Bright and Airy Townhome in Jackson Hole
Strategic architectural changes and a softer, lighter color palette transform this townhome

A contemporary sectional from Poltrona Frau and matching settees from The Bright Group anchor two distinct seating areas in the bright and airy great room. | Photography by Eric Piasecki
Familiar with the slopes in resort towns all over the globe, a Long Island couple with four adult children fell hard for Jackson Hole’s majestic natural beauty, ultimately buying a spacious, light-filled townhome at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences. But while the place had tons of potential, its overly heavy woodwork and dated color palette of warm neutrals felt out of sync with their more refined aesthetic. “We wanted it to be comfortable, sophisticated and a little more contemporary,” the wife says. “Lighter and brighter.”
It wasn’t long before the couple invited Rush Jenkins and Klaus Baer of WRJ Design to help them make it their own. Determined to create a fresh, updated milieu while maintaining a Western aesthetic, the designers eliminated much of the dark woodwork, including a pair of Juliet balconies overlooking the double-height living room.
In addition, they gutted the kitchens and bathrooms, incorporating white vanities and light marble that better reflect the natural light. “The lightness guides your eye out to the view,” Jenkins explains.

In the great room, a wool rug by Fort Street Studio coordinates perfectly with the cotton mohair-covered settees by The Bright Group in front of the stone fireplace.
Accented by a soft palette of neutrals, blues and greens, white walls and subtle textural wallcoverings likewise take the interior in a more modern direction while also deemphasizing the orange hues in the existing stone walls and fireplaces. A sumptuous medley of textural materials that include cashmere, leather, marble, bone and linen adds to the sense of luxury.
“It feels homey, cozy and comfortable,” Baer explains. “There’s a sense of harmony that feels almost effortless.”

A brushed bronze chandelier with cast glass shades by Jiun Ho and sconces from Jonathan Browning Studios illuminate the formal dining area, where shapely chairs covered in fabric by Loro Piana surround a walnut table.
That also holds true for the floor plan. While there were few major architectural changes, the designers replaced a wall between the living room and one end of the jumbo-sized guest bedroom with a set of folding doors made of reclaimed wood, creating a posh seating area that can serve either room. An element that flows throughout the interior, reclaimed wood beams also serve as fireplace mantels and distinguish the existing ceiling niches.
In the open dining room, for example, reclaimed beams frame a custom chandelier over an elegant table surrounded by light-blue linen-covered chairs that coordinate with the rug and matching settees in the adjacent living room—a nod to the area’s blue skies and many streams. Inside and out “speak to each other,” Jenkins says. “It’s a seamless experience.”
In the primary bedroom suite, a glass chandelier resembling icicles casts a soft glow off the linen wall-covering—a serene backdrop for bespoke furnishings and a striking abstract painting, one of many throughout, that the owners selected during an art walk the designers coordinated. “The artwork becomes the focal point,” Jenkins says. A graphic blue-and-white abstract over the new soaker tub in the primary bathroom likewise commands attention.
The result thrilled the owners, who Jenkins and Baer greeted upon the design’s completion with champagne, hors d’oeuvres, fresh flowers and live music. “They captured exactly what we had envisioned,” the wife says. “It feels like home.”
DESIGN DETAILS
INTERIOR DESIGN WRJ Design
RESOURCES
ENTRY CONSOLE by Ironies SCONCE by Fair Design ARTWORK by Stephen Keeney from Tayloe Piggott Gallery DINING ROOM BAR STOOLS by Walter K in Saddle Leather TABLE by Jim Ho in Walnut CHAIRS by Cliff Young CREDENZA by BDDW in blackened bronze CHANDELIER by Jiun Ho in brushed bronze SCONCES by Jonathan Browning ARTWORK by Susan Vecsey and Fiona WaterStreet from Tayloe Piggott Gallery GREAT ROOM COFFEE TABLE by Walter K SETTEE by Bright Chair SECTIONAL by Poltrona Frau AREA RUG by Fort Street Studio CHANDELIER by Roll and Hill ARTWORK by Esteban Vicente from Tayloe Piggott Gallery MEDIA ROOM SOFA by Verellen CONSOLE by Poltrona Frau LOUNGE CHAIRS by Poltrona Frau AREA RUG by Fort Street Studio ARTWORK by Rakuko Naito from Tayloe Piggott Gallery MASTER SIDE TABLE by Poltrona Frau KING BED by Poltrona Frau CHANDELIER by Hersh Design ARTWORK by Cornelia Thomsen and Rakuko Naito from Tayloe Piggott Gallery MASTER BATHROOM ARTWORK by Tuck Fauntleroy from Tayloe Piggott Gallery GUEST BEDROOM 1 BED by Poltrona Frau NIGHTSTAND by Poltrona Frau SCONCE by Urban Electric ARTWORK by Stephen Keeney from Tayloe Piggott Gallery GUEST BEDROOM 2 CHAISE by Verellen BED by Baker Furniture CEILING LIGHT by Hubbardton Forge ARTWORK by Suzanne Caporael from Tayloe Piggott Gallery HALLWAY ARTWORK by Susan Vecsey and Stephen Keeney from Tayloe Piggott Gallery