David Tsay, styling by Janna Lufkin
Caitlin Wilson has lived in her fair share of big cities, so the noted interior and product designer feels lucky to have her family’s remote ranch in southern Oregon as a touchstone. “After so many moves, it’s nice to have a place where we all feel at home,” she says.
When her parents, Kathy and Roger Carter, bought the ample acreage in the Beaver State over a decade ago, they had visions of the entire brood—which, in addition to Caitlin and her husband, Brigham, and their four children, includes her four siblings, their spouses, plus many more nieces and nephews—gathering there. With such a large family though, it’s little surprise that, after designing her parents’ home, Caitlin realized there were too many people and too few beds. She looked around and eventually set her sights on a large under-construction storage building.
"It was being built as an equipment space—a place to store ATVs, swimming gear, and all the other ranch essentials," she says. "But I got to thinking that we really didn't need any more storage. The only thing missing here was more places to sleep." She immediately went to work, retrofitting the lackluster storage space into welcoming, guest-friendly quarters featuring three bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as a living area, dining room, and kitchenette.
David Tsay, styling by Janna Lufkin
Because outfitting a garage isn’t exactly business as usual—even for Caitlin—she made up her own rules as she went along. While she’s typically known for her more feminine and preppy interiors and products (florals and bright pinks factor heavily into her popular line of textiles, rugs, and furniture), this time the green treetops, golden hills, and deep blue water views inspired a more muted palette. Says Caitlin, “It was important to me to create a place that felt at one with its surroundings. I wanted it to feel natural and more masculine and collected—like something that had evolved over many years, even though we completed it in 18 months.”
Now, what was once an equipment shed is a family-friendly retreat, thanks in large part to the downstairs garage bay swing doors that offer easy-breezy access to the living room and a plaid-walled bedroom.
Entry
David Tsay, styling by Janna Lufkin
While her parents left most of the heavy lifting to Caitlin, her dad made a rather large contribution to the design scheme. The avid sportsman has a penchant for landscapes and western artwork. “He’s been collecting them for as long as I can remember,”says Caitlin. “He basically has a barn full of pieces that I was lucky enough to choose from.” Pieces from the predominantly 19th-century collection reinforce the great outdoors aesthetic throughout the house.
Living Room
David Tsay, styling by Janna Lufkin
When the family needs a break from the lake, a custom heathered-flannel sofa layered with Navajo and plaid patterns serves as a stylish crash pad. A pair of durable leather stools doubles as a coffee table and extra seating for when kids wander in from the nearby trampoline.
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Wall Paint Color: Super White by Benjamin Moore
Leather Stools:Cooper by Serena & Lily
David Tsay, styling by Janna Lufkin
Details like shiplap walls, casing on the doors, and woodlike herringbone tile floors in a soft, warm grey set the stage for Caitlin's sophisticated "tree house aesthetic. In the kitchenette, while the space is small—the corner spot houses only a sink and a mini-fridge—Caitlin didn’t skimp on designer luxuries like flush-mount cabinets and Silestone countertops. The latch hardware is both pretty and practical—it keeps wandering wildlife out of the Rice Krispies Treats.
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Flooring: Herringbone Tile Floors by Oregon Tile & Marble
David Tsay, styling by Janna Lufkin
Caitlin layered in a variety of rugs and textiles from her namesake line and selected a mix of furnishings both new and antique, but she notes nothing here is too precious. "The nice thing about antiques is that they have weathered plenty of storms in past lives, so withstanding children on vacation is pretty easy for them to handle," she says. Larger family dinners take place in the main house, so Caitlin outfitted this gathering space for puzzle mastery and heated games of Uno. A cartridge display board and Persian-style flatweave rug in navy set the stage for an antique bobbin-leg table and rush seat dining chairs.
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Dining Chairs:Abigail by Redford House
Master Bedroom
David Tsay, styling by Janna Lufkin
When it came time to create the bedrooms, Caitlin looked to graphic wallpaper patterns as the design drivers. "Wallpaper really provides the most bang for the visual buck—I was able to give each bedroom an identity without a bunch of space-encroaching accessories, drapes, and so on," she says. In the master bedroom, Caitlin enveloped the small room—a mere 10 feet wide!—with plaid wallpaper. The handsome custom head- board is covered in camel-hued vinyl that’s a dead ringer for leather, but far more resilient.
David Tsay, styling by Janna Lufkin
Caitlin’s design plan for the master bathroom began with a mirror crafted from antler sheds. “Animals aren’t poached or killed for these—they’re actually just shedding them,” she says. Then she layered in herringbone tile, a custom gray vanity, and brass sconces .
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Vanity Paint Color (for similar): Nickel by Benjamin Moore
Sconces (for similar):Eastmoreland by Rejuvention
Loft Bedroom
David Tsay, styling by Janna Lufkin
Inspired by the surrounding treetops, Caitlin chose a playful bird patterned wallpaper for the under-the-eaves loft bedroom. “We’re so high up here—I wanted it to be whimsical and ethereal at the same time,” she says.
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Wallpaper:"A-Twitter" by Schumacher
David Tsay, styling by Janna Lufkin
Thanks to 11-foot ceilings in the bunk room, Caitlin’s kid-at-heart father came up with the novel three-bunk structure. “I resisted, but he insisted,” says Caitlin, who had the guardrails reinforced just to be safe. Playful equestrian wallpaper inspires a healthy dose of horsing around.
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Bed Paint Color: Newburg Green by Benjamin Moore
David Tsay
Caitlin—here with husband Brigham, Penn, Chloe, and Olivia (shortly after this photo was taken, daughter Sienna was born)—can’t imagine spending weekends anywhere except her family’s lake-front Oregon property. “We have views of Mt. McLoughlin and the Bradshaw Reservoir. I love the green rolling hills and golden pink sunsets,” she says.