An Animal-Lover's Retreat in Jackson Hole
A sophisticated home in Jackson Hole is enlivened by a tribute to its four-legged neighbors
In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where the locals include roaming buffalo and cavorting deer and antelope, it’s only natural that the wildlife often finds its way—literally and figuratively—into residents’ homes and hearts. That was certainly the case for this 4,000-square-foot dwelling in the Shooting Star community, just down the road from Teton Village.
Designed by Bozeman, Montana-based architecture firm JLF & Associates and built from reclaimed timber, stacked stone and Cor-Ten steel, the cabin shows off Old World craftsmanship through modern-day design details. But the owners wanted to propel their home’s rustic mood even further into the 21st century, says interior designer Jennifer Visosky, principal of Grace Home Design in Jackson. And “Wyatt,” a bemused-looking pronghorn depicted in a contemporary mixed-media painting, was just the young buck to get it done.
“He was our inspiration,” Visosky admits. “My clients liked the home’s timber and stone, but they wanted to accent it with something a bit more playful and less obviously rustic, and ‘Wyatt’ gave us the direction we needed.”
The painting presides over the living room’s mantel and sets the tone for the home’s color palette and design scheme. Its updated take on a rustic subject inspired the clean-lined furnishings Visosky selected to complement the interiors’ more traditional pre-installed finishes. The designer deliberately echoed the artwork’s honey and caramel hues in fabrics and finishes that warm up the living spaces, and then repeated its fresh shades of blue in accents throughout the home. “The architect and his team did a great job of providing a palette with the hard finishes they chose,” Visosky says. “The materials are rustic, but they read as more transitional, which makes it easier to introduce different styles of furnishings. The colors also gave us a lot of room to play.”
And play she did. Contemporary silhouettes and grown-up neutrals—like the living room’s custom Berman/Rosetti sofa upholstered in honey-toned leather, and the adjoining dining space’s sleek table from Troscan Design—set the stage for a few showstopping pieces that satisfy the homeowners’ desire for a touch of whimsy.
In the entry, the bold graphic pattern of a Kyle Bunting hair-on-hide rug provides a dramatic contrast to the room’s rough-hewn wood paneling, while a cheeky Porta Romana lamp, complete with duck feet poking out from an ostrich-feather shade, strikes a pose atop a streamlined BDDW credenza. “There’s a fashion element to it that feels more sophisticated and well-traveled,” Visosky says of the lamp. And in the dining room, the designer swapped the existing iron-and-mica light fixture for Jonathan Browning Studios’ futuristic “Le Pentagone” chandelier. “We had fun with these choices,” she says. “They’re bigger and bolder, but they’re not too overdone.”
“This house doesn’t take itself too seriously,” Visosky concludes. “Sure, it has high-end and custom furniture and fabrics, but then we’ve got these really great pieces of art, like ‘Wyatt,’ that just make the rooms fun. I think that if we’d put serious pieces of artwork in there, it wouldn’t have been as cool.”
In the entryway, the streamlined Lake credenza from BDDW features hand-carved ebony handles and rests atop a patterned hair-on-hide rug by Kyle Bunting. The whimsical Duck Feet Lamp from Porta Romana has an ostrich-feather shade.
Jonathan Browning’s “Le Pentagone” chandelier is suspended over the timber dining table from Troscan Design, bringing a note of modernity and sophistication to the space.
A custom Berman/Rosetti sofa and console table from Bleu Nature balance high-end sophistication with kid-friendly durability. “Nothing is too precious,” interior designer Jennifer Visosky says. “Wyatt,” a mixed-media painting by Kollabs, is from the Diehl Gallery in Jackson.
Swivel chairs by Berman/Rosetti flank the living room fireplace; the floor lamp is from BDDW.
Chevron upholstery on the media room’s custom sectional from Berman/Rosetti brings the small space to life. The mirror is from Revival in Chattanooga, Tenn., and the acrylic-and-driftwood side tables are from Bleu Nature.
Kids bunk in style here, with trundle beds from Flou and nightstands from Room & Board. The lamps and yellow steel end table are from Schoolhouse Electric. “The Grand Teton SW, WY” painting is by artist David Pirrie, whose work is represented by the Diehl Gallery in Jackson Hole.
The open-concept kitchen, which overlooks the dining space, features alder cabinets and reclaimed timber beams. The dining chairs are by the Bright Chair Co., with upholstery fabric by Romo, and the leather-and-blackened-steel Elysian bar stools are by Lawson Fenning.
In a guest room, a quirky Polaroid-like picture from GI ArtLab, called “West Coast Road Trip,” hangs over the Nathalie bed from Flou. The nightstands are from Vervano and the Nagori stools are from Bleu Nature.
The earth-toned, fauna-inspired design scheme carries into the master bedroom. The vanity is from New Traditionalists and the vintage Lucite stool was purchased from 1stdibs. The chickadee painting is by Idaho artist Mike Piggott, whose work can be found at Jackson Hole’s Tayloe Piggott Gallery.
The home, designed by Bozeman architecture firm JLF & Associates, is part of a collection of cabins at the Shooting Star community in Jackson Hole.
Clad in wood siding and Cor-Ten steel, the 4,000-square-foot cabin is at home in its rugged surroundings. A spacious patio offers an ideal spot to take in the mountain views.
ROOM TO PLAY
In design, there’s a fine line between whimsical and juvenile. Interior designer Jennifer Visosky shares these tips for striking just the right balance of fun and sophistication.
Follow the leader Consider your home’s style and surroundings, and find art and accents that fit the narrative—or that stand in stark contrast to it. There are no rules, Visosky says, but you do want to create a relationship between your interiors and their artful touches.
Reach further Gather your art from a diverse array of vendors—and that goes for furnishings, too. “If you’re just geared toward one style, one look, one price point, your home will feel like a showroom.”
Go big Rather than trolling for tchotchkes or filling your cart at Etsy, select a few high-impact pieces to enliven your home.
Be bold ”When clients are hesitant, I encourage them to start in a smaller space so they can digest doing something a little bolder. Usually, everybody wants to do at least a little something that’s outside of the box. Hopefully, they want to do a lot of things outside of the box, because that’s when it really gets fun.”
DESIGN DETAILS
ARCHITECTURE JLF & Associates Bozeman, MT 406-587-8888 INTERIOR DESIGN Jennifer Visosky, Grace Home Design Jackson Hole, WY 307-733-9893 LIVING ROOM FIREPLACE ARTWORK name of work: Wyatt, artist: Kollabs, gallery: Diehl Gallery Jackson Hole, NY 307-733-0905 MEDIA ROOM ARTWORK name of work: Conversations, artist: Kollabs, gallery: Diehl Gallery Jackson Hole, NY 307-733-0905 ENTRY LAKE CREDENZA manufacturer: BDDW vendor: BDDW New York NY 212-625-1230 DUCK FEET LAMP WITH OSTRICH SHADE manufacturer: Porta Romana vendor: John Brooks, Inc. Denver, CO 303-698-9977 REWIND RUG manufacturer: Kyle Bunting vendor: John Brooks, Inc. Inc. Denver, CO 303-698-9977 LIVING ROOM LEONARDO SWIVEL LOUNGE CHAIRS manufacturer: Berman Rosetti vendor: John Brooks, Inc. Denver, CO 303-698-9977 STREAM CONSOLE TABLE manufacturer: Bleu Nature vendor: Bleu Nature, Hong Kong 852-2559-3021 TIMBER DINING TABLE manufacturer: Troscan Design vendor: TOWN Denver, CO 303-282-8696 LAXAMANA & JETT DINING CHAIRS manufacturer: Bright Chair upholstery: Romo Kirkby Alloy in Grey Marl, vendor: TOWN Denver, CO 303-282-8696 LE PENTAGONE CHANDELIER manufacturer: Jonathan Browning, Inc. vendor: TOWN Denver, CO 303-282-8696 CUSTOM BERMAN ROSETTI SOFA manufacturer: Berman Rosetti upholstery: GH Leather Tuscan Rub in Vanilla vendor: TOWN Denver, CO 303-282-8696 GUEST BEDROOM NATHALIE BED manufacturer: FLOU vendor: FLOU New York NY 212-941-9101 NAGORI STOOLS manufacturer: Bleu Nature vendor: Bleu Nature, Hong Kong 852-2559-3021 TAYLOR NIGHTSTANDS manufacturer: Vervano vendor Vervano Austin, TX 512-947-1164
