Search Results for: living with nature

+ Story by Meg Daly
+ Photography by David Agnello & David Swift

The secluded lot on North Gros Ventre Butte invited a new perspective on design—and living.

Nestled near a copse of aspen, the home site does not face classic Teton views. Instead, the property offers sweeping vistas of the Snake River Range, Cache Creek Range and the Sleeping Indian. Rather than dominating its surroundings, the house “sits quietly on the land,” says architect Stephen Dynia.

The homeowners chose Dynia based on his portfolio of innovative design. A prototypical Western log lodge was not what they were after. They embraced Dynia’s philosophy of finding new ways of living in Wyoming beyond what he calls “pioneer nostalgia.”

Hallway

This textural rug mirrors the spring green of new aspen trees framed in the far window. In winter, the rug brings color and warmth when hillsides are white.

“Jackson is a frontier for new ideas,” Dynia says. The 6,000-plus-square-foot home takes an L-shape. With its clean lines, nothing gets in the way of the views and surrounding natural flora. “The home is simultaneously open and intimate,” Dynia says. “We took our inspiration from nature.”

Interior designer Jacque Jenkins-Stireman used natural colors and textures that speak to the outdoors. Her custom-designed case goods were created specifically for this home. Jenkins-Stireman says she looks at the entirety of how clients live in their homes and how sunlight, even moonlight, moves through rooms to enrich the living experience.

The concept of bringing the outside in was both “fun and challenging,” builder John Walker of Mill Iron Timberworks says. “My role is to take what the architect and interior designer want and make it come together,” Walker says.

Dining Room

Thoughtful details run throughout the home, where motifs of gentle curves play against angularity, creating a lively yet uncluttered environment.

“What is different about this house is that both the view and sunlight are to the south,” says architect Dynia. “We created an intimate uphill courtyard on the north side, with open access to the valley on the south side.”

Innovative Angles

The roof extends 8 feet out from the building’s walls and cantilevers the other direction over another wing of the house.

Rooms and spaces within the home feel warm and welcoming, not daunting or arid. Lighting rails, steel stair railings and window frames— all in black—delineate space. Triple-paned windows from a German company provide excellent insulation as well as passive solar heat. Acid-stained concrete floors add an element of earthiness. Sapele wood cupboards in the kitchen reveal a dramatic grain that will become deeper and richer over time.

+ Story by Dina Mishev
+ Photography by David Swift

“Stark contemporary works well in California where it’s green year-round, but in Jackson Hole, where it’s winter half the year, you have to be careful,” says interior designer Kate Binger of Designed Interiors, LLC. “No amount of radiant heating can warm up cold design; no one wants to feel as if they’re freezing in their own home.”

Award-winning Jackson-based architecture firm Carney Logan Burke worked with Binger, Two Ocean Builders and MountainScapes, Inc., on a contemporary five-acre property at the southern end of 3 Creek Ranch that, yes, has heated floors throughout, but is warm even without them. “The client asked for a really clean modern aesthetic, but was concerned it not be too cold,” says architect Kevin Burke, the principal on the project. Carney Logan Burke calls it “mountain modern.”

“This style still has a close tie to our Western heritage—it uses today’s technologies and materials to reinterpret it,” Burke says. And here, Western heritage is given its full due before you even enter the home. “The landscape architect’s goal was to get the landscaping and house to match what was there before construction began,” says Sean Macauley, owner of MountainScapes, Inc. “And what was there before construction was sage, rabbitbrush and a bunch of native grass. You can’t get more Western than that.”

While this order sounds simple, it was anything but. “It is always hard to duplicate Mother Nature,” Macauley says. “Sometimes 400 trees and a ton of flowers are easier.” MountainScapes succeeded in executing a design that allows the structure itself to grab your attention.

The exterior does not have a broad array of materials— primarily wood, glass and architectural concrete with some metal accents—but it is the first home in 3 Creek to use architectural concrete on its exterior. “The concrete was a challenge for 3 Creek to approve, but through an extensive sampling process, they’ve come to appreciate it,” Burke says. “It’s opened up a nice addition to the materials palette that others can now use.”

While the architectural concrete—stained a mottled grey/brown—is the most unique material of the home’s exterior palette, it’s the glass that’s most noticeable, from both inside and out. The areas facing away from the driveway are almost entirely glass. “When you’re looking in the obvious directions, you don’t really see any other homes or intrusions on the land,” Burke says. “Of course we had to capitalize on those views.”

The home was designed with two main living spaces: a 1,000-square-foot combined kitchen, living and dining area on the ground level and an 800-square-foot upstairs master suite. Both are open and have at least one wall that is floor- to-ceiling windows. On the ground floor, the entire southwest corner is glass. Munger Mountain and the southernmost edge of the Tetons dominate. Upstairs, the western wall of windows frame Glory Bowl and the range as it runs north.

Landscaping

Wanting the newly built structure to look seated in the landscape was a challenge solved by using native grasses, plants and onsite hardscape.

“With all this glass, there’s a great connection between the inside and outside,” Burke says. Which, of course, made Binger’s job of creating a warm space challenging. “Understandably, the client wanted to pull in from the views, not distract from them.” So Binger did what she recommends to all clients looking to warm up spaces: “I used deliciously textured fabrics, selected sizable wool rugs, chose tiles with soothing colors and created a family of wood tones that complemented the concrete floors,” Binger says.

A sofa and armchairs are upholstered in woven patterns. “Printed patterns can be flat, but the reveal in woven patterns assists in warming a space,” she says. As do the fabrics themselves: The sofa is chenille and invites you to curl up on it.

Outdoor Living

The south-facing patio trellis provides summer shading and lends an artistic nuance to the exterior.

While the floors are concrete, the walls are paneled in fir, and the ceiling is hemlock with a clear finish. Kitchen cabinetry is sapele (an African mahogany). Bathroom cabinetry is quartersawn white oak. “It’s all very clean,” Burke says. Jed Mixter, a principal at Two Ocean Builders, the valley firm that built the home, adds, “More modern projects are always challenging because the lines are crisper and the geometry more exact. There’s really nothing to hide behind.” That said, Mixter’s favorite part of the home is the paneling in the main living space. “It’s simple, but has as much character and depth as reclaimed timber,” he says. Albeit very different character and depth than rustic materials like reclaimed timbers and logs. “It’s not that rustic is out, but we’re seeing more and more clients asking for this ‘mountain modern’ aesthetic, which is a fun departure,” Burke says.

Exterior Spaces

+ Story by Meg Daly
+ Photography by David Agnello & David Swift

The secluded lot on North Gros Ventre Butte invited a new perspective on design—and living.

Nestled near a copse of aspen, the home site does not face classic Teton views. Instead, the property offers sweeping vistas of the Snake River Range, Cache Creek Range and the Sleeping Indian. Rather than dominating its surroundings, the house “sits quietly on the land,” says architect Stephen Dynia.

The homeowners chose Dynia based on his portfolio of innovative design. A prototypical Western log lodge was not what they were after. They embraced Dynia’s philosophy of finding new ways of living in Wyoming beyond what he calls “pioneer nostalgia.”

Hallway

This textural rug mirrors the spring green of new aspen trees framed in the far window. In winter, the rug brings color and warmth when hillsides are white.

“Jackson is a frontier for new ideas,” Dynia says. The 6,000-plus-square-foot home takes an L-shape. With its clean lines, nothing gets in the way of the views and surrounding natural flora. “The home is simultaneously open and intimate,” Dynia says. “We took our inspiration from nature.”

Interior designer Jacque Jenkins-Stireman used natural colors and textures that speak to the outdoors. Her custom-designed case goods were created specifically for this home. Jenkins-Stireman says she looks at the entirety of how clients live in their homes and how sunlight, even moonlight, moves through rooms to enrich the living experience.

The concept of bringing the outside in was both “fun and challenging,” builder John Walker of Mill Iron Timberworks says. “My role is to take what the architect and interior designer want and make it come together,” Walker says.

Dining Room

Thoughtful details run throughout the home, where motifs of gentle curves play against angularity, creating a lively yet uncluttered environment.

“What is different about this house is that both the view and sunlight are to the south,” says architect Dynia. “We created an intimate uphill courtyard on the north side, with open access to the valley on the south side.”

Innovative Angles

The roof extends 8 feet out from the building’s walls and cantilevers the other direction over another wing of the house.

Rooms and spaces within the home feel warm and welcoming, not daunting or arid. Lighting rails, steel stair railings and window frames— all in black—delineate space. Triple-paned windows from a German company provide excellent insulation as well as passive solar heat. Acid-stained concrete floors add an element of earthiness. Sapele wood cupboards in the kitchen reveal a dramatic grain that will become deeper and richer over time.

+ Story by Tammy Christel
+ Photography by Paul Mullins

INTERIOR DESIGNER
Trauner Designs, Inc.
traunerdesigns.com

Living Room

Finishes, furnishings and fabrics were meticulously researched to create a sense of comfort, history and warmth. “The house spreads out before you,” says Trauner.

When Terry Trauner and Kristin Frappart agreed to redesign a California home’s master bedroom, the pair had no inkling they’d wind up fully transforming a sleek, contemporary residence into a warm, Spanish Colonial-style home.

“These are prior clients,” says business owner Trauner. “They revealed the project was far more than originally imagined. With only a few photographs and a general direction to go on, our mission was to envision what this house would be, to define every architectural detail. Their trust was remarkable. We thought we’d be designing soft goods, and now we’ve designed the entire home, right down to the sheetrock.”

Master Bath

This master bath oasis light, provided by a Bella Figura Venetian crystal chandelier and Reborn Antique accent lighting, highlights the double shower and rustic black floor tile.

That trust was well placed. Trauner and associate ASID, IIDA designer Frappart researched furniture, fabrics, trim, fireplaces, hardware, exterior features and lighting. Frappart emphasizes the project is a superb example of Trauner Designs’ range of services.

“We can add architectural details to an existing home and create something fantastically special,” says Frappart. “Four months after first seeing the house, we put a complete package together for the owners. They made no changes whatsoever; that’s incredibly affirming!”

Guest Bedroom

“Kristin is fabulous at layering patterns, textures and fabrics,” says Trauner. An exotic, hand-carved bed frame by Artifact is the centerpiece in an aesthetically perfect bedroom retreat.

Frappart and Trauner chose rustic elements such as beamed ceilings, scrolled iron, red barnwood and leather wall tiles to echo a pair of magnificent iron gates identifying the neighborhood. To enter the house is to experience a time period’s fresh revival, as well as a livable, functioning home.

Media Room

Rustic wooden beams, a 14-foot- long cabinet, a wool-and-silk rug—and cozy upholstered pieces designed by Frappart— make you want to curl up and relax.

“We work to establish trust and become intimately familiar with the way a client lives, how they go through their days,” Trauner says. “We can design a stunning, beautiful house, but being able to live there is what makes it a home. Our clients have asked us to dinner when the home is complete—a rare honor. We’re proud of our friendship, partnership and deep understanding of our clients’ dream.”