Monte Rio riverside cabin gets total makeover

The first thing you notice when you walk into Simon Shelston’s cottage is the river. Enter through a set of glass double doors framed on three sides by windows, and your eyes zip right over the big open kitchen and the living room beyond. They settle on a 16-foot sliding door in the very back of the house, framed by drapes that give it almost a theatrical look. This wall of glass offers a view that instantly telegraphs summer - a quiet narrow stretch of the Russian River lazing past, a wall of thick redwoods and pine on the opposite shore.

If you’ve got it, flaunt it, as they say. Sebastopol designer Tama Bell did just that with the crowning feature of Shelston’s river getaway. Let the view take front and center stage.

“When I walked in, I saw the river and that was it for me,” said Shelston, remembering the first time he saw the little house. It’s otherwise architecturally forgettable, but is set on a sunny, open 10,000-square-foot lot with a big backyard running out to the river’s edge in Monte Rio. “I hated everything about it but the river.”

Shelston, director of sales for a tech company, has a home in San Francisco’s Mission District. But this Canadian native craved a weekend getaway where he could chill with friends and teach his 4½-year-old daughter how to swim, fish and kayak.

He saw beyond the poor design to the possibilities. Three floor to ceiling windows and a patio door offered a peek-a-boo view.

But a fireplace was wedged between them, not the main attraction for a summer place. He enlisted Bell to help him turn this dowdy place into fun central for an inclusive circle of friends and family.

Clean canvas

He actually liked the fact that the 1,300-square-foot house, built in 1955, was charmless, making it a clean canvas.

“The floor plan was odd. It sort of looked like a sad little tract house,” said Bell. “At some point it must have been a cute river cottage, and then they added on.”

Because the house is on septic, they couldn’t add bedrooms or bathrooms. Bell tore the existing space down to the studs and blew it open, starting with the entry.

Before, the house appeared like an L with an attached garage. The entry was hidden off to the side, engulfed between the garage and a wing of bedrooms and bathrooms. The front door opened into an uninviting dark hallway

Bell filled in that lost space between the wings with an extended living area and welcoming front door, all in tall glass.

The new high pitched roof created a big kitchen designed for casual gatherings, including a central island for prep with a durable granite surface that mimics the less resilient marble.

In keeping with Shelston’s informal vision for the house, Bell gave it a faintly beach cottage look, with exterior shingles in a soft gray-blue.

Inside she worked in some tongue and groove on the walls, and whitewashed them in neutral colors.

Bell was going for the look of a vintage river cottage, as if it had been updated rather than completely rebuilt.

Overall, only 300 to 400 square feet were added, but the space feels much larger.

“I think this is a very California/Sonoma County floor plan. It’s simple but classic and an easy space in which to entertain,” Bell said.

Fire pit addition

The backyard was cleaned up and made more user-friendly with a patio and fire pit conversation spot, “S’more Central” for the kids.

Although the house sits on the river, only the back deck has flooded, Bell said. But for that reason it could not be rebuilt under today’s zoning. So they kept it, pressure washed it and replaced some boards.

A fence provides peace of mind for parents that tiny tots won’t race out to the water. Right now, the river is only about 8 inches deep, Shelston said. Wading pools are deeper.

“I’ve seen dogs walk across it,” he said.

Shelston grew up camping and fishing and said he wanted to recreate that experience for his own child.

He comes up pretty much every weekend and has an open door policy with friends and family. Anyone who wants to join him is welcome.

“It’s very much like camping,” he said, adding with a grin, “well, glamping. I really like to disconnect. When I come up here, I put the devices away. It’s chill time or river time, as we call it.”

You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5204.