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Ajewel box home wraps a gem of a residence, rich with custom finishes and luxurious materials, within a small footprint—a perfect example of which now lives on the Westbank. With architecture by Northworks Architects and interiors by WRJ Design, the guest cabin maximizes every inch of its 1,000 square feet, from the built-in utility niches flanking the king bed to the antique pine cabinet, deep with storage, that doubles as a bar.

Such articulate amenities stem from the relationship WRJ Founders Rush Jenkins and Klaus Baer had forged with the client, a family with plans to build a compound on the Westbank. Having already refreshed the interior design of the existing log house, WRJ introduced the clients to Northworks when talk turned to guest quarters. “The beauty of this project was that we worked hand-in-hand with the client, WRJ and the landscape architect from day one,” says Northworks founding partner Austin DePree. “That kind of close collaboration yields the best results.”

The guest cabin offered an opportunity to exercise ingenuity. “Working on a smaller scale can be more exciting,” DePree says. “Everything needs to work together. The architecture must be absolutely seamless in terms of experiencing indoors and out.”

In situ, the Wilson jewel box melds historic and modern references. “The architecture drew inspiration from local examples of historic cabins as well as the client’s experience of modern living,” DePree says.

The footprint of the cabin is classic, as realized by OSM Construction: a peaked great room anchors the core structure, with paneled doors opening onto the northern deck and towering plate-glass windows overlooking the southern expanse (a solid brass chandelier with carved lead crystal shades by Jonathan Browning Studios crowns the vaulted space). The kitchen lies just beyond the foyer and serves as a dining area as well with a live-edge walnut table as island. Sleeping areas bookend the great room: the primary suite to the east and a bunk room for their teen boys to the west. “For a cabin of this size, there is a tremendous amount of living space,” Jenkins says.

Amid clean, modern lines and airy serenity, the client welcomed a mountain ethos through materials: barnwood siding, timber beams, reclaimed oak floors. Within this rustic framework, contrasting finishes soften the space: shiplap paneling covers the ceilings and Mediterranean plaster coats the walls. Such juxtapositions have become a hallmark of WRJ interiors, like the guest house Jenkins and Baer designed for themselves in the Gill Addition, which the clients wanted to reference in their own guest quarters. “Guest houses require a level of thought and intention that goes hand-in-hand with the size of the space,” Jenkins says. “We set out to achieve a juxtaposition of rustic and contemporary and an overall quiet, Zen-like ambiance.”

Awash in light, the interior complements the cool hues of the surrounding landscape with a warm neutral palette of creamy whites and taupey greys, and with enticing textures: woven and natural textiles paired with cashmere- cotton upholstery. Loro Piana drapes and automated solar shades temper the towering windows. “The textures envelope you in a luscious way,” Jenkins says.

Drawing inspiration from travel, Jenkins adapted a bedside niche he adored in a Parisian hotel to suit the primary suite. The nook he designed—in collaboration with Northworks—integrates every possible utility—nightlight, charging station, shelving for water and alarm—and then some, with his-and-hers closets extending the cabinetry.

A similar schema finds the four full bunk beds outfitted in functionality with integrated closets and upholstered headboard storage. Also informative: Jenkins’ experience living in a 400 sq. ft. studio in Manhattan, and the multi- modal living such confines encourages.

EVERYTHING FUNCTIONS BEAUTIFULLY, IN A VERY SOPHISTICATED, SUBTLE WAY.
—RUSH JENKINS, WRJ DESIGN

Flexible forms took precedence throughout: The upholstered armchairs in the living room swivel to allow for engagement with the chef in the adjoining kitchen. Even the storage bench perched beside the front door makes for a multi-functional moment as a mini-mudroom.

In the open kitchen, clutter and cacophony are hidden behind paneling. European in its functionality, even the washer and dryer are tucked behind custom cabinetry. A bespoke mix of statement contemporary and antique pieces cultivates layered character. Singular finds like the antique pine cabinet as bar lend history. In the primary suite, an impeccable BDDW cabinet, sheathed in leather with bronze pulls, faces the king bed. A walnut step ladder wrapped in leather by Poltrona Frau elevates shelving to sculpture.

The placement of art from Tayloe Piggott Gallery coalesces the serene experience: meditative paper works by Rakuko Naito, avian ruminations by Jane Rosen and graphic landscapes by local photographer Tuck Fauntleroy. A bronze elk mount by Ashley Tudor, an artist represented by WRJ, graces the granite fireplace. A botanical piece by Jackson’s own Ed Riddell echoes the elegant silhouette of the freestanding tub in the primary bath.

“This project speaks of our clients through its wonderful blend of contemporary and traditional,” Jenkins says. “Everything functions beautifully, in a very sophisticated, subtle way.”

When WRJ Design principals discovered a log cabin beneath the siding of their newly purchased home, what ensued was a remodel challenge, which tied them to the history of Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park. The solution was realized with the help of both Ankeny Architecture and Design, and Jackson Contractors.

The great Moran log cabin round-up began in 1950, shortly after Truman expanded Grand Teton National Park, annexing both the land of the Jackson Hole National Monument and the 35,000 acres of John D. Rockefeller’s Snake River Land Company.

But then the park and Rockefeller had a log cabin problem: the land he’d amassed held a collection of old hunting residences that needed to be removed. He solved this by sending most of these structures to the campgrounds at Colter Bay, and the rest he offered up to the people of Jackson Hole.

And this is where the history lesson concludes and our story begins, with a note regarding one such cabin that found its way into town, which read:

“Klaus and Rush, Louise didn’t know the history of the cabin which was discovered in 1963 when the Hirschs added onto the garage … Louise had never heard that the cabin was moved from the former town of Moran although her father had told me it had ….”

Beneath the vinyl siding of the newly purchased ranch-style home at 415 Deloney, there existed a log cabin. And this note from a neighbor to the new homeowners, WRJ Design principals Klaus Baer and Rush Jenkins, was how they came to learn of the matter.

There had been plans for a remodel. Baer wanted a new kitchen, and Jenkins, a more fitting space for his beloved Steinway. And both men wanted a more dynamic entranceway and a sunroom to replace the back patio. For five years, they waited and pondered this predicament until, in 2020, in the quiet of Covid, they reached out to their like-minded aesthete and friend, architect Shawn Ankeny, of Ankeny Architecture and Design, who they’d enjoyed collaborating with on several previous projects.

“Klaus and I both hold a deep appreciation for history, for items with rich story and meaning, and the resurrection of this little cabin became a matter of personal responsibility for us.”

— Rush Jenkins

 
For a contractor, they brought in Daniel Hierro of Jackson Contractors, who they’d discovered fortuitously earlier that year. Hierro offered boundless skill sets, an easy demeanor, and a great team. Together, they began discussing the possibilities.

The first line of business was, what about this mysterious cabin? Was it salvageable? The time had arrived for them to take a peek beneath the siding. Fortunately, Hierro had worked on log cabins and knew what to look for, and what they found was a treasure worth preserving.

“Klaus and I both hold a deep appreciation for history, for items with rich story and meaning,” recounts Jenkins. “And the resurrection of this little cabin became a matter of personal responsibility for us.”

Indeed, Jenkins’s design philosophy has long emphasized the value of enriching one’s home with story, whether in the form of family heirlooms or treasures of a personal nature. His training at Sotheby’s in New York had only reinforced what he’d come to believe as the son of a long line of Idaho ranchers and farmers: the true value of things lies in their meaning.

And so, with the decision made to keep the cabin, the team went into action, driving around town studying other such historic structures, the proper care of the logs and chinking, and imagining the possibilities.

“This project was always evolving,” remembers Ankeny. “First, liberating the cabin, then figuring out how to mesh the pitches of the roofs, removing walls to improve the flow. So many times, a solution would present itself that could make the house more gracious, and so we’d change course right there. Daniel and his team were great with that.”

Beams were removed and ceilings raised. On one end, the house was lengthened, and on the other, a proper stone garage was added. And in a stroke of high art, Ankeny and Hierro created a three-sided sunroom experience with floor-to-ceiling windows that fully embraced Jenkins’s vision and allowed both his training as a landscape architect and Baer’s expertise as a gardener to shine through.

“With the sunroom completed, we seized the opportunity to landscape this beautiful new footpath through spruce trees, hosta, and ferns, winding from the backyard to a whole new fence and garden area. It all felt very much like home,” says Baer.

Recalls Hierro, “I think in the end, we moved or removed all but two walls, and I enjoyed the process. I think what was most satisfying was that, no matter the situation, Rush and Klaus were always choosing in favor of what was most beautiful. The house spoke, and we answered.”

A full renovation of a legacy property in Teton Valley, Idaho, preserves a strong sense of home while making spaces feel lighter, more open, and better connected to the landscape.

A single design cue—a dazzling slab of granite or an iconic Teton view—can serve as inspiration for a whole-house renovation. With Darby Creek Ranch, a multi-winged, three-level residence overlooking the Teton River, the homeowners’ love for their four dogs set the architectural design in motion. They wanted more space for a row of dog beds by the home’s central fireplace, along with more room for friends and family to gather. “Those simple requests quietly set the tone for the entire project,” says Alison Price, architect and owner of Price West Architecture, who combined forces with interior architect Brianna Taylor, founder of Wyoming-based B&B Design, and Fulcrum Builders to realize the vision.

Built by the homeowner’s father in 1988, Darby Creek Ranch has since passed to the next generation. The renovation expanded the original footprint in multiple directions, adding a relatively modest 1,550 square feet of habitable space to the existing 7,356 square feet. The team changed a two-car garage into a three-car garage, expanded the kitchen, dining room, and great room, created a three-bedroom guest oasis on the garden level, reimagined the entryway, and reclaimed old second-story decks for indoor space. Outdoor spaces were built out, adding 2,000 square feet of outdoor living and creating a stronger connection to the surrounding 15 acres, a landscape that doubles as an informal bird sanctuary.

Rugged Rustic Exteriors

The home’s exterior underwent a complete transformation. “We removed all the siding, windows, roof—we took everything down to studs,” says Derek DiVenere, who in 2022 founded Fulcrum Builders and teamed up with the highly experienced superintendent Steve Comeau on this project.

New cedar siding was placed in shifting directions to break up the facade’s scale. Montana Chief Cliff Stone surrounding the base of the house anchors the forms, while vertical standing-seam metal on the garage and the fireplace’s chimney adds visual interest. “The metal accents were a way to play with the proportion of the exterior wood paneling,” Price says.

The original entryway consisted of a simple wood panel door. To create a more welcoming and formal arrival, the team added 120 square-feet to the entry and a new roof and incorporated natural stone, log timbers, metal tension rods, and a new Loewen glass door with sidelights. “The glass gives it a more modern aesthetic, and it glows beautifully at night,” Price says. “When you approach the entryway, you know you’ve arrived.”

Contemporary Interiors

While the rustic exterior is rooted in natural materials, interiors are a refined departure from the usual rugged masculinity found in the valley’s design aesthetic. Spaces feel intentional, inviting, and deeply lived-in.

“The glass gives it a more modern aesthetic, and it glows beautifully at night when you approach the entryway, you know you’ve arrived.”

— Alison price, Architect

The interior layout was shaped by where the homeowner’s furniture and art collection would live—and where light would land. “From the beginning, the client knew where certain pieces of art would go, including a beautiful pair of ancient scrolls,” Taylor says. Heavy forms were replaced with gentle curves. Layers of pattern, texture, and warmth give each room its own personality while staying connected to the whole.

“I focused on ensuring the interior movement worked functionally with the homeowner’s vision for living in the space,” Taylor says. To complement their eclectic collection of Native American, Chinese, and Indian artwork, Taylor employed a timeless neutral palette layered with warm tones—reds, blues, greens, and coppers—along with walnut cabinetry, white oak flooring, and brass accents. “We had to create a neutral base that allowed the artwork to pop, but that also matched its richness,” she says. “The wife leans to a midcentury Art Deco style, and the husband has a more outdoorsy, traditional sensibility. It was interesting melding those two styles together.”

Structural Challenges and Improvisation

Sometimes the most impressive architectural work is invisible. Extending spaces out and capturing more Teton views meant removing load-bearing walls. To support the newly imagined forms, Fulcrum shored up the house with helical piers and concealed massive steel beams inside the flooring system. “Getting 1,400-pound, 30-foot-long beams into the floor without using heavy equipment was a monumental structural challenge,” Comeau says. The solution? Using hydraulic jacks to crib the beams into place.

“We get a set of plans, but sometimes we need to improvise,” DiVenere says. During construction, the team realized a new roofline over the back deck would block views of the Tetons. “We made a game-day decision to eliminate part of the roof to open up sightlines.”

Realizing the Vision—and Expanding on It

Located off the primary suite’s office-lounge, the second-story outdoor balcony is an enchanting space where you can pick up a pair of binoculars and watch for coyotes and sandhill cranes moving along the riparian corridor. “The ‘perch’ began as a small idea in our first concept sketch, and even though the clients hadn’t asked for it, it’s become the husband’s favorite spot,” Price says. “Creating moments like this is one of the great joys of being an architect.” It was also an opportunity to build more sustainably. “We salvaged redwood deck material from the original home and reconfigured it in the new deck in a more intriguing parquet design,” Comeau says.

Ultimately, the clients wanted a home that supported their everyday rituals. “Our role wasn’t to reinvent the house, but to help carry forward its history, creating space for its future,” Price says. The renovation deftly balances shared living spaces with contemplative moments of retreat—places to linger and watch the world go by, binoculars within reach, dogs asleep at your feet.

Executing every construction detail Flawlessly, Bontecou Construction created Skyhouse, a sanctuary that is as sophisticated as it is restrained.

Vertical wooden slats, hand-troweled plaster, floating treads on a staircase, and carefully considered window placements can create an interplay of light and shadow that enhances a home’s feng shui, shaping energy within the lived environment and striking a delicate balance of yin and yang.

The owner of this stunning 6,574-square-foot, five-bed, eight-bath property near Jackson Hole tapped Bontecou Construction to bring their vision for a peaceful mountain retreat to life. “They were influenced by the aesthetic of a Belgian architect known for creating spaces that inspire occupants to respond viscerally,” says Lindsey Bontecou, president of Bontecou Construction, which served as general contractor on the two-year project, working with an architect and interior designer from Belgium. “The owner’s end goal was to create a home that felt Zen, filled with spaces that invite quiet moments of reflection.”

Blending European and Japanese sensibilities, Skyhouse features clean lines and exquisitely executed details. “I’d call it modern minimalism, but at the same time, all the oak wood throughout the interior makes it feel warm and inviting. It has a soft, earthy quality,” Bontecou says.

Nestled into a hillside on 6.4 acres, the home has expansive windows that frame views of the iconic Sleeping Indian in the Gros Ventre range on the east side of the valley, but its real beauty lies within. A simple materials palette features light oak, black patinated steel, Italian travertine, and dark Pietra Vesuvius stone. Every finish was thoughtfully curated and custom built: a recessed stairway handrail with integrated LED lighting, a custom white clay bathtub imported from Belgium, and millwork crafted in Italy. In the guest wing, a striking rectangular oak bathtub imported from Poland offers visitors a memorable soak. The kitchen combines patinated metal cabinets with travertine drawer and door fronts. White-oak-paneled walls and floor-to-ceiling pocket doors define the home’s spaces while creating beautiful moments of light and shadow. The result is a sophisticated and restrained sanctuary that leaves one with an overall feeling of calm without pointing to just one move, material, or detail.

Midway through the project, the owners decided to expand the project’s scope with a 2,640-square-foot, two-bedroom addition for guests. “This architectural add-on gave us the opportunity to build out what we call the ‘Sky Terrace,’” Bontecou says. Spanning livable garage space, they installed a sunken spa, Montana fire pit, concrete pavers, and a frameless glass railing designed to disappear into the mountain panorama. This tranquil outdoor space connects the two two-story structures via a sophisticated linear composition.

The approach to the home’s exterior construction mirrored the interior design strategy. “We were thoughtful about not introducing too many different materials,” Bontecou says. To reinforce the homeowners’ intention to create a juxtaposition between the warm interior materials and the exterior, cedar siding was stained a brushed gray. This ensured it remained in harmony with other exterior finishes and accents like deep black, board-formed concrete, and Ipê, a Brazilian hardwood used for the understated entryway and rear decking.

“The real challenge was the extraordinary level of craftsmanship. Every shadow line, every cove molding, every fin of white oak—every last detail received focused attention.”

—Lindsey Bontecou, Bontecou Construction

“Skyhouse required precision work at every step,” Bontecou says. “The real challenge was the extraordinary level of craftsmanship. Every shadow line, every cove molding, every fin of white oak—every last detail received focused attention. This creates a seamless space, which, in turn, makes the home feel harmonious and peaceful.”

Born in Jackson, Lindsey is the second generation to helm Bontecou Construction. She returned to the area in 2017 to work with her father, Steve, who founded the company in Jackson in 1978. Steve officially retired in 2024—though he still likes to visit job sites now and then. “Everywhere I look in this valley, there are high-end custom homes that Bontecou Construction has had a hand in over the last 45 years,” Lindsey says. “It feels good to carry on that legacy.”

Berlin Architects, Headwall Construction, and Redpath Constable Interior Design collaborated to create a light-filled custom home that blends traditional details of Mountain West architecture with modern living.

A snowball’s throw from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s base area, in an exclusive neighborhood bisected by creeks and with sweeping views of several of the mountain ranges that surround Jackson Hole, is a Minnesota-based family’s ski and summer retreat. But this 6,000-square-foot residence with its 1,000-square-foot guest cabin is more than a getaway—it’s a commitment to contemporary mountain living rooted in the vernacular of the Mountain West.

Interior designer Katie Constable, who is based in Minneapolis and had previously designed a lake house for the family, says her clients desired a home that was mountain modern and classically elegant, yet comfortable and cozy. “They wanted it to feel welcoming and did not want it to be intimidating,” she says. Part of this was ensuring the home wasn’t so contemporary that it lacked a sense of place.

These goals resonated with architect Larry Berlin, who founded Berlin Architecture in 1984. “The custom spaces we create speak in a profound way to the mountain lifestyle and to the unique character of the individuals who live it,” he says. “We always want to bring a sense of the history of the vernacular of the Mountain West. In this case, we wanted it to feel like a cabin at the base of the Tetons, but open to the spectacular views available from its site at the base of the mountains.”

“The architecture embraces the surrounding landscape with a flowing, light-filled floor plan and expansive views. Inside, there is minimalist detailing, floor-to-ceiling glass, and clean lines.”

— Larry Berlin, Architect

Responding to the Site

An inspiring force for Berlin was the exceptional quality of the southern light and long views downrange. In response, most spaces, including the bedrooms on the home’s second floor, are oriented in this direction. “On this site, you can look all the way down the Tetons to the south,” Berlin says. In contrast, the great room boldly faces northwest, up toward the energy of the slopes and lifts rising steeply at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

As the design was taking shape, Berlin also factored in what might be built in the future on adjacent lots, which were vacant at that time. “Our site plan development was informed by where we thought neighboring houses might be built,” Berlin says. “That is always something we look at very closely. We don’t want light and views to be lost to structures that come later.”

While Berlin considered how future buildings might impact the house, Constable, who founded Redpath Constable Interior Design in 2005, and Colby Bancroft, president of Headwall Construction, had their own challenges. Constable was considering how she might create interiors that didn’t distract from the light and views. “I was looking at windows and the views they framed as art and decided on an organic color palette with texture. This would allow your eye to go through the furniture and focus instead on the view,” she says. “Loud color would distract from the beauty outside.”

Teamwork

Bancroft, who is a former structural engineer converted to contractor, focused on bringing Berlin’s design to life efficiently and in a way that would last in the long run. There were bump-outs in the main public space—a living room/dining room/kitchen/family area where each of these areas flowed into the next—that Bancroft saw as places where the home would lose heat. “We worked with Berlin, framing crews, and insulators to make sure we would resolve the thermal concerns,” he says. “Every single project has its own challenges, and I look at it as part of my job to find ways to solve these in practical ways that don’t compromise the quality or look of the project.”

But Bancroft didn’t have to solve problems solo. “It was a great team on this project, and the clients really benefited from that,” Constable says. “Everyone came in with different past experiences and different things they were focused on. This meant that when we were trying to solve a problem, we had the benefit of a variety of approaches. We also had each other to lean on.”

Bancroft found Constable’s deep understanding of what the clients wanted invaluable. “Her knowing exactly what they would want was so beneficial,” he says. Berlin’s job was made easier because the Headwall crew intrinsically appreciated the attention to detail required to make a minimalist space successful. “Spaces that look simple are the hardest to build,” Berlin says. And Constable and Bancroft say Berlin’s design challenged them to do their best work. “I was so proud to hand this finished project over to the clients. It started off with the ultimate design and ended with it looking and functioning phenomenally,” Bancroft says.

Blending Traditional with Modern

Paradoxically, a fresh interpretation of exterior board-and-batten siding, common in traditional Mountain West architecture, gives the home a more modern look among its reclaimed-wood-and-stone-clad neighbors. “Board-and-batten is something you’d traditionally see on a lot of houses in the Mountain West,” Berlin says. “We used it here to give the house a sense of history in a unique way, where this traditional element has a modern twist.”

The vertical battens are overscaled, and the pattern alternated, accentuating the textural quality and rhythm of the wooden skin. In contrast, subordinate components of the building are clad with a smoother horizontal siding to emphasize the dynamic interaction. The standing seam metal roof reinforces the home’s modern pedigree. Window proportions are bold, simple, uncomplicated, and clean. All this contributes to a masterful balance of traditional form rendered through modern detailing.

The home has baseboards, but instead of being stained, they are enamel. “A modern twist on a traditional detail,” Constable says. The rustic white oak on the ceilings of some rooms strikes a similar balance. White oak is traditional, but the Headwall team worked with Constable and Berlin to come up with a finish that makes it read crisp, clean, and contemporary. “It was exciting and interesting to play with traditional elements and materials and see how they could work together to create a mountain modern home,” Bancroft says.