Made in Montana
A look inside our first issue of 2020
When projects are submitted to Mountain Living, our editorial team reviews the images often without knowing who submitted the home or where they are located. That was the case for this issue when, after making our selections, we realized that all our January/February issue feature homes were designed by Montana architects.
In the past several years, our team at Mountain Living has noticed an increased number of submissions of Bozeman, Big Sky, Bridger, Whitefish, Missoula and Yellowstone Club homes with innovative architecture and top-notch craftsmanship. Big Sky Country’s architects, designers and creative community of artists, artisans and craftspeople are pushing the limits on great design.
The elegant lobby of the Baxter Hotel, venue for ML’s Home for the Year event. Photo by Loneta Showell.
In this issue, Bozeman-based JLF Architects customize a 5,000-square-foot cabin in Jackson Hole, adding a contemporary feel to the finishes; also from Bozeman, Reid Smith Architects design a Big Sky home with clean lines warmed up by the liberal use of wood and reclaimed materials. Bigfork’s Fullerton Architects create a stunning Yellowstone Club residence with “cool, nontraditional designs." A third Bozeman firm, Miller-Roodell, brings a couple’s vision for a relaxing family compound in Big Sky to life; and Faure Halvorsen Architects of Missoula design a sleek, low-maintenance home on a property outside Bozeman.
The owners of the Big Sky home, lifelong residents of Tennessee and Texas, have always been drawn to the mountains. The husband was 12 years old when he noticed Montana on a map. He loved that the state had a large concentration of wildlife, including grizzly bears, sheep, mountain goats and woodland caribou. The choice of their high-elevation mountain homesite satisfies that desire for a wilderness feeling yet is a short drive to Bozeman for yoga and sushi—offering something for everyone.
Celebrating the Home of the Year recipients at our party in Bozeman, Holly Scott and I are pictured with winner Larry Pearson from Pearson Design Group. Photo by Green Door Photography.
Recently, I rekindled my appreciation of Montana, and Bozeman, during our Home of the Year celebration. I fell in love with its architecture, the stately homes lining the neighborhoods and historic brick buildings on Main Street. And it has a modern, international airport—you can’t beat that.
In the words of John Steinbeck, “For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love, and it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”
