One of Sacramento’s most sought-after visual thinkers, Curtis Popp expresses his design prowess in his Lake Tahoe A-frame retreat.

By Kathryn Drury Wagner

Photography by Kat Alves

THE STAIRCASE IS ORIGINAL, BUT CURTIS STRIPPED OFF OLD SHAG CARPET, PLANED AND SEALED THE WOOD, AND REPAINTED THE STRINGERS BLACK.

From the time he was a small boy up to his late 20s,

Curtis Popp’s family had enjoyed a lakefront cabin in Homewood, on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. He dreamed of buying a home himself in that idyllic area of California, but the push to finally act was bittersweet. In 2011, his mother was terminally ill, and she directed Curtis to buy a cabin after she passed, ensuring her grandchildren would share in the lakeside experience. Five months after her death, Curtis owned a 1969-built A-frame in Homewood.