Comfort and Calm Shapes a Legacy Home in Alta, Wyoming

The homeowners turned to interior designer Julie Cavanaugh of Design Matters to create a unified aesthetic throughout the house. Montana moss stone marks a large fireplace anchoring the living room, where a Visual Comfort & Co. pendant light suspends from a cedar-lined ceiling. | Photo: Krafty Photos

My great-great-grandfather first came to Alta in the late 1800s,” a homeowner says of his family’s history in Wyoming, “and then my great-grandfather homesteaded this property.” Over time and through generations, the homeowner and his wife came to own 70 acres of this land in western Wyoming just south of the Idaho border.

The couple, who met while attending high school in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and now reside in Florida, felt a strong sense of stewardship to continue that familial heritage. Envisioning an anchor for themselves and their two children today and down the line, they decided to put down roots in the mountains. “We had a unified vision,” says the husband, “of building a legacy home for our family and future generations.”

Situated near forested land, the house is nestled into its sloped site in Alta, Wyoming, where the homeowners have ties dating to the late 1800s. | Photo: Krafty Photos

To help bring that vision to life, the couple turned to interior designer Julie Cavanaugh of Design Matters and builders Kurt Mitchell and Todd Witek, firm partners of With The Grain, along with project manager James Glunt. “We wanted a house that looked timeless in the landscape,” says the homeowner, “and didn’t look like the cherry on top of a sundae.”

The site they selected, with views of Idaho’s Big Hole Mountains on one side and a forest on the other, features a steep slope, and the homeowners wanted the house to follow that grade rather than perch atop it. As such, the two-story structure—complete with large Douglas fir timbers, Montana moss stonework and expansive windows—does just that. “We didn’t have to build it up or dig it out,” says Mitchell. “It just blends right into the natural topography of the land.”

Builders Kurt Mitchell and Todd Witek of With The Grain constructed the house with structural timbers supplied by PrecisionCraft. | Photo: Krafty Photos

Despite knowing they wanted a timber-frame home, the couple let the specifics evolve from the inside out. “We were most concerned with the livability and the feel of the house inside, and we let that drive the exterior,” says the husband of an interior they imagined with large multifunctional spaces for gathering, comfortable guest rooms that could, as he says, “accommodate a crib or two” and a bunk room for multiple younger guests. To tie the layout together, the owners turned to Cavanaugh. “Julie really helped us by finding a unifying theme throughout the house and guiding us toward our vision,” says the homeowner.

Cavanaugh became involved before construction began, and she started with a holistic approach. “We went through all the elevations, we did all the cabinetry, all the material selection and lighting review until we had a composed design package that the builders could work with,” says Cavanaugh, who paid close attention to creating cozy and intimate spaces that still maximized the expansive views. “The owners really wanted something that was highly functional, that would last and that felt very authentic to that rugged Wyoming landscape.”

In the dining area, a pendant by Capital Lighting Fixture Company hangs above a table and chairs by RH. Cavanaugh selected engineered hickory flooring by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors for its authentic look. | Photo: Krafty Photos

After selecting a mix of engineered hickory flooring and porcelain tile to distinguish between the open public spaces, a warm brown/gray stain for the timbers and Montana moss rock to define the fireplace walls and echo the exterior stonework, the designer suggested a gray hue for the kitchen cabinetry. “It’s a warm gray, and the shade elevates the elegance of the kitchen without competing in color with the wood floors or the stained beams,” says Cavanaugh, who also worked with the homeowners on selecting furnishings with a focus on texture and proportion rather than pattern and color.

Altogether, the home promises the sense of permanence the couple was hoping for, while acting as a comfortable and peaceful retreat in the moment. “When I’m in Florida I think about this house and being out here 10 times a day,” says the husband. “And when I’m here, I don’t think about Florida. I love Florida, but my heart and soul are in Wyoming.”

Cavanaugh suggested a warm gray for the kitchen cabinetry and paired the custom millwork with a Caesarstone quartz countertop. Bedrosians Materika tile defines the open area, and the pendants are from the Belltown Collection by Hunter. | Photo: Krafty Photos

A Toulouse upholstered bed by Pottery Barn is positioned beneath prints by IDEA4WALL in the primary bedroom, which looks out to the rugged Wyoming landscape. The pendant is by Hubbardton Forge. | Photo: Krafty Photos

A Victoria + Albert Elwick tub and a Currey & Company multi-light fixture frame exterior views in the primary bath. | Photo: Krafty Photos

Large Douglas fir timbers and Montana moss rock mark the exterior of the two-story house with views of the Big Hole Mountains. | Photo: Krafty Photos

DESIGN DETAILS

INTERIOR DESIGN – Design Matters
CONSTRUCTION – With The Grain

As featured in Mountain Living’s January/February 2026 Issue.