On a family trip to Lake Arrowhead, the idea of creating a shared mountain escape first took hold. Nestled in the San Bernardino Mountains and roughly equidistant from their Los Angeles and San Diego homes, it felt like the perfect place for designer Kristen O’Malley and architect Steven Guban to create a home for family gatherings. Steven’s sister Sarah and her husband Justin live in San Diego, while Steven, their daughter Kai, and Kristen live in Los Angeles.
“Steven and I are originally from the East Coast, and most of our extended family still lives there,” Kristen explains. “Creating a place where we could regularly gather with our SoCal family was important to us. Lake Arrowhead is the perfect middle point, close enough for frequent visits, yet far enough to feel like a true escape from the city. We love that it’s a true four-season destination: snowy in the winter with skiing nearby, and in the summer, you can swim, boat, and enjoy long days on the lake. It gives that nostalgic cabin-in-the-woods feeling without being too far from home.”
Together, the two families purchased a charming but timeworn 1932 cabin. What began as a modest remodel quickly revealed itself as an extensive four-year project. “The cabin offered an incredible view of the lake, but years of inexpensive remodels had stripped away much of its original charm,” the designer recalls. “While we knew the home needed work, we didn’t realize just how extensive that would be until we opened up the walls.”
The house had no true foundation, just decaying wood sinking into dirt, and a single 2×4 precariously holding up the roof. Their plans for a simple remodel quickly gave way to a full rebuild. “Steven is an architect specializing in warm-modern homes and I am a set decorator, so we worked together to reimagine the layout and raise the roofline to maximize both the house’s footprint and the lake views,” Kristen says.
From the front patio, the house looks relatively modest and retains its original 1930s architectural charm, but once inside, you’re immediately surrounded by warm wood and drawn straight to the striking lake view through large sliding doors that run the width of the house. “We splurged on big sliding doors (from Fleetwood) in all the main rooms to capture as much of the lake and mountain views as possible,” Kristen tells us. “Fire-resistant materials were also a must, so we replaced the dilapidated shingle siding with fire-resistant stucco and used Kebony wood for the decks.”
The main level boasts an open floor plan with the kitchen, living, and dining areas all flowing onto a large deck that acts as an extension of the living room—with spots to read and relax both indoors and out. A powder room off the kitchen features gallery walls of vintage and found art, including objects inherited with the home such as vintage snowshoes.
“Heading upstairs, you pass a Ravenhill Studio chandelier and a photograph gifted to us by artist and dear friend Craig Stanman,” Kristen says. “Before the remodel, the upper level was a cramped single bedroom with low eaves, no heating or air-conditioning, and a tiny window facing the lake. By raising the roof and reorienting it toward the view, we transformed it into two king bedrooms with sliding glass doors out to the lake, a full bathroom, and a cozy kid’s room with a daybed.”
There is also a lower level, which once felt like a dim basement before the remodel. “Since we had to rebuild the foundation anyway, we took the opportunity to completely open up this floor,” Kristen says. “Now it includes two bedrooms with sliding doors that open to lake views, a full bathroom, a laundry room, and a mechanical room. Each bedroom has custom built-in closets and shelves and its own personality, so there’s no obvious ‘primary’ bedroom—it’s hard to pick a favorite.”
Style-wise, the families didn’t want the interiors to feel like a typical Los Angeles or San Diego home and instead embraced medium-tone woods and natural materials throughout. Outdoors, a dark-green stucco (Jasper by Sherwin-Williams) allows the house to blend seamlessly into the surrounding forest.
“It ended up taking four years during all our free time with countless weekends and holidays spent sleeping in a construction site,” Kristen shares. “We hired Ken Anderson and his crew to help with the foundation, framing, plumbing & electrical. But since it ended up being a much bigger project than any of us anticipated or budgeted for, we did a large portion of work ourselves.” She admits that the physical labor and financial stress were rough. “There was that time a giant windstorm blew the port-o-potty from the parking area down onto the patio,” she recalls. “At least we can laugh about it all now.” What emerged is more than a mountain home: it’s a hard-earned gathering place designed to hold memories for generations to come.
