A Wyoming Vacation Home With Custom Upgrades

Photography by Tuck Fauntleroy

For more than a decade, Wyoming’s Shooting Star community has been attracting nature-loving homeowners with its Tom Fazio golf course, world-class skiing and 1,300 acres of wide-open spaces. Situated 12 miles outside Jackson, at the base of Teton Village, it’s a popular option for urban dwellers looking for a mountain getaway.

An antique chest found at a Paris flea market greets guests at the entry.

Such was the case for a Weston, Massachusetts, couple and their three sons. The family of five considered other mountain destinations but settled on Jackson for its variety of seasonal activities. “My kids are really great skiers, and they love Jackson because it’s so challenging,” says the wife. “Also, in the summer, it’s incredible for hiking.”

In the entry, an accent wall made of reclaimed wood provides the backdrop for a walnut bench covered in shearling and a painting by Montana native Theodore Waddell.

Thinking they might spend just a few weeks a year at the Wyoming property, the couple opted for one of Shooting Star’s five-bedroom cabins. Designed by JLF Architects of Bozeman, Montana, the cabins come in a few stock floor plans with some preset finish options. “Initially I thought that would be fine,” says the wife, “but then my husband suggested we could eventually spend half the year there. I was, like, oh, then I want a few different things.”

The home’s spacious great room, which opens onto the kitchen, is an ideal spot for the homeowners to gather with friends and family.

To help customize their two-story, approximately 5,000-square-foot cabin, the couple went directly to the source: JLF partner and senior designer Logan Leachman. In addition to wanting more space in the kitchen, the homeowners wanted a bigger closet and dressing room in the master suite and lighter finishes throughout. “We worked together to come up with a more contemporary feel to the finishes, using a blond, whitewashed white oak and white quartzite countertops in the kitchen,” says Leachman. “And we moved an exterior wall out in the kitchen to align with an offset upstairs to create more space.”

The living area’s cozy seating includes a leather-and-cashmere Flexform sectional.

They also reorganized the master bath and master closet layout, expanded the appliance package and installed an outdoor kitchen, complete with pizza oven and enhanced grilling area. “When these homeowners came along and we had the opportunity to take the cabin product and work hands-on with them to really tailor it to their needs,” Leachman says, “that was very rewarding from a design standpoint.”

White oak cabinets and white quartzite countertops make for a light and bright kitchen.

In the living room, a painting by Wyoming artist Pamela Gibson mimics the colors in the surrounding scenery.

Even though the cabin interiors ended up taking a more contemporary turn, many of the original rustic touches remain, including the reclaimed wood on the living room ceiling and the Montana moss rock surrounding the master bedroom fireplace. To complete the project, the homeowners enlisted Elisa Chambers of Jackson’s Snake River Interiors, who chose furniture and lighting that would complement the home’s mix of luxury and ruggedness. “We consistently mix the old with the new,” says Chambers. “I feel antiquities balance the contemporary qualities, and it’s complementary to have that beautiful tension.” In the entry, for example, the interior designer paired an antique French chest with a contemporary glass light fixture, and in the master bedroom, a sleek four-poster bed rests on an antique Persian rug.

In the master bedroom, a wall of Montana moss rock contrasts with the sleek furnishings and cool palette. “The homeowner loves soft blues and greens that complement the beauty of the sky and all the green outside,” says interior designer Elisa Chambers of Snake River Interiors.

A side table from Twenty Two Home—Chambers’ Jackson Hole showroom—perches next to the soaking tub in the master bathroom, which features gray honed limestone walls and mountain views.

The Snake River Interiors team also created multiple custom pieces for the home, including the walnut slab table in the dining room, the headboard in the guest master suite and the bedding throughout. “We love designing furniture,” says Chambers. “Anyone can just buy online or go into a design store and purchase something that’s ready-made, but it’s so much more personal to get into a client’s head and construct something that’s unique for them.”

A front door made of reclaimed wood offers a rustic welcome.

With all the custom touches, the house went from a nice place to visit to a true home away from home for the couple and their three teenagers. Plus, they thoroughly enjoyed the mountain retreat’s design process. “You get to use a lot of hair-on hide, and we have things that are furry,” the wife says with a laugh. “It was really, really fun to do all that.”

DESIGN DETAILS
ARCHITECTURE JLF Architects INTERIOR DESIGN Snake River Interiors CONSTRUCTION Headwall Construction

As seen in the January/February 2020 issue

ENTRY BENCH Shearling and Walnut Entry Bench by Mimi London ART “Beaverhead” by Theodore Waddell from Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum ANTIQUE CHEST Found in San Touen Flea Market in Paris from Twenty Two Home LIGHT FIXTURE Borafilic Glass Light Fixture from Plug GREAT ROOM SOFA Italian Sectional Sofa, Leather and Cashmere from Flexform COFFEE TABLE from Flexform RUG Loose weave from Marc Phillips POOFS In shearling, swivel from Flexform LOUNGE CHAIRS In walnut trim from Michael Berman MRROR from Flexform ART “Rememberance” by Pam Gibson from Twenty Two Home DINING ROOM CUSTOM DINING TABLE Designed by Snake River Interiors LEATHER DINING CHAIRS from Holly Hunt CHANDELIER Crystal from Wired Lighting KITCHEN BAR STOOLS In woven leather from Mark Albrecht MASTER BEDROOM BED Four Poster Bed from Quintus ART By Theodore Waddell from Vision West, Bozeman ART “Blue Horses” by Helen Durant BENCH By Verellen from Twenty Two Home LIGHT FIXTURE Tear Drop Chandelier from Ochre RUGS Persian antiques CHAIR by Alfonso Marina from Twenty Two Home FLOOR LAMP from Twenty Two Home BATHROOM SIDE TABLE from Twenty Two Home