The Minds Behind the Designs

ERIN MARTIN, ERIN MARTIN DESIGN
St. Helena, CA, 707-963-4141, erinmartindesign.com

Q: The mountain-modern mix is all about contrasts: old with new, natural with manmade, rugged with refined. Tell us about the contrasts in play here.

"I think people are drawn to our designs
because of the way we incorporate elements found in nature. We use natural materials—sometimes in their most raw form—and edit the design. Instead of layering on, it’s about keeping it extremely simple; letting the surfaces and elements provide the texture and warmth instead of gilding the lily.
In this space, we were excited about using recycled materials—the walls are covered in old scaffolding board, and that history and age bring in a lot of texture and warmth. The photography depicts scenes from World War II, when the boys were coming home. The swing seat is something we designed ourselves with the help of a great metal artist; it just adds a bit of youthfulness to the space. And the concrete floors, unadorned by baseboards or trim, are more European in feel." Photo by Matthew Millman

CHARLES CUNNIFFE, CHARLES CUNNIFFE ARCHITECTS
Aspen, CO, 970-925-5590, cunniffe.com

Q: Mountain-modern design is, in part, about a connection to the land. Give us your take.

"Many people associate mountain design with a rustic look, and many people associate modern design with
severe, oversimplified forms. To us, ‘mountain modern’ is basically a really well-thought-out connection to nature. If you’re designing in an extraordinary landscape—one that’s steep or rugged, or has major views—then the house can’t look too delicate; it needs to appear bold enough to withstand the relationship it has with nature.

This space demonstrates the concept of ‘form follows function’ that’s found in Midcentury Modern design, but with a warm, human touch. The trusses, which are a blend of steel and wood, express the bold connection to nature, but not in the way a typical timber-framed house would. We softened it with the wood elements. The space isn’t too refined; it’s not too severe." Photo by David O. Marlow

ERIC LOGAN, CARNEY LOGAN BURKE ARCHITECTS
Jackson, WY, 307-733-4000, clbarchitects.com

Q: Mountain modern pulls from both mountain design and modern design. Is it the best of both worlds?

"If you look at a lot of the work that’s done in the West, it’s very heavy, dark and woody. One of our clients describes those buildings as living on the inside of a Mars bar, where you’ve got dark chocolate on the outside and lighter chocolate on the inside. It can be depressing. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the Bauhaus tradition, which is characterized by steel and glass and flat roofs, and there are certainly issues with making that kind of architecture work in the climatic zone of the Rocky Mountain West.

Our clients like modern architecture, but they want it to blend into the landscape, which usually involves warming it up. Here, we achieve that warmth through the materials—the refined wood; the very dark, warm concrete floor; and the concrete wall, which has a stain on it that warms up the space and beats out the gray." Photo by Mathew Millman / Interior design by Jim Magni and Colin Dusenbery of Magni Design

TOMMY HEIN, TOMMY HEIN ARCHITECTS
Telluride, CO, 970-728-1220, tommyhein.com

Q: How do you imbue mountain-modern design with a sense of place? 

"The idea here is that we’re taking a deep
understanding of history and interpreting it for modern use. We’re moving beyond the log cabin, but we’re still recalling it—and requiring people to think about history. There’s a rich texture with the stone, wood, steel and glass—I’ve refined my work to the point where I’m using mostly that palette. Those materials symbolize Colorado.

The wood brackets [that serve as the
fireplace mantel] fuse the exterior architecture with the interior. The only real separation between the interior and exterior is the glass walls. So the feeling psychologically is that you’re really one with nature.

We’re trying to move architecture forward into the future with each project, while using natural materials and keeping things warm. It’s still refined, but it feels like home." Photo by Jennifer Koskinen | Merritt Design Photo