Step Inside: A Calming A-Frame Getaway
We love a space that tells a story, and that’s certainly the case for Dahlia House. Says owner Angie Norman, “Dahlia House is an amalgamation of every single part of my life leading up to this point — every job, lived experience, and trip I’ve taken.”
The newly built A-frame is nestled in Omaha, Nebraska’s Benson Creative District and serves as an urban oasis for short-term getaways, wellness sessions, elopements, and small events. Walk 5 minutes in any direction, and you’ll stumble upon numerous boutiques, vintage shops, bars, and art galleries, not to mention multiple James Beard Award-nominated restaurants.
For Angie, this is no passive-income rental. She does everything at the house, including cleaning, caring for 300 dahlias, and handpicking heirlooms to fill the home with. Read on to learn more about how she brought this flower-studded space came to life, with photos by Victoria Petersen and Daniel Muller.
Tell us more about The Dahlia House! What was building it like?
I built the house through the pandemic, and it opened late in 2021. I pored through countless books of vintage A-Frames and vacation homes, then combined them to design something that felt cozy but roomy inside. It was important to me to create a space that’s calming, welcoming, and inspiring.
The cedar logs that created our retaining walls came from our friends’ properties in rural Nebraska. We were able to save money by cutting and sourcing them ourselves. I sourced a lot of the vintage items inside during the building process.
Where did you get the name Dahlia House?
I chose the name because I’ve spent years tending to my dahlias, looking over at the open lot next to our house and dreaming up something really lovely there. After a few starts and stops, I’m so thrilled that it actually came to fruition.
How would you describe the space, both inside and out?
It’s not a large house — there’s only one bedroom. But it’s designed so that a couple can use different parts of the space at different times of the day, depending on the sun and season.
Inside, there’s a reading nook; a vintage Malm fireplace; and a comfy loft filled with books,
trinkets, and other treasures. Outside, there’s a greenhouse, an Almost Heaven sauna, and a Goodland wood-burning hot tub. There’s also an honor-system flower stand I stock regularly with thrifted vases for our neighbors and guests.
How were you able to balance the old and the new here?
It was important to me to have vintage mixed with new. There are lots of new books — as well as thrifted travel books I’ve collected for four years now — that fill the bookshelves in the loft. Our guests bring art and poetry books.
I made sure to have raw brass fixtures that would patina over time, and lots of living finishes — zellige tile, wooden furniture, concrete flooring with exposed aggregate for a bit of a terrazzo effect. Sheepskin rugs and cozy blankets soften it all up and bring balance.
The light fixtures are either classic or something that could be seen as a piece of art. I’m constantly looking for new ways to add a little more magic through new details or experiences.
How does life at The Dahlia House change throughout the seasons?
Each season brings an entirely different experience. In the summer, guests might pick a bouquet of flowers, have dinner outside, take a cool floral bath in the hot tub, or watch butterflies in the little meadow. I also offer cruiser bikes they can take to some amazing restaurants and shops.
In the winter, our guests arrive to a heated, wood-burning hot tub (including relaxing bath salts) and a fire going inside in our vintage Malm fireplace. They’ll also find a curated record playing on the record player with hot tea steeping from a local maker. I like to add to the experience by including incense smokers, thick robes, slippers, and quilts.
In spring, there’s a field of tulips, and guests can have coffee or dinner in the greenhouse when it’s raining. Then in the fall, it’s all about dahlias and enjoying the dragonflies, hummingbirds, and bees in the backyard.
Last but not least, tell us about a few Schoolhouse favorites and why you chose them for this space.
Out of the thousands of decisions I made when creating this house, one of the easiest was our exterior lighting. I knew I wanted Schoolhouse lights for their welcoming glow.
We’ve also had the Stillwater Quilt in our rotation for three years now, and it’s only getting better with time. We just added the Tulbend Quilt to the collection, and it’s perfect for summer.
