Natural Assets
Architect Costantino Grandjacquet helps a young family create a home that is one with the Utah landscape—and the Western experience
Homeowners and architects typically get the lay of the land before starting construction of a new home, but some take it more seriously than others.
Jon-Eric and Amanda Greene are two such types. The couple bought 55 acres of ranch land in Park City, Utah, with plans to develop a 10-lot subdivision—and keep one building site for themselves. They selected an 8-acre parcel along the banks of two creeks, near a copse of old-growth cottonwoods. Jon-Eric, a commercial real estate broker and developer, and Amanda, a busy mom of three with a passion for design, knew they wanted to maximize the land’s natural assets and design their home with indoor/outdoor living in mind. But before they broke ground, they decided to give the site a test run.
“We bought a huge 22-foot-wide tepee and put it up where we thought we might build the house,” Amanda says. “We spent many days and nights camping in that tepee, and it really helped us understand the views and angles of the sunlight—and how to site the house to make the most of them.”
With help from architect Costantino Grandjacquet, principal of Park City-based Summa ARS Architects, and Jim Clifford of Jim Clifford Builders, the Greenes translated what they learned during their time in the tepee into a 7,400-square-foot home clad in stone, cedar and rusted steel that has a dynamic relationship with its environment. The structure bridges a creek, cozies up to old-growth cottonwoods and manmade ponds, and captures expansive mountain views.
Inside, the Greenes and Grandjacquet gave the home’s significant square footage a more intimate scale by forgoing an open-concept floor plan and vaulted ceilings. “Before we moved to Park City, we lived in a 1,200-square-foot home with three kids and a dog,” Amanda says. “This new house is 8,500 square feet, including the space above the second garage, which feels so big by comparison. So my primary goal was to have intimate, defined spaces.”
These intimate living spaces provide a sense of discovery that begins at the front entry. “The house kind of unfolds,” Jon-Eric says. “The main floor rooms are positioned around a central courtyard, so you have to explore around that central hub to experience the spaces and the views.”
To keep the interiors’ concrete floors, stone walls and unadorned windows from feeling stark, Amanda chose a warm color palette and layered on natural textures with linen, wool and mohair upholstery. Custom furniture, including a glass-and-steel coffee table that Amanda designed, gives the space a contemporary edge, while soulful still-life scenes and large-scale landscape paintings add pops of color.
Inside and out, rugged and traditional materials are used in contemporary ways, marrying the home to its environs. “At least once a day, as I walk from the bedroom to the kitchen, I look out across the pond at those views of Deer Valley and think, ‘I can’t believe how well this house is sited,’” Amanda says. “A big part of our success came from spending time camping on the lot.” As for the tepee? “It’s still here,” she says. “We just moved it across the creek.”
ARCHITECTURE Costantino Grandjacquet, Summa ARS Architects, Park City, UT, 435-655-3811, summaars.com BUILDER Jim Clifford, Jim Clifford Builders, Park City, UT, 435-649-0019 ALL WOOD WINDOWS Architectural Traditions, Tucson, AZ, 520-574-7374, architecturaltraditions.com INTERIOR DOORS Butternut wood, Magleby, Lindon, UT, 801-785-9998 CABINETRY Cottonwood Cabinets, Draper, UT, 801-572-6550 ROOFING Cor-Ten COUNTERTOPS Artisan Granite and Marble, Salt Lake City, UT, 801-974-0333, artisanmarbleandgranite.com EXTERIOR WOOD Cedar HALLWAY ARTWORK Pear painting by Brad Overton, Julie Nester Gallery, Park City, UT, 435-649-4893, julienestergallery.com BENCH Paisley Pomegranate Home Furnishings, Park City, UT, 435-575-0300, paisleypomegranate.com GREAT ROOM SCONCES BY FIREPLACE Custom light fixtures by Hammerton, Salt Lake City, UT, 801-973-8095, hammerton.com SOFAS Baker Furniture, CCG Howells, Salt Lake City, UT, 801-359-6622, ccghowells.com PAINTING By Andrzej Skorut, Salt Lake City, UT, skorut.com PIANO Steinway SCREENED PORCH LOUNGE FURNITURE Restoration Hardware, restorationhardware.com ALUMINUM CHAIRS Tolix, tolix.fr/en DINING ROOM TABLE Custom designed table in Walnut CHAIRS Covered in Ralph Lauren Linen, CCG Howells, Salt Lake City, UT, 801-359-6622, ccghowells.com PAINTING “Daybreak” by Clay Wagstaff , Terzian Galleries, Park City, UT, 435-649-4927, terziangalleries.com KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS Carrera marble FIXTURES Dornbracht, dornbracht.com RANGE Wolf, subzero-wolf.com REFRIGERATOR Sub-Zero, subzero-wolf.com MASTER BATH TUB Waterworks, waterworks.com SCONCES Mercury Sconce by Doyle Crosby for Boyd Lighting, boydlighting.com PENDANT Designed by Michael Vandebyl for Boyd Lighting, boydlighting.com TOWEL WARMER Waterworks, waterworks.com
