Near Death Valley, a Vacation Rental Gets the Designer Touch
On Houzz TV, see how two pros use Houzz to create cool vintage style a few miles from one of the hottest places on Earth
Mitchell Parker
March 26, 2019
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
You wouldn’t think that one of the hottest, driest places on Earth would attract many visitors. But Death Valley National Park — home to snowcapped mountains, rolling sand dunes, curious wildlife and, yes, extreme heat — has seen visitation double over the past nine years. In fact, a record 1,678,660 people visited the park in 2018, according to the National Park Service. And the month with the most visitors was August, when temperatures often top 120 degrees Fahrenheit — in the shade!
Recently, designer Karen McAloon and business partner Mikel Hubbard took note of this, er, hot spot and decided to get in on the 282-feet-below-sea-level ground floor. They bought a run-down ranch-style house and used Houzz to turn the property into a fun, funky and design-minded short-term vacation home for travelers looking to stay minutes from the park entrance.
Recently, designer Karen McAloon and business partner Mikel Hubbard took note of this, er, hot spot and decided to get in on the 282-feet-below-sea-level ground floor. They bought a run-down ranch-style house and used Houzz to turn the property into a fun, funky and design-minded short-term vacation home for travelers looking to stay minutes from the park entrance.
“After” photos by Jim K. Decker
Vacation House at a Glance
Who lives here: Short-term renters
Location: Beatty, Nevada, about 10 minutes from the entrance to Death Valley National Park
Size: 1,700 square feet (158 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Designer: Karen McAloon of x8 Property and Design
Watch now: See this ranch house get transformed into a stylish vacation property
Before: The house sits on a hill that overlooks the charming Nevada town of Beatty, population 1,010 (not including the roaming wild donkeys). The faded pink ranch house and surrounding dirt yard hadn’t been updated since the house was built in the late 1970s or early ’80s.
Vacation House at a Glance
Who lives here: Short-term renters
Location: Beatty, Nevada, about 10 minutes from the entrance to Death Valley National Park
Size: 1,700 square feet (158 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Designer: Karen McAloon of x8 Property and Design
Watch now: See this ranch house get transformed into a stylish vacation property
Before: The house sits on a hill that overlooks the charming Nevada town of Beatty, population 1,010 (not including the roaming wild donkeys). The faded pink ranch house and surrounding dirt yard hadn’t been updated since the house was built in the late 1970s or early ’80s.
After: Dark blue paint (Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore) and a fenced-in, landscaped patio upped the curb appeal.
Find architects, designers, builders and more on Houzz
Find architects, designers, builders and more on Houzz
Before: When McAloon first walked through the house, she noticed that previous owners had closed off the kitchen and dropped the ceiling, creating a disconnect between the kitchen and the living room on the other side of the wall.
After: McAloon took out the wall and raised the kitchen ceiling to create a more open flow with a 360-degree view of the central rock fireplace. “Every house should have its money shots,” McAloon says. “This one has the view and the rock fireplace.”
McAloon drew a lot of inspiration from Houzz photos to inform decisions on colors, tile and furniture. And because this is a vacation home, McAloon took the opportunity to play with design styles and go a bit bolder than she would for a regular home.
Sansa chandelier in dark bronze: Globe Electric
McAloon drew a lot of inspiration from Houzz photos to inform decisions on colors, tile and furniture. And because this is a vacation home, McAloon took the opportunity to play with design styles and go a bit bolder than she would for a regular home.
Sansa chandelier in dark bronze: Globe Electric
Before: The cabinets, square-tile countertop and other fixtures had been in the house since its construction. “Nothing was worth keeping,” says McAloon, who stripped everything down to the studs and started from scratch.
After: Dark cabinets, butcher block countertops and lots of graphic floor tile keep things durable and easy to clean, and help conceal scuffs from the high number of guests.
Bailey natural fiber rug: Safavieh
Watch now: See how this kitchen came together on Houzz TV
Bailey natural fiber rug: Safavieh
Watch now: See how this kitchen came together on Houzz TV
Large subway tile in a herringbone pattern puts a fresh spin on the classic backsplash material.
Before: With heavy drapes and stained carpet, the original living room didn’t have a lot going for it.
After: McAloon again ripped everything out and started new, adding wood-like laminate flooring and painting the walls crisp white. She replaced the window at the far end of the room with French doors that connect to a new patio and lounge area.
As for the furnishings, McAloon says the Soho Farmhouse hotel in the Cotswolds area of England inspired the style. “The first time I saw it, it intrigued me to no end,” she says. She describes the look as “cool grandma,” with funky couches, traditional furniture shapes in pinks and emeralds, patterned rugs and floral prints. “It’s design-driven but not overcluttered,” she says.
Various seating areas help make the room feel larger than it is and provide options for different activities among large groups of vacationing friends and family.
Sedgefield metal accent table in antique nickel: Carolina Classics
As for the furnishings, McAloon says the Soho Farmhouse hotel in the Cotswolds area of England inspired the style. “The first time I saw it, it intrigued me to no end,” she says. She describes the look as “cool grandma,” with funky couches, traditional furniture shapes in pinks and emeralds, patterned rugs and floral prints. “It’s design-driven but not overcluttered,” she says.
Various seating areas help make the room feel larger than it is and provide options for different activities among large groups of vacationing friends and family.
Sedgefield metal accent table in antique nickel: Carolina Classics
The furnishings had to hold up to high traffic as well. The large jute rug can be taken outside, hosed off and dried. “They are like nature’s original indoor-outdoor material,” McAloon says.
The pink chairs, which McAloon bought from Houzz, are 100 percent polyester microfiber made to look and feel like velvet. “You can spill anything on there, and it will clean up,” she says. “Light colors are usually a bad idea, but when you choose a product with high clean-ability, it takes that fear away and allowed me to play with those light colors.”
The fake bison head is made of resin and polyester and was the first thing McAloon bought for the house. “A lot of times doing design, I will buy something that’s like planting my flag for the whole design going forward, so I know where I’m going,” she says. “That bison head was it.”
Opera velvet accent chairs in pink: Meridian Furniture; Burton wooden pedestal coffee table in walnut: 1st Avenue; vintage fringe rug in olive: nuLoom; interior paint: Decorator’s White, Benjamin Moore
Watch now: Don’t miss this surprising remodel
The pink chairs, which McAloon bought from Houzz, are 100 percent polyester microfiber made to look and feel like velvet. “You can spill anything on there, and it will clean up,” she says. “Light colors are usually a bad idea, but when you choose a product with high clean-ability, it takes that fear away and allowed me to play with those light colors.”
The fake bison head is made of resin and polyester and was the first thing McAloon bought for the house. “A lot of times doing design, I will buy something that’s like planting my flag for the whole design going forward, so I know where I’m going,” she says. “That bison head was it.”
Opera velvet accent chairs in pink: Meridian Furniture; Burton wooden pedestal coffee table in walnut: 1st Avenue; vintage fringe rug in olive: nuLoom; interior paint: Decorator’s White, Benjamin Moore
Watch now: Don’t miss this surprising remodel
The tile floor in the kitchen extends into the dining area, where new French doors connect to another patio area. For a regular home, McAloon would have used the tile in smaller doses. “But we’re in a fantasy house, so let’s do a ton of it,” she says.
A large table has room for eight to 10 people to gather for meals and games.
Haight Ashbury dining table: Zuo Modern; Forge industrial island light: Brikk
Haight Ashbury dining table: Zuo Modern; Forge industrial island light: Brikk
Before: Yellow walls and seashell-shaped sinks weren’t exactly what McAloon and Hubbard imagined modern-day vacationers were looking for in terms of style.
After: A live-edge slab of oak attached to industrial piping forms a new vanity. McAloon ran 12-by-24-inch porcelain tile the long way up the wall to make the room look bigger. “The less the eye stops, the more open and harmonious a space feels,” she says.
She also wrapped the tile around the corner to make the corner virtually disappear and allow the graphic tile feature wall to stand out.
She also wrapped the tile around the corner to make the corner virtually disappear and allow the graphic tile feature wall to stand out.
In another bathroom, patterned tile that looks like an antique rug covers two walls and the shower.
Here you can see the tile wrapping up the shower area and half wall.
“People are starting to really play with tile,” McAloon says. “The rules for tile have gone out the window.”
Watch now: See more on how this house came together
“People are starting to really play with tile,” McAloon says. “The rules for tile have gone out the window.”
Watch now: See more on how this house came together
In a bedroom, McAloon created some architectural detail by adding already primed 1-by-4-inch boards to the wall with construction adhesive and a nail gun. She then painted over everything. “It immediately makes the room interesting and different,” she says. Stopping just below the ceiling line tricks the eye into thinking the room is bigger than it is. The wood ceiling in a diamond pattern does the same thing.
Wall paint: Hudson Bay, Benjamin Moore
Wall paint: Hudson Bay, Benjamin Moore
McAloon applied the same architectural detail in this bedroom.
Although McAloon and Hubbard didn’t expand the footprint of the house, they got rid of two closets to expand the bathrooms. “This is a vacation home; you don’t need a 6-foot-long closet to hang all your clothes,” she says.
Wall paint: Black, Benjamin Moore
Although McAloon and Hubbard didn’t expand the footprint of the house, they got rid of two closets to expand the bathrooms. “This is a vacation home; you don’t need a 6-foot-long closet to hang all your clothes,” she says.
Wall paint: Black, Benjamin Moore
Before: The side yard lacked appeal and a convenient connection to the home. (You had to exit the front door and walk around to this side of the house.) Plus, McAloon felt that the pink exterior color blended in too much with the rock portions, muting the exterior feature.
After: Two sets of French doors — one off the dining area and one off the living room — now connect the home to a new fenced-in patio.
McAloon painted the pink exterior dark blue (Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore) to set off the rock on the exterior.
Rosario wood picnic dining set: GDF Studio
McAloon painted the pink exterior dark blue (Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore) to set off the rock on the exterior.
Rosario wood picnic dining set: GDF Studio
Various seating zones on the patio create a lot of options for guests. A hot tub soon will go in the gravel area at the far end.
Berkley outdoor lounge egg chair: GDF Studio; rattan garden sofa set: vidaXL
Watch now: See this home renovation from start to finish on Houzz TV
Get the look: Shop for products from this makeover
Your turn: Find a professional and get started on your own project
Berkley outdoor lounge egg chair: GDF Studio; rattan garden sofa set: vidaXL
Watch now: See this home renovation from start to finish on Houzz TV
Get the look: Shop for products from this makeover
Your turn: Find a professional and get started on your own project
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Love the Dining chairs. where did they come from.
What a great remodel and so creative for a vacation rental! Congratulations! The exterior with the French doors and the patio really turned out nice! The only thing I question is painting the exterior such a dark color. While it looks really fab, I have to imagine that dark paint will not fare too well in an environment with high temps/ daily extreme sun. Repainting is such a chore, LOL I try to remind myself I want to do as little of it as possible.
it's really awesome