Tahoe Quarterly’s Mountain Home magazine is out and, as always, it looks GORGEOUS. Our cover photo is a home I wrote about on the West Shore designed by the talented Marcio Decker of Aspen Leaf. I love the inspiration—his client brought him the lid of a candle, Voluspa’s French Cade & Lavender, and said that she wanted the home to incorporate those colors and feel. Marcio does a fabulous job of bringing in color on every project, and with this home’s lakeside location, he used plenty of Tahoe blues, pine greens, and natural golds and browns.
That was just one of the five homes I wrote up in this issue, and I honestly can’t tell you if I have a favorite. I wrote up the Outstanding home, which is TQ’s most prestigious award. Naturally, the house (designed by Reno architect Jack Hawkins, who produces nothing but masterpieces) is gorgeous, but the story behind it is pretty cool, too: The homeowner, who worked at Google for many years, is deaf, so things like the long sightlines and abundant glass serve to keep him connected wherever he is in the home. His hearing impairment also influenced things I wouldn’t have expected, like the sensory qualities of the tiles, or the importance of creating a protected courtyard by designing a U-shaped home. Just amazing all the little things that add up to a really incredible project.
We had a launch party about two weeks ago at Incline Village’s Big Water Grille with TQ and representatives from the various homes and project teams. It’s fabulous because, as a writer, I don’t get a ton of catchup time with these people, and I really enjoy them! Plus, it was fun to sit around the fire and trade stories from when we were all in the office full time and some of the adventures we had. Like when we used to do TQ ski days, or the time we did a big photo shoot that also included a meal inspired by the Washoe Tribe. I don’t often miss being in an office, but I always did enjoy the camaraderie!
All that to say, the launch event was fabulous and the magazine looks beautiful! I love the architecture but, even more, I love the stories of the people behind the architecture that make each home so unique. Subscribe or check out more stories here, www.tahoequarterly.com.
Alison O. Bender 