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More empirical asks included three bedroom suites similar in size and views—the client has three daughters—a primary suite detached from the family and guest rooms; accessory rooms including a library, billiard room, and exercise room; a combined kitchen/dining/living space; a bunk room for guests; and a “hidden garage,” Blake says. “He liked the way we had hidden garages in other projects and wanted to do that here.” And the client wanted views. From the site, you can see the entire expanse of the Teton Range and, hundreds of feet below on the valley floor, some of the valley’s historic (and still working) cattle ranches.

An award-winning Ward | Blake home on the Ridge at Spring Creek is a light-filled, organic extension of East Gros Ventre Butte.

Because the home would be on a ridge, Teton County’s “skylining” regulations also factored into siting and design. Put in place to preserve the valley’s topographical ecosystem, these land development regulations state that a ridgeline home must be sited and designed in a way that preserves the view of that ridgeline when seen from any county road.

And then there were the features that Jackson-based Ward | Blake brings into all of its projects: a connection between the inside and out; energy efficiency; natural light; and a thoughtful, measured, and meaningful materials palette. All this was a tall order, but “this project and site were a good fit for us,” says firm cofounder Tom Ward.

“Visually, the house is transparent—the massing is a combination of stone and glass with thin steel components that provide delicacy to the detailing. The heavy stone forms are visually lightened by the large glass openings while they connect seamlessly to the site like a natural outcropping,” says Blake. “It’s a real juxtaposition to the stone and steel and is a good manifestation of something we always try to do—articulate massing and materials. In this instance, the distinction is razor sharp.”

Initial Thoughts

“Because it is a hillside lot, we immediately thought about ‘slicing’ the house into the hillside to make it fit the natural contours,” Blake says. The client had asked only for a hidden garage, but Blake and Ward’s design integrated most of the home into the hillside. “It looks like it is emerging out of the slope, capturing big views and the sky and sunlight,” Blake says.

While big walls of glass can decrease a home’s energy efficiency, these windows are triple glazed. “The thermal properties of these windows are much more enhanced than even what was available just 10 years ago,” Tom Ward says.

Ward and Blake also had ideas about using the exterior materials palette to articulate function and reinforce massing, proportions, and rhythm. “Arbitrary and meaningless changes in materials proliferate in bad modern architecture,” Ward says. “In this project, changing materials respond to the floor plan and/or are a direct response to us trying to enhance or connect with the site.”

Big Views with Big Benefits

Much of the house that opens up from its “slice” within the hillside is glass. The views are stunning—from any room, you can see the entirety of the Teton range. But all of this glass is not only about the views. “Windows bring in natural light, which makes a house pleasant and brings a passive solar aspect,” Ward says. Blake adds, “They create a connection to nature. With a lot of windows, you are very aware of what’s happening outside.” Windows and natural light also create a dialogue between inside and outside. “When there’s low light, snow on the ground, and sub-zero temps in the winter, the house feels one way,” Ward says. “In summer, when everything is green, it’s a very different feel.”

This connection to the outside from inside is an increasingly popular concept in architecture and is called biophilic design. (Biophilic design was on Ward’s and Blake’s radars long before it was a thing, though.) According to ArchDaily, “The main principle behind biophilia is rather simple: connecting humans with nature to improve well-being.” Biophilic design creates spaces that connect humans with nature. “In this house, you’re never wondering what it’s like outside,” Ward says. “You can’t help but feel connected to it.”

Vignettes and Details

Biophilic design is a type of architecture that connects humans with nature to increase well-being. This can be achieved in many ways, including large windows, green roofs, a natural materials palette, and materiality flowing from inside to out.

The Ridge 52 Residence won a 2023 BLT Built Design Award
– Architectural Design/Residential

While the wall of windows facing the Tetons offers the most dramatic views, “We wanted it to be a fun and interesting experience to move through the house and have it open up in different ways,” Blake says. “You catch glimpses as you travel up and down stairs and as you walk down hallways.” All of the home’s main corridors have large glass windows at their end, including on the basement level. (We wonder if there are any other homes in the valley in which a basement hallway ends with a view of the Grand Teton?) “There are no dead-end corridors,” Ward says.

Low-slope shed roofs reach beyond the house to protect exterior spaces on the outdoor terraces and also provide solar control for interior spaces.

When you tear your gaze from outside, you might notice the interior’s intricate steel detailing. “Instead of using wood trim, we used metal trim,” Blake says. “We expressed exposed steel all over the house, which we had done with components or furniture before, but this was the first time we applied it as a part of the language of the house.” This required a level of exacting precision from the builder. “In a conventional house with wood trim, there is a fair amount of margin for error—you can cover up a lot with trim, but in this house, there’s no trim behind which to hide,” Ward says.

Remodeling kitchens to suit clients’ needs.

Often the hub of a home, the kitchen requires precise alignment of form and function. As designers, Willow Creek approaches each kitchen remodel as a custom concept tailored to the client’s wish list—a strategy shared by builder Steve Stuchal of Serenity Builders. “Each kitchen remodel we do with Willow Creek is catered to the owners and their needs,” Stuchal says.

When considering the anatomy of a kitchen remodel, Willow Creek senior designer Renee Crawford sketches the structure of a successful project. The process begins with information gathering: how would the client like to use their new kitchen? After listening intently, the designers draft a floor plan and cabinetry layout, which the builder reviews for structural viability. Examination of the floor plan pays particular attention to storage, ensuring all food items, appliances, and cookware can be stowed. Next comes discussion and decisions on appliances: what components are needed to achieve a fully functional kitchen for this client? With appliances ordered, cabinetry steps to the forefront: What profile suits the client’s aesthetic? What finish—wood type or painted color? Consideration of countertops and islands requires meeting clients at a slab gallery, perusing the selection of natural and engineered stones, and picking the favorite. Lighting also warrants discussion, from upgrading to LEDs to sourcing pendants. Seating caps the process, with clusters mapped out for family and guests.

BEFORE & AFTER One of the client’s main goals was to ensure the kitchen was bright, which was achieved with painted cabinetry, Fantasy Macaubus quartzite countertops, and a full-height backsplash at the window above the sink. Gaggenau appliances, along with Perrin and Rohe faucets, were a must for the family of chefs.

Having completed many remodels together, the Willow Creek-Serenity team knows how to problem solve the challenges specific to the kitchen. “We rely on each other a lot throughout the process,” says McFadden-Walls.

Two recent projects—distinctive in their design credos—illustrate the kinds of challenges that can surface when reworking culinary spaces.

Umami Kitchen

Walnut accents on the table, backsplash, and shelves complement modified Shaker-painted cabinetry. Artwork provided by Diehl Gallery.

The custom character of kitchen remodels comes through writ large in this complete remodel recently realized by the team. Originally a spec home, the property was purchased several years ago by a family that was drawn to its ability to house all four grown children. However, they knew that the kitchen (chopped up and storage deficient) would need a makeover someday. Having worked with McFadden-Walls on furnishings, the homeowners turned to her again for the renovation of their dream kitchen. “Our client wanted to have her family around her while she was cooking, sitting at the island, working close by on their laptops, or playing cards at the dining table,” McFadden-Walls says. “They don’t get to see each other all the time, so when they are together, they want to congregate.”

“Some people shy away from remodeling their kitchens, but if you work with a team of professionals who ask you the right questions from the beginning, it’s money well spent.”
—Colleen McFADden-walls, Willow Creek Design Group

A family of chefs, each relative brought a wish list to the design table (including personalized coffee rituals—hence an extensive coffee bar). In turn, the organized and inquisitive matriarch prepared lists of questions and considerations for every meeting. Several design iterations landed on a plan prioritizing gourmet appliances and copious seating. “Because of all the pieces involved in the puzzle, it was quite an extensive design process,” McFadden-Walls says. “Ultimately, we returned to a concept close to what we originally proposed. Sometimes, you must work through all the issues to feel good about the plan.”

The pantry does double duty as a storage area and also includes a wine fridge, convection oven, and warming drawer to accommodate the family’s annual bake-off contest. Prior to the remodel, a constant refrain was, “too many cooks in the kitchen.” No longer.

Mirroring its collective use, the installation required extensive coordination between tradespeople. “This kitchen has all the bells and whistles,” Stuchal says. “It’s not just plug-and-play, which is true of most kitchens we’re doing in the valley these days.” For instance, the range top, embedded in a Fantasy Macaubas quartzite island and accompanied by pop-up venting, required running the ductwork through the floor and installing remote blowers outside—a schema achieved by syncopating electrical and countertop installation with HVAC and millwork, all within the context of the pristine stone slab. “Everything had to fit perfectly,” Stuchal says. “Everyone really had to communicate. When there is a problem, it’s not just a question of referencing an owner’s manual. You have to work together to figure it out.”

Modern Cabin Kitchen

BEFORE & AFTER The much loved cabin needed a facelift and reconfiguration. Removing the wall between the current kitchen and an adjacent family room made the overall area brighter and created an extensive hub for the young family and guests to gather. The client’s wish list items were achieved with a larger, more functional kitchen and an open floor plan.

To revamp a beloved 49-year-old family cabin, the team had to adopt a “think outside the box” mindset. The goal: incorporate a larger, more contemporary kitchen while retaining certain original elements that have sentimental value for the client. To achieve an integrated renovation, Serenity investigated both the dynamics of the original structure and the layers of work done over the decades. “You can’t make any assumptions,” Stuchal says. “You have to dig into it and understand the original builds and the remodels to make sure you can verify all the structural loads and the components.” This knowledge base allowed the team to remove the wall between the kitchen and the adjacent family room.

“The client had a lot of good memories of growing up in the cabin, so they wanted to do an update but not lose the overall cabin feel,” Stuchal says. Enter Willow Creek, who ensured the overall remodel aligned with the space’s vintage surroundings. “We had to find a way to make it all work together,” Crawford says. Breaking into the family room, they expanded the kitchen by adding a large island, pantry, and a dry bar. Now, husband and wife can cook in concert, with plenty of room for food prep and storage. “Our design aesthetic became Old Cabin meets New Cabin,” McFadden-Walls says. “A rewarding combination incorporating current yet timeless finishes while paying homage to the rustic.”

Berlin Architects and Cairn Landscape Architects worked diligently and intelligently to create a home that sits softly on the landscape.

One of the home’s most impactful moments is the large custom window seat upholstered in silk mohair. The green-hued fabric harmonizes perfectly with the living room fireplace’s Montana moss rock, custom bronze doors, and reclaimed wood mantle. 

Originally based in Washington D.C., the homeowners—she’s a renowned writer; he’s an attorney—had been visiting Jackson for 25 years and wanted a permanent family retreat and legacy home that embraced the landscape. “The house is intentionally modest, respecting and honoring this awe-inspiring place,” says Scott Zabriskie, senior project manager at Berlin Architects, which collaborated with Cairn Landscape Architects and interior designer Julia Leibowitz on the 5,947-square-foot, 5-bed, 5.5-bath home in the northern part of Jackson Hole. “It’s a quieter architecture with less ego and more nature,” Zabriskie says. The simple expression of the landscape architecture and the interior design’s minimalist aesthetic aligns with the overall architecture. “It all feels very pure and of the same yarn,” Zabriskie says.

The architecture embraces the land with long, low roof eaves rising subtly but distinctively, expressing their layered timber structure and echoing the horizon’s mountain profile. Large openings amplify the home’s transparency, where living spaces become open pavilions full of light and views. Maximizing the Teton panoramas was a guiding principle, and the team even employed a drone to establish the optimal height to capture the Gros Ventre Range’s iconic Sheep Mountain from the home’s second-story deck.

Because of the scale of the home, interior designer Julia Leibowitz selected mostly new or custom furniture, but she also added character with vintage and antique pieces, like the 1930s Art Deco Swedish Monk Chair that sits in the corner of the stair hall.

The design prioritizes clean lines and forms created with rough textures and raw materials like tight-knot, tongue-and-groove cedar siding; painted sheet steel; Montana moss rock; and standing seam metal roofs. Berlin composed an intentionally understated entry, but with an oversized reclaimed timber door that opens to frame the Tetons straight ahead, again making nature the focus.

The homeowner is a prolific cook and baker who was wary of marble’s upkeep, so Leibowitz chose a slab of marble-esque quartzite with subtle green veining for the kitchen countertops, the statement backsplash behind the stove, and the apron front of the custom-fabricated farmhouse sink.

The layout features public spaces on the ground floor flanked by a guest wing and the primary suite with a statement-making stairway to a lofted second floor with guest bedrooms, an office, and a sun deck. Framed by a two-story window, the articulated sculptural staircase is a focal point—from inside and out. At night, the multi-tiered lighting installation hovering above creates a breathtaking design moment. Construction was an engineering feat: steel stringers were laser-cut from one-inch-thick plate steel and then clad in wood. The resulting impression is of delicate steps floating in space. “The stairs have the appearance of lightness, but the concealed support is substantial,” Zabriskie says.

Three distinct and simple gables maximize the glass, capitalizing on nature, light, and views and allowing the architecture to breathe and interact in its environment.

The stream that flows through the property, swelling to a pond in spring, was a prominent feature that Cairn Landscape Architects incorporated into the entry experience. “The clients loved the idea of connecting to the surrounding riparian ecosystem,” says Cairn Landscape Architects founder Hans Flinch. Instead of building a simple culvert, Cairn designed a wooden auto bridge over the creek. “Ecologically, this connects the stream better, and experientially you feel the wooden texture as you drive across. It gives it this whole feeling of entrance,” Flinch says.

“The house is intentionally modest, respecting and honoring this awe-inspiring place.”
—scott zabriskie, Berlin Architects

To achieve a rustic contemporary minimalism, designers employed matte finishes, from the natural white oak flooring to the hemlock wood ceilings to the flat-sawn white oak cabinetry, which was stained, cerused, and wire brushed. 

“The clients wanted outdoor living spaces to feel like an extension of the indoors,” Flinch says. “Each wing has its own distinct, contemplative garden that relates to the interior.” Flinch used a palette of primarily native plants, including aspen, spruce, and flowering shrubs for restoration and screening. The homeowners especially love the breakfast terrace situated near the entryway. “The home was originally conceived as a writing retreat, and the client wanted these intimate meditative spaces,” Flinch says. Cairn designed the space with low stone walls, custom-built recycled aluminum planters, and large-format frontier stone pavers. They filled out the garden with colorful pollinator-friendly perennials like catmint, columbine, and yarrow. “The major elements like terraces and trees were carefully aligned with elements on the building, creating a clear sense of rhythm and sense of ease, while the perennials were allowed to be a little wilder,” Flinch says.

On the north side, Cairn imagined an outdoor extension of the great room with expansive views of the Grand Teton. They collaborated with Berlin to design a covered outdoor kitchen, a series of terraces, and a thoughtfully sized lawn with a gas-burning firepit. “Wherever possible, we used the same materials used on the building,” Flinch says. The spa tub, for example, is wrapped in the same Montana moss rock as the exterior wainscotting and the great room fireplace. “We wanted it to feel cohesive.”

Julia Leibowitz headed the project’s interior design. She chose natural white oak flooring and hemlock wood on the ceilings. The kitchen’s cabinetry features a flat-sawn white oak that’s been stained, cerused, and wire brushed. The textural American clay plaster on the walls reflects natural light throughout the day. “It was important to me that finishes were matte to fit the rustic minimalist aesthetic,” Leibowitz says. “We wanted to mimic what was going on in the landscape—and there’s nothing really shiny in nature.”

The outdoor spa terrace, wrapped in Montana moss rock and topped with a frontier sandstone coping, sits in full view of the Grand Teton. Native shade-loving perennials soften the sharp edges of the hardscape while offering a sense of enclosure.

The home’s second floor, lofted above the great room, features guest bedrooms, an office, and a sun deck.

Furnishings are a mix of new, custom, and antique, including a 1930s Swedish monk chair and a 1920s Jacques Adnet table lamp. The custom 11-foot cerused-oak dining table, with its weighty timber base, counterbalances the futuristic patinated brass light fixture above. “I tried to pay tasteful homage to the Western setting while offsetting it with more modern elements,” Liebowitz says.

She also employed a serene, muted color palette inspired by nature, with pops of green that evoke the sagebrush. She upholstered the cushions of the great room’s window seat in a green Rogers & Goffigon silk mohair. Tucked next to the grand fireplace, it’s become a favorite perch—to pause, to write, to soak in the Teton views.

The main entryway is designed as a subtle prelude, allowing the home’s floating sculptural staircase, framed by a two-story front window, to take center stage.

View to a dream. Klaus Baer and Rush Jenkins of WRJ Design willed their new headquarters and luxury residence, Stags Landing, into existence on Snow King Avenue.

As Walt Whitman opined, there’s a universe in every blade of grass, and in this particular instance, the meticulous detail and care that went into each invitation speak worlds about the hosts of this affair, Rush Jenkins and Klaus Baer of WRJ Design, who dreamed then willed Stags Landing into existence through, at times, trying circumstances.

The architect, the contractor, the landscape architect, the craftsmen and artisans, the vendors, and all of the other partners who helped to make this project a reality—these were the guest celebrators, and for very good reason.

Start with this: Stags Landing is the most ambitious and significant structural achievement in Jackson Hole in over 30 years. Think of it as a high-end, multifaceted design performance featuring a luxurious designer showhouse; an inspired office space for the WRJ team; an exquisite reception area with a courtyard available for private functions inside and out—a gallery space for consigned art from the Maya Frodeman Gallery, the Diehl Gallery, and the Jackson Hole Art Auction—and a lavish private residence. Stags Landing will invite and welcome clients, partners, community organizations, visiting dignitaries, and artists to experience the beautiful space. A “one of one” isn’t a strong enough superlative. And the architecture is sublime.

The warmth and hospitality of the great room are evident in the bespoke furnishings, consigned art, and floor-to-ceiling windows—a WRJ Design staple.

In all of life, when a thing works better, usually it is more beautiful to the eye.
—Ferrari, 2023
Directed by Michael Mann

Stunning quartzite, custom cabinetry, and state-of-the-art appliances elevate this chef’s kitchen.

Explains Jenkins, “I’ve been drawn to European architecture since my days at Sotheby’s in London. The Cotswolds, for instance, and all the classical principles of design as practiced by architect Edwin Lutyens in the early 1900s. Symmetry, proper proportion, and balance. When it’s right, what is created is this beautiful sense of harmony you feel deep within. With interior design, it should be the same way. A home should feel warm and inviting, comfortable without being ostentatious. It should have real quality and soul, and though those words might be hard to define, you know it when you experience them. Loro Piana, for instance, is one of our partners because their fabrics—their cashmere and wool are the very best, and they’re beautiful.”

Jenkins refers to a book by Donald H. Ruggles called Beauty, Neuroscience, and Architecture that supports his point, concluding that “beauty is good for our health.”

As for the notion of what Stags Landing could actually be, and how it came about, those were discussions that began years ago.

“Every time Rush and I would take a trip, we’d start to make lists based on new ideas and experiences. We knew that Stags Landing would have to draw from our inspirations,” says Baer, whose passion is landscaping. “Design, landscape, the arts, and that this place could elevate our lives and all the lives of those who visited. We would ask, how do we make this work better? How do we make the flow better? We kept making lists, asking ‘what else do we need?’ Even the little things. For instance, we put power plugs out by the parking lot so caterers wouldn’t have to run generators. Most important, we kept asking, ‘who do we want to collaborate with?’”

The great room also serves as a beautiful, intimate entertaining space with a wet bar and fireplace seating.

First, they needed an architect who could bring to life Jenkins’s notions about classical design, and so they approached Austin DePree, founding partner at Jackson- and Chicago-based Northworks. DePree had designed their personal residence years ago, and they knew he shared their values about architecture and collaboration.

As DePree recalls, Rush had a very clear idea so it came together quickly. “Our intention here was to blend those classical European design principles with the architecture of Jackson Hole and the Mountain West. The building is organized around isolated areas of symmetry, scale, and proportion, where we were able to break down the experience into smaller vignettes, a more human scale, such as the window and door openings juxtaposed with the stair architecture, which is larger in scale. It was also important to us that the building fit into the neighborhood there on Snow King Drive.”

It was DePree who encouraged WRJ to consider Chicago-based contractor Bulley & Andrews, who had worked with Northworks on several significant assignments. DePree was confident that B&A, led by Rick Juneau, president of B&A’s residential group, would bring a high level of commitment and collaborative dedication, even if it meant bringing his team to Jackson Hole.

Being new to the area and knowing that he was going to be working with lots of local craftsmen, what first concerned Juneau was how quickly his team would be welcomed. “Although we were confident in our process and hoped our merits would shine through,” he says. “Given the work we do, we value high quality and community, and we found that in the local craftsmen. Great attitudes and exceptional skill sets. The only challenge we faced was that sometimes they had limited labor. Since we’re a collaborative team, we’d identify how best to help, and sometimes this meant bringing in a team from Chicago to supplement efforts so they could hit their milestones, and they welcomed this. It was a great partnership, and the results speak for themselves.”

Form and function. The central staircase and end-to-end hallway encourage flow throughout the building, even during client meetings and private gatherings.

As for a history of working side by side with Jenkins and Baer, there was no one more versed in their design intent and collaborative style than landscape architect Bonny Hershberger, president and managing partner of HDLA, known for its award-winning work on the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Interpretive Center and renovations to the South Jenny Lake area in GTNP.

“First, as with any client, it was a listening exercise because they had so many great ideas for the courtyard and exterior spaces,” Hershberger recalls. “The right design allows you to transform uses. Finally, we decided that by stripping down our ideas to simplicity while maintaining strong bones, we could increase the possibilities, whether for large events or intimate gatherings.”

Unsurprisingly, refinements are ongoing. It is, after all, a living, breathing design concept in an ever-expanding universe of discovery. Come spring, Baer and Hershberger will pick up where they left off, studying shade patterns and laying out the exterior. And the squill and the irises and the white crabapples will bloom, and Stags Landing will officially open its doors to the world.

Colorado Buff stone and steel panels surround the double-sided fireplace and complement the custom black walnut dining table designed by Willow Creek Design Group. Tongue-and-groove Alaskan Cedar planks in a custom gray stain cover the ceiling.

Recruited early (during property scouting), the team of architects Ken Mahood and Steve Kaness of Workshop Collaborative, builder Matt Somers of Seven Generations Construction, and designers Colleen McFadden-Walls and Renée Crawford of Willow Creek Design Group approached the project with syncopated ingenuity.

ARCHETYPAL STRUCTURE

Charged with creating separate primary and guest areas linked to a central kitchen-living space, Workshop Collaborative conceived of three contemporary cabins. Inspired by the archetype of a historic ranch unfolding across distinctive functional areas, the architects designed the cabins, each with its own entrance, to be standalone. Targeting a tight footprint—under 5,000 square feet total—each cabin had to operate efficiently. “They wanted a house that was functional for their family as well as their guests,” architect Kaness says.

To map the structure, the architects spent a lot of time walking the property and staking out each cabin, making adjustments to best frame the panorama in every room. The west cabin features the primary suite plus an office. The east wing hosts guests in three en-suite bedrooms, and the center contains the kitchen, dining room, and living room. Glass corridors connect the cabins.

As soon as visitors step into the center cabin, the sweeping majesty of the Grand Teton greets them thanks to floor-to-ceiling Bildau windows. To complement the vista, Willow Creek chose furnishings according to a neutral, texture-driven palette.

Workshop Collaborative carefully staked each room on the property, focusing on the view. The bedroom furnishings cultivate a feeling of warmth and elegance alongside art from the Diehl Gallery.

When the pandemic pushed timelines and prices, the team recalibrated and made necessary edits. “The collaborative nature of this project meant that we looked at every decision carefully,” builder Matt Somers says. “We weighed our options and discussed everything with the group.”

The serene ethos cultivated throughout the home comes to bear beautifully in the primary bath with its minimalist palette, freestanding tub, and graphite fixtures.

A virtual-reality model of the design helped the team share the plans with their clients. “The 3D model put it all together in one piece,” architect Mahood says. “The clients could walk through the house and feel the spaces. It gave them a new understanding of the house.”
 

Mountain Minimalism

Abiding by aesthetic simplicity, the team chose components that complement the panorama. “We designed a quiet shed roof in standing-seam metal,” Mahood says. “It doesn’t try to be a grand gesture on the site. It lets the landscape speak for itself.”

Because the kitchen anchors the central cabin, Willow Creek sourced warm gray rift oak veneer cabinetry as a grounding element, softening the cool white accents of the Cristallo quartzite and upper cabinets. Workshop Collaborative designed full windows as a backdrop for the range and custom vent hood, suffusing the space with natural light. Paintings from the Diehl Gallery complement the kitchen.

Interior designers Colleen McFadden-Walls and Renée Crawford also advised on the exterior finishes—Colorado Buff stone, metal cladding, and stained cedar siding—which they linked with essential accents inside. To reduce the red notes in the Alaskan cedar ceiling, the duo worked with the painter to develop a custom stain. Bildau windows, installed throughout the house, allowed for the greatest expanse of glass. “By choosing an espresso stain for the millwork, we created a dramatic frame for the stunning views,” McFadden-Walls says.

Just like a historic ranch operating as a series of interrelated cabins, this mountain-view residence unfolds across three complementary pods designed for living, guests, and residents respectively.

The interior finishes continue the quiet curation. Applying a mountain minimalism style, the designers mixed blue, gray, and neutral tones with rich textures—a schema grounded in the core elements: wide-plank oak flooring with blond and gray hues, natural stone, and metal accents. “With such abundant natural light and commanding views, we wanted to keep the interior design warm and soft,” McFadden-Walls says. “We didn’t want to over-furnish.”

This minimalist color story extends across the cabins, creating cohesiveness throughout the home. “We kept the color palette light and used furnishings with soft curves, textural fabrics, and neutral drapery materials to complement the contemporary architecture of the home,” Crawford says.

Pivotal to the curated palette, the decision to use two dramatic Quartzite slabs in the primary bath and the kitchen influenced everything else. In the open kitchen, an initial desire for all-white evolved with McFadden-Walls’s guidance: weighing the blanched ethos of winter, she suggested using white as an accent (not a feature). The spacious countertop and Moroccan Zellige tile backsplash fulfill that cue with lustrous character while complementing the gray oak of the cabinetry and flooring. True to the spirit of the project, the team’s refined curation of symbiotic elements encourages communion with nature within the walls of the home and beyond.

An old barn on the west side of the Tetons becomes a spacious home that celebrates the design process and the imperfections that make things beautiful. 

Asymmetric, south-facing windows conjure light as it passes through aspen groves.

The Japanese notion of wabi-sabi became a guiding principle in this barn’s 2023 renovation. And while the interior design draws on elements from the East—like Noguchi lanterns, tatami mats, and shoji screens—wabi-sabi is more the art of finding beauty in the process and the imperfection.

“Wood is not always perfectly straight; edges of stone get chipped. It’s about being perfectly imperfect,” says Allegra Parisi, owner of Mountain Town Building Company, which served as both general contractor and interior designer for the project. Parisi and her partner, Miller Resor, also happen to be the homeowners.

Moving the original stairs and adding a second story dormer created a flowing labyrinth of circulation from one floor to the next.

Parisi and Resor worked with architect Alison Price, principal of Price West Architecture, to turn what they call a “funky old barn,” first built in 1997 and remodeled in 2007, into a breathtaking 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom, 3,684-square-foot living space.

In the guest suite, a colorful backsplash behind the kitchenette, tiled paintings by Henri Rousseau in the bunk room bathroom, and braided bamboo composite in the entertainment lounge bring joyful whimsy.

“Ali was incredible,” Parisi says. “She thought of things we hadn’t even considered and was responsive to all our ideas.”

The couple wanted the home’s spaces to be built around rituals like taking baths, listening to records, cooking together, and stretching in the morning.

The barn’s open floor plan was designed around rituals like bathing, stretching, listening to records, and cooking together.

Price suggested moving the existing stairs to create more space for the open floor plan envisioned for the third story. This led to a decision to create a second-floor dormer, which stretches the length of the barn on the east side, to house a bunk room, bathroom, and office—and simultaneously bring in morning light and mountain views.

“The deliberate placement and design of the new staircase fosters a natural rhythm that seamlessly connects all three levels,” Price says. “The unexpected beauty of the circulation spaces that emerged took us all by surprise.”

The grain silos and dilapidated barns that dot Teton Valley inspired the barn’s exterior. Corrugated metal siding added function to form.

Price designed an asymmetrical configuration of windows of differing widths and heights on the top floor. “Miller wanted it to feel like you were in an aspen grove with slots of light coming through the trees,” Price says. “It was such a beautiful, poetic concept to respond to in design.”

The unexpected beauty of the circulation spaces that emerged took us all by surprise.
— Architect Alison Price

On the ground floor, a bar, an indoor-outdoor shower, and a “flex room” with a glass garage bay followed. With that, the basic footprint was in place.

Parisi and Resor chose gray reclaimed deer fencing from an Amish mill in Pennsylvania for the exterior siding. “The intention was that the exterior read as a barn to fit in with the vernacular of the existing agricultural landscape,” Price says. “We wrapped the base with a corrugated steel wainscotting. Eventually, the steel will tarnish, the wood will fade, and the weathering will enrich the character, leaving it blemished and beautiful.”

While the exterior celebrates the surrounding farmlands, the interior is designed to surprise and delight. “Once you open the door, you’re enamored by the exuberance of space,” Price says. The bamboo millwork in the ceilings, walls, and built-ins and solid-hickory flooring serve as a counterpoint to dark granite and black shou-sugi-ban paneling featured in the bath, primary bedroom, hallways, and stairwell.

“Our design methodology was intentional,” Parisi says. “We honed our palette, created a strategy that informed our decisions, and then had fun with it. We were open to imperfections and unexpected diversions, which happened naturally by being playful and cultivating a wabi-sabi state of mind.”