Midcentury Style in a Rustic Montana Home
A mountain modern redesign in Big Sky
Timothy Haynes and Kevin Roberts, founding partners of the distinguished New York City interior design firm Haynes-Roberts, have no interest in playing it safe.
When the duo accepted their first commission in Montana—a ski house in Big Sky for a family with young children—they saw no reason to sacrifice their sophisticated style and had no intention of falling into Western clichés. “We wanted to shake things up a bit,” says Roberts, “and show that you can still have the great warmth and beauty of a Western house, but infused with a hip, up-to-date sensibility.”
You can see the whole house here: Rustic Redux
“In New York, modernity has been embraced and accepted,” says Kevin Roberts. “In Montana, that’s not necessarily so.” But that didn’t stop the designers from appointing a timber-and-stone residence in Big Sky with streamlined midcentury furnishings. By keeping these simple guidelines in mind, Roberts and his partner Timothy Haynes were able to create a modern interior that, while unexpected, feels right at home.
DON'T TAKE IT LITERALLY
Choose pieces that reflect the feel of the region in a modern way. Replace antler chandeliers with glass light fixtures that evoke the feel of snow, and try a geometric cowhide rug instead of the typical bearskin.
STAY DOWN-TO-EARTH
“The most beautiful thing about Montana is the outdoors,” Roberts says. “I felt that the blue of the sky and the green of the trees should really provide the bulk of the color.”
MATERIALS MATTER
Give your project a sense of authenticity and timelessness by reclaiming building materials from the region. “This could have been done with new wood stained to look old,” says Roberts, “but it wouldn’t have been nearly as successful.”
DON'T OVERDO IT
“I find that in Western ski areas, people tend to clutter things up,” Roberts says. “In a house with this much texture and strength in terms of the view, it’s really important to pull back and try to keep things spare.”
DESIGN DETAILS
INTERIOR DESIGN Timothy Haynes and Kevin Roberts, Haynes-Roberts, New York, NY, 212-989-1901, haynesroberts.com ARCHITECTURE Paul Bertelli, JLF & Associates, Inc., Bozeman, MT, 406-587-8888, jlfarchitects.com CONTRACTOR/BUILDER Peter Belschwender, On Site Management, Inc., Bozeman, MT, 406-586-1500, onsitemanagement.com
