A Destination for Friends and Family at the Base of the Grand Tetons

Photography by Audrey Hall

Retirement is a time for new adventures, and it was in this spirit that a professional Washington, D.C., couple began visiting places where they might want to resettle when they stepped back from their careers.

When they arrived in Jackson, Wyoming, they knew they had found their new home. “Everywhere you look, there’s beautiful scenery and wildlife,” the wife says. “The place spoke to our hearts, and the community spoke to our values.”

A jaw-dropping first impression, rustic stone pavers flow into the home’s light-filled entry foyer, where large windows frame a breathtaking view of the Grand Tetons in the distance.

After outgrowing their first home in the area, the couple bought a five-acre lot near the Grand Tetons and commissioned architect Kevin Burke, CLB Architects, to design a new dwelling and two-bedroom guesthouse on the site. Clad with western red cedar siding and Chief Cliff stone, the spacious compound-like home features three distinct volumes with gabled roofs and broad overhangs. “Architecturally, you might call it a modern interpretation of a farmhouse,” Burke explains.

A stone walkway leads to the front entrance, flowing into the single-story foyer where visitors are greeted to a spectacular view of the mountains. Indeed, the entire north side of the house boasts large windows that capture the majestic vistas. The foyer connects the master bedroom wing with the great room, which features soaring wood-clad ceilings supported by a series of timber trusses with delicate black steel tie rods. The result is a light and airy aesthetic that “emphasizes the cathedral aspect of the space,” Burke says.

Outfitted with two large islands and a custom oak table surrounded by black oak Lewis Windsor chairs by Four Hands, the spacious kitchen is an ideal space for cooking and breaking bread.

Perfectly aligned with the clerestory windows, the wood wall paneling complements the dark gray cabinetry and light quartzite countertops in the open kitchen. A second island with a blackened steel countertop creates a sense of separation from the living area and provides additional space for the owners and their friends to cook together.

Custom bedding from Scandia Down dresses up the brown linen-upholstered bed in the cozy guest suite.

“If it’s a cold winter week and you’re feeling cabin fever, some- times the best thing to do is have friends over for dinner, pick a country you want to honor and make a meal that fits with that country’s cuisine,” the wife says. “It makes it a fun evening.”

Interior designers Rush Jenkins and Renée Crawford worked closely with the owners and Burke on the design, weighing in on paint colors and finishes and selecting all the furnishings.

In the great room, a hair-on hide rug by Saddlemans echoes the tones in the Chief Cliff stone walls.

In the living room, a neutral cowhide rug in a tile pattern defines a seating area that includes a contemporary sofa covered in a light blue-green fabric inspired by the field of sagebrush just outside. “The color palette is so serene and goes so beautifully with the view,” Crawford says. “It brings the outside into the home.”

In the formal dining area, a Lindsey Adelman chandelier that evokes tree branches in a modern way illuminates a live-edge table with breadboard ends and chairs by Theodore Alexander. The wall sconces are by Jonathan Browning Studios.

That also goes for the open dining room, where a modern branch-like chandelier illuminates a custom walnut dining table with a live edge. Adding a bold pop of color, the designers placed the owners’ red buffet beneath a piece of artwork with a coordinating palette that the husband bought in Hong Kong more than two decades ago.

Matching streamlined chairs offer a cozy spot to enjoy the steel fireplace in the master suite.

Pendants by Hammerton create an ethereal feeling
in the master bathroom.

According to builder Jed Mixter, who worked closely with senior project manager Christopher Ludwig, the project went off with- out a hitch, and they were able to meet the Christmas deadline, when the owners had 12 guests arriving for an extended stay.

“Doing these projects is like watching a pot boil sometimes, but the clients were understanding of the doldrums and excited about progress,” Mixter says.

Boasting two covered porches overlooking the mountains, the guest house offers visitors a well- appointed home away from home.

It was the first of many such gatherings for the owners, who frequently host family and friends. While the happily retired couple was initially attracted to the area for its pristine skiing slopes, they enjoy the summers even more. “You can hike up to a glacial lake, have a picnic, and the grandkids can go for a quick dip,” the wife says. “Jackson is a magical place.”

Blurring inside and out, the stone walkway flows into the foyer.

BRINGING THE OUTSIDE IN

“It’s important to bring elements of nature into a design,” says interior designer Rush Jenkins, who did just that for this project. Here’s how to get the look in your own home:
SELECT FURNISHINGS THAT REFLECT THE OUTDOORS. The designers incorporated a petrified stump side table in the living room, for example, and a contemporary branch-like chandelier illuminates the live-edge dining table. BE LITERAL. The stone walkway flows into the foyer, and natural Chief Cliff stone makes a big statement both on the exterior and in the great room, where it has been used to build two fireplaces. REFLECT THE NATURAL COLOR PALETTE. In the living room, the swivel chairs are covered in a caramel-colored saddle leather reminiscent of aspens in the fall. And the tones in the cowhide rug reference the stone and wood elements inside and out. EMBRACE IT. The designers incorporated a built-in window bench in the great room— an ideal spot to enjoy the view while sipping a hot cup of joe. “You should have the same experience of serenity in your home that you feel in nature,” Jenkins says. “That’s what we try to achieve in our interiors.”

DESIGN DETAILS
ARCHITECTURE CLB Architects INTERIOR DESIGN WRJ Design CONSTRUCTION Two Ocean Builders

As seen in the July 2020 issue

RESOURCES

ENTRY BENCH Brera Bench in Woven Leather by Poltrona Frau CHANDELIER Cube Chandelier by Rocky Mountain Hardware GREAT ROOM CHANDELIER Bronze and Frosted Glass Chandelier by Hammerton CHAIRS Gran Torino Chairs in Camel Saddle Leather w/ Dark Metal Base by Poltrona Frau RUG Vaughan Mix Sand Hair on Hide Rug by Saddlemans STOOL Walnut Tractor Counter Stool by Bassam Fellows SOFA in Chester Wool / Aqua by Holly Hunt BENCH Fidelio Panca Bench in Leather and Woodby Poltrona Frau ARTWORK “Barn” by Jared Sanders KITCHEN LANTERN Upton Hanging Lantern in Bronze Finish by Visual Comfort PENDANT Carlyn Single Pendant Light w/ Black Metal Shade by Urban Electric DINING TABLE Custom Oak Dining Table CHAIR Black Oak Lewis Windsor Chair by Four Hands DINING ROOM DINING TABLE Custom Live Edge Dining Table w/ Bread Board Ends CHAIRS Claremont Chairs in Sensuede / Cedar by Theodore Alexander CHANDELIER Studio Agnes Chandelier by Lindsey Adelman SCONCE Apollinaire Sconce by Jonathan Browning MASTER BEDROOM BED Leather and Fabric Alta Fedelta Bed by Poltrona Frau BENCH Leather and Wood Fidelio Panca Bench by Poltrona Frau ACCENT TABLE Schmidt Accent Table in Antique Rust Finish by Four Hands SWIVEL CHAIR Jan Swivel Club Chair by Verellen MASTER BATHROOM PENDANT Ellisse Pendant in Flat Bronze Finish by Hammerton