, but you barely see the lower cabinets and they worked perfectly well,” she says. This decision was about balancing renovation desires with reducing waste. She added new hardware to tie everything together.
Pendants: Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort; hardware: Restoration Hardware
See more cabinet and drawer hardware
His bathroom. A gorgeous floor-to-ceiling accent wall anchors the sink and mirror. Worth noting is the meticulous work by the contractor, who helped carefully fit the sconces and tile accent Ggem wanted next to the shower stall without a hair of space to spare. The sink she chose is just the right fit for the small room. By the way, there’s usually a soap dispenser where the eucalyptus is.
Sconces: Visual Comfort; tile: Ann Sacks; sink: Duravit
Sconces: Visual Comfort; tile: Ann Sacks; sink: Duravit
Her bathroom. This bathroom had been designed by the previous owner. The homeowner fell in love with the classic clawfoot bathtub, and Ggem helped find the artwork.
The homeowners already had this French garden cabinet that’s now in the bathroom. It inspired the color choice for the vintage door between the master bedroom and the main public area. They also had the candle lantern. Ggem just helped them pull it all together in here.
Guest room. A guest room is always a fun place to depart from the rest of a home’s style. In this case, a little French country stepped into the rustic fishing cabin. One of the clients did most of the decorating in here herself before hiring a designer, and it’s a lovely reflection of her style. The two small paintings on the right reminded Ggem of the clients when she was shopping in New Hampshire, so she picked them up to give to them as a gift.
Shutter: Charme d’Antan
Shutter: Charme d’Antan
Master bedroom. This room was untouched during the renovations, but the beautiful view is a must-see. “This house is sited at a nice elevation and provides a bird’s-eye view of the lake and the mountains,” Ggem says.
Outdoor space. This area is tucked around the corner from the house and fits right into a beautifully terraced garden, designed by the former homeowner, Denise Johns, who is a landscape architect. “The gardens around here go on forever,” Ggem says.
Contractor: Schaub Construction
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Contractor: Schaub Construction
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Two hardworking empty nesters who love the outdoors, cooking and their dog, Boswell
Location: Malibu, California
Size: 1,800 square feet (167 square meters); two bedrooms, two bathrooms
Year built: 1932
Designer: Shannon Ggem
Nestled lakeside in the mountains of Malibu, this 1932 cabin had plenty of inherent charm. “These houses were simple fishing cabins on a recreational lake,” says interior designer and the homeowners’ neighbor Shannon Ggem, who knows the area and its vibe since she lives there too. “They were part of the John Muir movement, creating a getaway from the city about 30 miles outside of Los Angeles. They are very simple, as it’s all about emphasizing the view.”
The couple who bought the cabin are both busy professionals and wanted a designer to tailor the home to better fit their style. “They both have excellent taste and a very clear aesthetic, but, like so many of our clients, they lacked the time to pull together a whole remodel,” Ggem says.
Scope of work. This was a full cosmetic transformation, but much of the original structure remains — it was not a gut renovation. “I hate to throw away building materials, and keeping what works is so much better for the environment,” Ggem says. After assessing what she was working with, she left the existing floors, zebrawood waterfall peninsula, lower kitchen cabinets and countertops (upcycling them by giving them a honed finish). She then layered in high-impact elements and details such as a new stone fireplace, millwork and beams.
Must-have. The large-scale photograph taken by the previous owner’s son was a keeper. “He took it across the Malibu mountains, and it makes the space,” Ggem says. “And the colors inspired the entire color palette.”