As a visitor to Lake Arrowhead for over three years, an up-and-coming designer makes an A-frame her second home, and now it’s available for all to enjoy.
A Faithful Roots (faithfulroots.com) Arrow sofa, a Lee swivel chair and a Design Within Reach (dwr.com) Plinth coffee table sit atop a custom Moroccan rug in the living room. PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
HD Buttercup (hdbuttercup.com) Taburet counter stools in brown walnut seat three by the Calacatta quartz island. PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
“What I was obsessed with the most about Lake Arrowhead was the architecture of the A-frames—I had to have one,” says interior designer Nicole Magnifico (nicole-magnifico.com). “I finally decided to take the leap and bought what I now proudly call my Canary Haus.” At the time, the home was being renovated by Custom Nest (customnest.com) so she was able to add some finishing touches, such as a kitchen island, to the plans.
“I wanted the cabin to capture the mood of going back in time, having nostalgia but with modern luxury at the same time,” she says. “The perfect place to hunker down in the winter, sit by the fire, play board games, cook meals and drink wine. In summer, you can open up the house, enjoy the decks that are perched in the treetops, barbecue, nap in the hammock and gaze at the stars through a telescope. It’s a perfect hideaway from the city.”
A Nickey Kehoe (nickeykehoe.com) pendant lights the Design Within Reach Kigumi walnut table surrounded by vintage Mies van der Rohe chairs. PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
After close, she enjoyed the home and began working on the interior design. “In decorating, I knew I wanted to bring in elements from the year the home was built in 1969. The cabin is your typical A-frame style with a three-story structure: main-floor living area with kitchen, living room, bath and two bedrooms; loft and primary bedroom with en suite above; and lower-level game room,” she explains. “I worked with Design Within Reach (dwr.com) closely and spent time researching and shopping vintage pieces that aligned perfectly with the time period.”
The standout A-frame exterior. PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
“I went with a neutral palette throughout the cabin except in the main-level bedrooms where I fell in love with the mustard bedding from Jonathan Adler,” says Magnifico. “The showstopper is clearly the canary yellow original Malm fireplace in the living room, which we use year-round.” The old sliders in the living room were replaced with fully extendable stacking glass doors, which not only give an indoor-outdoor living space, but expand the main floor during the summer months, giving more space to entertain.
A yellow color scheme is carried through with Jonathan Adler (jonathanadler.com) bedding in the guest room with a Design Within Reach George Nelson bubble pendant wall sconce above. PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
To add additional sleeping, a customized Murphy bed was built for the loft, which accommodates a king bed and doubles as a reading nook.
A Design Within Reach Nelson platform bench sits by the window in the primary bedroom. PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
In the game room, located downstairs, is a large sectional, screen television, air hockey table and bar. This level also features a deck with a patio swing and seating area for outdoor game nights and music during warmer evenings.
A Chairish (chairish.com) bunk bed and vintage games await the brood. PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
After inviting family and friends to join her for weekends away, Magnifico was asked if they could rent out the cabin for themselves. “I extended it, of course, but thought, why not try Airbnb and extend it to more,” she says. “I maintain the cabin as if it is a small luxury boutique hotel by offering concierge services such as in-home chef, wood delivery, transportation, in-home massage, housekeeping, and restaurant and activity bookings. We also offer specialty products that are must-haves in my own home here for you to try including a Flamingo Estate welcome box, Wonder Valley olive oils, OSEA bath products, featured local vendors such as Lake Arrowhead Brew, specialty wines from Littlebear Bottleshop, fresh florals from Wildflowers at the Lake and goods from Evergreen Curated Goods.”
A Custom Nest (customnest.com) deck swing. PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
Through her partnership with Magnifico Capital, owned by her father, she plans to purchase more properties within a reasonable driving distance of Los Angeles to continue her creative journey and invest in new, home build projects, particularly Scandinavian barn style. “This project has taken me outside the scope of our normal projects and I can easily say that I have truly enjoyed creating a space of escape,” she says. “Taking something existing, renovating it and making it into an experience has been completely joyful.” 826 Bishorn Drive, Lake Arrowhead; on Airbnb as Canary Haus Treetop A Frame, airbnb.com
In the loft sits a reupholstered vintage Eames lounge chair and ottoman (above) and a Custom Nest custom-built Murphy bed in the nook (below). PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
The Custom Nest swing, plus Baja natural rectangular coffee tables and Paso Adirondack chairs from Crate & Barrel (crateandbarrel.com), enhance the gaming deck experience. PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRTUALLY HERE STUDIOS
Photography by:
