Range JH: Issue 11

ISSUE 11 / 2020

COMPROMISES FOR A CAUSE

Thanks to thoughtful choices and planning, a couple builds a house the whole family loves.

RangeJH.com

COMPLIMENTARY

MUST HAVE

ARTISAN

TRAVEL

Coffee Tables

Glass Art

Oceanside

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Kr a f t y P h o t o s

headwalljh.com | 307.413.7754

TABLE OF CONTENTS features

42 —

LEMONADE FROM LEMONS

Homeowners planned for a remodel, but then the contractor discovered serious problems with the foundation.

By Lila Edythe

48 —

EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT

Evan Simms and Jason Berning act as general contractors for their own home and finds that the rewards aren’t just financial.

By Dina Mishev

54 —

DECISION MAKERS

A couple maximizes their budget with thoughtful planning–and compromises.

page 42

RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 2

Tuck Fauntleroy

By Maggie Theodora

HOYT ARCHITECTS 1 1 1 0 M A P L E W AY J A C K S O N , W Y | 3 0 7 . 7 3 3 . 9 9 5 5

TABLE OF CONTENTS departments

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— 36

30

10 / WHAT INSPIRES ME

Architect John Carney

30 / ARTISAN: LAURIE THAL & DAN ALTWIES

Laurie Thal and Dan Altwies collaborate to create sculptural

and architectural glass pieces.

14 / FAVORITES

What we love right now

34 / ARCHITECTURE: TO THE MAX

An East Jackson home is designed to maximize a lot’s zoning.

18 / MUST HAVE: COFFEE TABLES

A small piece of furniture can make a big difference

36 / TRAVEL: OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA

Discover a cure for mud season one hour by train from San Diego.

22 / NEIGHBORHOOD: SADDLE BUTTE

A neighborhood hidden in plain sight

40 / DESIGN: IN THE CLOSET

Whether your closet is a walk-in or a small section of one wall, if

it is efficiently designed and organized, your life will be better.

24 / TEN TIPS: ROOM CHANGER An area rug can make a big difference to a space

60 / HOME SWEET HOME

Jesse and Stephanie Roy

ON THE COVER Photograph by Tuck Fauntleroy Photographer Tuck Fauntleroy caught Olin and Tor Brecker playing on the stairs in their family’s new house in Melody Ranch (“Decision Makers,” p. 54). “They might not be the only ones who climb the stairs,” jokes Jason Leslie, who built the house with wife Maria Löfgren. To stay within their construction budget, the couple did careful planning and made compromises on the features and finishes their home would have.

While the design and permit process were mostly smooth, a few challenges arose during construction. But, “Just like a lot of things in life, the more challenging they are, the more rewarding they are,” Löfgren says.

“The fireplace, breakfast nook, and stairs were the most challenging to get through, but they are my favorite parts of the house and I’m so glad we persevered with these elements.”

RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 4

Hidden Hollow Apartments

Jackson Hole, Wyoming Teton Valley, Idaho

www.shawwyoming.com

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

EVERY ISSUE OF RANGE INCLUDES several articles that resonate with me, but this issue in particular hit very close to home (no pun intended). With one story, I mean this literally: The under-construction home designed by architect Jamie Farmer featured in the “Architecture” department (“To the Max,” p. 34) is several houses down from mine.

When it first started going up, I wasn’t the biggest fan of it because it was, well, so big. It fills up its entire lot. But then I learned that it was so big because its owners weren’t only building a home for themselves and their two young sons, but also an apartment they will rent to a local family. Now I wish our lot was zoned for that; it’d be awesome to help with the problem of a shortage of decent rentals (while getting some rental income, too).

And then there’s journalist Mark Huffman’s story about Saddle Butte for this issue’s “Neighborhood” (p. 22). Almost immediately upon my arrival in Jackson Hole—as a recent college grad with a job that paid $12 an hour—and for about a decade after, Saddle Butte was my dream spot.

One day I’d live there. I loved that the subdivision was so close to town but removed, and also that many lots had amazing views. Had I known the nonconformist history of the area I would have loved it even more, although I would still not have been able to afford property there.

The story that I really can’t get out of my head is the feature about Jason Berning and Evan Simms’ new home (“Emotional Investment,” p.

48). As beautiful as the couple’s home is, I had to convince them it was ready for a feature story. They love it and are proud of it, but also see all of the things still left do and furniture left to buy when they have the time and money. “Homes in magazines are perfect,” Simms told me the first time we talked about Range featuring their house. “And there’s still so much we want to do.” I explained that I’ve lived in my home on which construction ended six years ago, and I still don’t think it’s finished and/ or perfect, and that this was the norm for most people.

As editor of an architecture and design magazine, I know that homes are never perfect. Houses—maybe they are perfect. But it’s imperfections and future plans that make a house a home. Range features homes.

I hope you enjoy this issue of the magazine and the homes in it.

Thanks for reading.

Dina Mishev Instagram @rangemag / @dinamishev

RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 6

architectural planning & interior design firm based in jackson hole, wy | jjstiremandesign.com | 307.739.3008

CONTRIBUTORS

Photographer TUCK FAUNTLEROY’S images have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Dwell, Newsweek, Powder Magazine, Backcountry, Mountain Living, Conde Nast, and Town & Country. In this issue of Range he shot “Lemonade from Lemons” (p. 42) and “Decision Makers” (p. 54). Fauntleroy says, “Spaces are where we spend the vast majority of our time. I can’t design but I love shooting and experiencing them.” Follow Tuck on Instagram at @tuckf

DAVID AGNELLO (“Emotional Investment,” p. 48 ) photographs structures and their inhabitants worldwide. Architecture, interiors, and the people that utilize the built environment are his most common subject matter, from modern architecture in the American West to resorts in Turks and Caicos. The interaction between nature, structure, light, and human interface is the driving force behind David’s photography.

COLE BUCKHART (“Must Have,” p. 18) is a portrait, adventure, and wedding photographer from San Francisco, California. He draws his inspiration from the peaks of northwestern Wyoming, but his work spans the globe and encompasses both still and moving images. Follow Cole on Instagram at @Cole.mgkra, or find him in the backcountry sipping a cold brew.

PUBLISHER Kevin Olson ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Adam Meyer EDITOR Dina Mishev ART DIRECTOR Elise Mahaffie COPY EDITOR Richard Anderson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lila Edythe Mark Huffman Jeremy Pugh Samantha Simma Maggie Theodora

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Agnello Cole Buckhart Tuck Fauntleroy ADVERTISING SALES AND DISTRIBUTION Kal Stromberg - kal@tetonmediaworks.com

page 48

David Agnello

RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 8

AD DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Heather Haseltine Luis F. Ortiz Lydia Redzich Chelsea Robinson Sarah Wilson

Range magazine is published twice yearly.

P.O. Box 7445, Jackson, WY 83002 (307) 732-5900 / RangeJH.com © 2020 Teton Media Works. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this magazine’s original contents, whether in whole or part, requires written permission from the publisher.

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WHAT INSPIRES ME

JOHN CARNEY ARCHITECT

By Lila Edythe Photography by Cole Buckhart

I still draw by hand and not on a computer, so I love my Mont Blanc fountain pen and mechanical pencil. There’s nothing quite like the flow of ink on tracing paper. There is the theory that you think with your hand; the connection between hand and eye is a vital part of the whole creative process. I typically like sepia ink and 0.7mm HB lead, which is midway between the H (hard) and the B (soft) leads.

Rustic barns, hay ricks, sheds, and agrarian architecture in general inspire me, likely stemming from summers of my youth spent on a ranch in Cora. The Bircher Barns, of which there are seven in the valley, are particularly great examples of functional yet beautiful structures. The Hardeman Barn, now part of Teton Raptor Center and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the most visible of Wesley Bircher’s barns; he designed/ built them all in the mid-1900s. Visit the Teton Raptor Center at 5450 W. Highway 22. Wilson.

.John Carney

The Hootenanny [at Dornan’s in Moose] is such a great institution, and being able to perform there in front of such a welcoming, accommodating audience is pretty fun. I’ve played there more than 300 times. There is definitely a connection between music and architecture for me. And then, talk about an inspiring landscape: In winter, you’re standing on a stage looking out Dornan’s giant windows facing the Tetons, and in summer you’re under an open pavilion. The Hoot is free at 6 p.m. Mondays at Dornan’s in Moose, 12170 Dornans Rd., Moose.

“I see myself being an architect until they take me out in the proverbial pine box,” says John Carney, who founded Carney Architects—later Carney Logan Burke Architects—in 1992 in Jackson and, this spring, after selling his shares in CLB Architects, opened PROSPECT Studio.

“Approaching my 70th birthday, I started thinking about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” he says. “I knew I didn’t want to retire, and came to the realization that I was more interested in being involved in projects than in being in a leadership position.” During his time at CLB, the firm did more than 250 projects including private residences, the Jackson Hole Airport expansion, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve, and several prominent buildings at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Although busy getting PROSPECT’s new office in the Aspens up and running with partner Danny Wicke, Carney took time to share some of the things and places that inspire him.

We have “Hanging Canyon,” by photographer Alexander Lindsay, in the new offices. It’s of a spot in Grand Teton National Park. Last summer, a show of his Grand Teton National Park images—the first time they were exhibited in the U.S.—was held in the Bridger Gondola barn at the top of the Bridger Gondola at [Jackson Hole Mountain Resort]. alexander-lindsay.com.

I love furniture designs by Charles and Ray Eames and the entire Vitra design collection. Some of the classics, such as the Eames [lounge] chair, which Elaine and I gave ourselves, just don’t get any better. The only complaint one could have is that it is hard to get out of—it’s very low. But I’ll make sure I have everything I need to work—my computer and a glass of water—and get in the chair and I just won’t get up. From $5,295, dwr.com.

RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 10

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FAVORITES DRINK UP Whether you’re looking for more than the usual Jackson Hole souvenir to take home, or just want elegantly quirky mugs for your home here, meet Jenny Dowd’s ceramic coffee mugs. The Alpinebased artist is one-half of Dowd House Studios; the other half is Dowd’s husband Sam, who is also a sculptor and potter. She stamps “Jackson Hole” onto mugs of different sizes that feature her trademark line designs. From $34, available at Workshop, 180 E. Deloney Ave., 307/203-7856, workshopjh.com

Photography by Cole Buckhart, “Sitting Pretty” and “Pet Portraits” courtesy Twenty Two Home

TALKING PILLOWS Combining the beauty of natural linen, the artistry and detail of embroidery, and the whimsical hand-drawn illustrations of Bondurant-based Stephanie Housley, each one of Coral & Tusk’s textiles is cuter than the last. The company, which Housley founded in Brooklyn in 2007, makes tea towels, table runners, napkins, wall art, and throw pillows, most often embroidered with wild animals doing human things, such as a fox in a glamping tent and a line of animals heading out on a hike together. From $168, available at Workshop, 180 E. Deloney Ave., 307/203-7856, workshopjh.com

SITTING PRETTY If there’s a more perfect goes-witheverything armchair for Jackson Hole homes than the Bridger Armchair from Twenty Two Home’s Signature Collection, we have yet to find it. Available upholstered in white or tan cowhide (we can’t get enough of the white!), beige shearling, and a coal-colored fabric, its classic, chic shape is Jackson-ized with exposed nailheads. Also, because of its proportions, it seats both petite and larger people comfortably. $2,800, available at Twenty Two Home, 45 E. Deloney Ave., 307/733-9922, twentytwohome.com RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 14

FUNCTIONAL ART These screen-printed napkins from Jacksonbased Lisa Walker Handmade featuring hand-drawn designs are almost too pretty to use. But not quite. And that’s what Walker, a former graphic designer who turned into textile designer in 2013, wants. She likes her work to be part of people’s daily lives. Set of four/$40, available at Workshop, 180 E. Deloney Ave., 307/203-7856, workshopjh.com

STACKING UP Proving that a sum can be greater than its parts are these four coffee mugs. Individually, they don’t make sense, but stack them in the right order and you get a moose. $45, available at Penny Lane, 35 S. Glenwood St., 307/733-3080, pennylanejh.com

PET PORTRAITS You don’t need to be a dog lover to appreciate the dog portraits by fine art photographers Amanda Hedlund and Andrew Grant in Rover: The Barkington Edition, an 11-by-11 coffee table book featuring hundreds of portraits of purebred and mixed breed rescue dogs, all with outsized personalities. $125, available at Twenty Two Home, 45 E. Deloney Ave., 307/733-9922, twentytwohome.com

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FAVORITES

WRITE ON

Photography by Cole Buckhart

“I call it the Penaissance,” says Cassie Dean, the shopkeeper of Paper and Grace, which carries so many different styles of pens it’s almost impossible to pick favorites. But we did. There’s Lamy’s Germanmade Safari Rollerball (below), which launched in the early 1980s.

Today it is a modern design classic that comes in contemporary colors and is one smooth writer. Kaweco, another German company, makes a fountain pen highlighter (below left). It has a wide nib and comes with fluorescent ink. “It is super fun, and definitely the kind of gift for someone who has everything,” Dean says. Our last current love isn’t a pen, but a pencil … hidden in what looks like a spent bullet cartridge. These are made in Japan by Traveler’s Company, but bullet pencils (top left) and pens have their roots in late 19thcentury European battlefields. They were originally made from actual spent rifle cartridges. By the time they came to the U.S. in the 1930s, they were mass-produced, branded with business logos, given away as advertising (like matches are today), and no longer used real bullet casings. Traveler’s Company’s bullet pencils are somewhere in between the originals and mass-produced ones: They don’t use casings salvaged from the battlefield, but neither does advertising cover the gorgeous way they patina. Lamy Safari from $28, Kaweco highlighter $40, bullet pencil $30, available at Paper and Grace, 55 N. Glenwood St., 307/733-8900, paperandgrace.com

SMELLS LIKE TRAVEL Travel-size candles made from 100 percent soy wax and with clean-burning cotton wicks that smell like some of our favorite places that aren’t Jackson Hole?

Yes, please. Brooklyn Candle Studio’s Escapist trio of candles includes scents called Kyoto (smells like Hinoki cypress, cedar, pine, and sandalwood), Italia (cardamom, clove, orange blossom, vanilla, and incense), and Santorini (Mediterranean fig, red currant, amber, and sandalwood). $55, available at Penny Lane, 35 S. Glenwood St., 307/733-3080, pennylanejh.com

RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 16

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MUST HAVE

COFFEE TABLES “A COFFEE/COCKTAIL TABLE IS the heartbeat of the seating area,” says Cheryl Frey, the founder and owner of Alley Modern & More, which sells vintage mid-century furniture and decorative arts. “It not only defines the space by its size, but also functions as an art form, entertainment center for cocktails, or game watching/playing station. Add a stack of books and it becomes an impromptu library.”

Christian Burch, who with John Frechette owns and runs Mountain Dandy Showroom, agrees with Frey.

“A coffee table is a communal space; during a party, it’s where everyone gathers,” he says. Because of the importance of a coffee table to a room, Burch sees it as an opportunity to showcase your personality and things that are meaningful to you. “It’s a way to express yourself without hanging a big piece of art on the wall. It’s where you can put a small collection of favorite things that don’t have to be fancy, just special to you,” he says.

Here Frey, Burch, and Susan Temple, owner of Jackson Hole Book Trader (because no coffee table is complete without some beautiful books) share some of the things that are musthaves on their coffee tables. Unless specified otherwise, items are available at Mountain Dandy Showroom (265 W. Pearl Ave., 307/690-2896, mountaindandy.com) or Alley Modern & More (245 W. Pearl Ave., 307/413-4007, alleymodernandmore.com).

A small piece of furniture can make a big difference.

By Lila Edythe • Photography by Cole Buckhart

RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 18

Organize

Light it Up

Whether on a coffee table or a kitchen counter, a trivet like this brass one designed by Sir/ Madam organizes things. “Your messiness looks like it’s not messy,” Burch says. Available in brass and nickel finishes, $98

“I like a mirrored coffee table because it is a light source in a room,” Burch says. “Around here, a lot of rooms are big and the furniture is dark and then you put a dark coffee table in and you have a black home. But if you put something with minimal legs or that is mirrored, it works against that darkness. Plus mirrored reads a little naughty, which is fun.” Made Goods mirrored coffee table, $2,800

It’s in the Details

“Coffee tables are great places for interesting objects and handmade pieces,” Burch says. This two-link chain ceramic sculpture by Michele Quan of MQuan Studio is both. $290

Books for Wyoming Coffee Tables

“As 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, we thought a book celebrating [female] trailblazers is appropriate for coffee tables in the Equality State,” says Susan Temple, owner of Jackson Hole Book Trader. With more than 400 photos of women from more than 50 countries, Women: The National Geographic Image Collection “is both beautiful and has so much substance and depth,” Temple says.

Available at Jackson Hole Book Trader, 970 W. Broadway Ave. Suite A, 307/734-6001, $50 “To us,” Temple says, “the importance of Wild Migrations: Atlas of Wyoming’s Ungulates is summarized in the first line of the forward by Annie Proulx: ‘[This book] is the book Wyoming has been waiting for all its life.’” Wild Migrations tells the story of the migrations that elk, mule deer, pronghorn, bison, and mountain goats make through the eyes, words, and photos of the biologists and wildlife managers who study them.

Available at Jackson Hole Book Trader, 970 W. Broadway Ave. Suite A, 307/734-6001, $50

Glass it Up

“The use of glass as a coffee table to me is brilliant,” says Frey. “It allows the piece to have its own presence yet not take up visual space in a room by allowing other objects to be just as important.” Frey found this 1940s Pietro Chiesa for FontanaArte coffee table at an auction in Denver. “The slight green hue of the glass married with the elegantly shaped legs held together by nickel-plated brass make this table timeless and able to pair well with many different interior styles,” Frey says.

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MUST HAVE

Double Duty

“It can be seating if needed,” Burch says of this Stephen Kenn Studio upholstered coffee table. “It also invites you to put your feet up on it, and it can take kids all day long.”

From $2,200, available in leather, wool, and canvas

A Staple

“Candles bring warmth, light, and scent. I always have one on my coffee table at home,” Burch says.

“It rounds out the experience of a room.” Assouline is best known for its gorgeous and wide-ranging coffee table books, but it also makes candles. Or a candle, in its exclusive Culture Lounge fragrance, which has notes of lemon, rum, vanillamusk, and sandalwood. $250

Accessorize

Adding vintage or handmade pieces keeps a coffee table from looking like you just went to a showroom and bought what you thought should be on a coffee table, Burch says. The slip cast white bison is by New York studio Em Ceramics. That said, Burch admits, “If I had kids or a dog with a big tail, this table would look completely different. But I also think that if you love things and purchase them, you can’t let them own you.” Vintage pieces: availability and price vary; bison: $640

“I am a coffee table book guy and constantly look at them,” Burch says. “I like interior books, but not classical interiors. I like books with photos of homes that look like people live in them, like Francois Halard.” As far as stacking books, Burch say he often has a few stacks and doesn’t think there’s a right or wrong number of stacks. “I actually think in a great big room, if you don’t need to use your coffee table you can’t have too many stacks.” From $85

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NEIGHBORHOOD

SADDLE BUTTE

A neighborhood hidden in plain sight of downtown Jackson.

By Mark Huffman Photograph by Bradly J. Boner IF YOU’RE STANDING IN DOWNTOWN Jackson, the Saddle Butte Subdivision is in plain view, though the geography of the butte and the layout of the houses on it hide most development.

For many people it’s just a long ramp of roadway heading up the butte from where Mercill Avenue meets North Millward Street.

Maybe the difficulty seeing the neighborhood— and its slow start nearly six decades ago—has something to with how Teton County government was actually surprised when it finally became aware that something was going on up there.

When county officials did discover the subdivision, it was because of a lot of complaints.

“Saddle Butte had a bad reputation,” resident Jean Ferguson said recently. “It had a bad water system, the road was dirt, and there were no guardrails.

The drainage was poor.” And there was that thing about there being no official approval before people began building homes on the butte.

Jackson Hole resident George Hufsmith was the man who started the subdividing on the butte in the late 1960s. It was a simpler time: For a start, there was no county land plan.

In his day, Hufsmith was one of the valley’s best-known men. In the 1940s his father Robert, himself a third-generation Wyomingite, bought 500 acres in South Park that he ranched for years before it turned into the Shooting Iron subdivision.

George served in the Army during World War II in a signal detachment that intercepted Japanese communications. He arrived in Jackson in 1951 after graduating from the Yale School of Music.

Hufsmith sold insurance and real estate for 20 years; he was county attorney and served three terms in the Wyoming House. On the side, he was exalted ruler of the Elks Lodge and wrote history and classical music. His opera The Sweetwater Lynching was later transformed into the book The Wyoming Lynching of Cattle Kate, 1889. As one of the people involved in creating the Grand Teton Music Festival, Hufsmith’s music was sometimes performed by the orchestra.

Harry E. Jones owned a bit more than 400 acres at the south end of East Gros Ventre Butte. Born here in 1909, Jones was the son of homesteaders who lived first up the Gros Ventre Valley and later in town, near where the Kudar Motel now stands.

He graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in botany then, in the 1930s, headed to Alaska to prospect and trap. During World War II, he served in the Army in Europe.

His sister married into the Dornan family, which founded and still runs the Dornan’s compound in Moose. In 1967, Jones sold his land on East Gros RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 22

Ventre Butte to the Hufsmiths. Where the sale is recorded in Teton County records, a second line notes a mortgage for $48,000.

Hufsmith began selling lots on the hillside, where builder Bill Hammer “engineered” the road by eyeball and four-wheel drive. Hammer’s goal was to get material up to what now is 750 Saddle Butte Drive, where he was building a log home for Hufsmith and his wife, Ellie.

Hammer started by cutting trees in Mosquito Creek. “Then he had to get them up here over a road that was barely one lane wide,” Ellie Hufsmith said in a story about her house in 1977.

“If he couldn’t get his truck over the bridge, he’d just drive it through Flat Creek. If he couldn’t drive forwards up the road, he’d back up it. ...

There were times when this road was so muddy that Bill would have to take one truck to drag another one up here.”

Ellie Hufsmith said the trouble was worth it for the views. “The sunsets, oh, the sunsets!” she said in that same article. “Every one is different. ...

And when the moon comes up over the Sleeping Indian, it seems like it’s right above your head.”

Jean Ferguson and her husband, Dick, agree the elevated location is a big part of the attraction.

“It was all for the view,” she says. “We can see the Tetons on one side, and we see the town and the Elk Refuge and Cache Creek on the other.”

A nice view did little for early residents, though.

By 1976 they were griping to the county about

the road, that they had no dependable water, that there was flooding in the spring and fire danger in summer. County efforts to do anything were stalled because no plat had ever been filed subdividing the property and Hufsmith insisted that development predated the county plan.

Hank Phibbs, county attorney at the time, said then that he had “no idea of the boundaries or size” of the subdivision. Phibbs says that he couldn’t remember the details, but that the county did eventually take in the lower part of the butte, below the saddle. In early years nearly all the development was on 26 lots that encompassed 75 acres in that lower section.

Legal fighting continued over the upper part of the property until about 2002, when some Texas developers—Terry and Sharon Worrell and Sam Ware—bought it and wanted to divide the 189 acres into 17 home sites for a new area called Saddle Butte Heights. The entire upper parcel had been offered in 1998 for $2.8 million. When the lots went on the market in 2000 they were offered at prices ranging from $950,000 to $5 million.

As part of the deal, the Texas developers

The sunsets, oh, the sunsets!

Every one is different. and when the moon comes up over the Sleeping Indian, it seems like it’s right above your head.” [ ELLIE HUFSMITH ]

fixed the road—adding nearly a dozen sharp switchbacks—replaced the water system and the bridge over Flat Creek, and did a lot of other work. The deal also included keeping 120 acres as open space, adding to the 194 acres preserved on the lower part of the butte.

When the Fergusons bought their lot in 1976 they paid $17,000, Jean says, though she added that people now don’t know “how hard it was to have $17,000 in those days.” She says George Hufsmith carried a note for her and her husband.

She says they “just wanted an inexpensive lot to build a cabin.” By the time they built in the 1990s and moved in in 1997, the area was “too expensive for little cabins.”

As late as 1981 a house on the hill was advertised at $199,500. Today houses on Saddle

Butte range as much in price as they do in elevation. (The butte’s saddle is 400 feet above town, and its summit is another 600 feet higher.)

But if you want one, you’ll almost certainly have to wait and then take what’s available. At the start of 2020, only one was listed, and it was under contract: a 3,150-square-foot place built in 2011 on the butte’s high point with a view in every direction. The three-bedroom, four-bathroom house—one of those square buildings with lots of glass—had been on the market for $4.95 million.

Just a couple of years ago, average prices were beginning to reach the high side of $3.5 million.

Over the years the hillside has been home to Roger and Barbara LaVake (Roger was a photographer); Anthony Wall, owner of the longtime restaurant Tony’s; and Ling Tung, the music director of the Grand Teton Music Festival.

George Hufsmith died in 2002 at age 77; Ellie died in 2017 at 92.

For many years if you looked up “Hufsmith” in the phonebook it gave their address as “above Jackson.” Their house was torn down and replaced in 2016.

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TEN TIPS

ROOM CHANGER An area rug can make a big difference to a space.

By Maggie Theodora

BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES START HERE

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www.mdlandscapinginc.com

RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 24

Courtesy of Kismet Fine Rugs

WE THINK A RUG IS to a room as a shoe is to an outfit … although we’ve certainly walked into a number of rooms in the homes of friends, family members, and acquaintances that are the equivalent of barefoot—no carpet or area rug! Just as shoes can complete an outfit and, in some cases, make an outfit, rugs do the same for a space. “I think rugs are one of the most important things in a space,” says interior designer Nanette Mattei of Nanette Mattei Design. “It defines a space—its look and feel and even how it sounds and smells.” A rug can also tie a room together, create visual pathways, connect spaces, reinforce an aesthetic, serve as art, help with acoustics, and add texture, color, and personality. “A rug is an easy way to make a big change in the look and feel of a space,” says Lizzie Watson, who sells rugs imported from Kyrgyzstan through Page and Company. Here, design and rug professional share some of their top tips.

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“MY FATHER WAS IN THE [RUG] BUSINESS AND THAT WAS ALL I KNEW ABOUT LIFE,” SAYS JEFF NEISHABOURI, WHO FOUNDED KISMET FINE RUGS IN JACKSON IN 1989 AND HAS RUG FACTORIES IN SEVERAL CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES. “WHEN I WAS A KID, HE’D BRING A RUG HOME AND PUT IT IN OUR LIVING ROOM, AND IT WOULD HAVE ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL COLORS AND THE FAMILY WOULD GATHER AROUND IT AND IT WOULD MAKE THE ROOM COZY AND NICE.” NOW NEISHABOURI APPROACHES FINE RUGS FROM A DESIGN AS WELL AS SENTIMENTAL PERSPECTIVE. “[IN THE GALLERY] WE PAY ATTENTION TO TRENDS IN COLOR AND PATTERN, AND WE ALSO SET TRENDS SINCE WE MAKE MANY OF OUR RUGS. WE LIKE TO BE A PART OF MAKING SOMEONE’S HOUSE FEEL LIKE A HOME, EVEN IF IT MEANS WE HAVE TO MAKE A COMPLETELY CUSTOM RUG FOR THEM,” HE SAYS. HERE, NEISHABOURI SHARES SOME OF WHAT HE HAS LEARNED OVER HIS 30-PLUS YEARS IN THE BUSINESS.

A rug is an accent piece that warms the space. It should create a feeling of harmony for people entering a room.

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Select the right color and style: A mountain modern rug brings rustic beauty; a contemporary rug brings a touch of modern art; a transitional rug combines traditional aesthetics with a present-day touch of style.

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Courtesy of Kismet Fine Rugs

5 Balance is important. If a room is decorated with many artifacts and a lot of furniture, consider a solid colored rug to create calmness. If a room is filled with blocks of colors, an intricately patterned rug can bring a feeling of movement into it.

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Rug texture is critical, both to a room’s look and to its physical feel. A soft Moroccan rug has a beautiful thick pile that looks and feels very different from a traditional, antique rug, which has a thinner pile.

The Persian culture creates Tree of Life rugs that signify life, happiness, and beauty. Other cultures also create rugs with symbols and patters that can bring meaning to a space.

TEN TIPS

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Choose a rug that fits your space. Some people like rugs to go wall-to-wall, but sometimes a room can look bigger if you don’t fill the space.

Try a rug out. When possible, put the rug you’re considering in the space you want it. People are very drawn to shyrdaks, but they are so different they can be hard to imagine in a space.

I think the same goes for any rug on the internet.

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Choose wool! Wool fibers have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and are warm, waterresistant, and durable. A wool rug won’t get stinky, and you can shave it like you would a sweater.

In Kyrgyzstan, a shyrdak is passed down from generation to generation. They last forever.

Courtesy of Page and Company

LIZZIE WATSON SAYS SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH SHYRDAKS THE FIRST TIME SHE SAW THEM, WHICH WAS AT NORTH CAROLINA’S HIGH POINT FURNITURE MARKET. SHE WAS THERE WITH HER MOM TO LOOK FOR IDEAS ABOUT SOMETHING THEY COULD MAKE THEMSELVES OR IMPORT. “WE WERE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO SPEND MORE TIME TOGETHER AND, BECAUSE SHE LOVES TO SEW, HAD BEEN THINKING POUFS,” WATSON SAYS. “BUT WE FOUND THESE WOOL RUGS FROM KYRGYZSTAN. I IMMEDIATELY WANTED ONE FOR MYSELF AND THEN STARTED THINKING THAT THEY COULD DO VERY WELL IN JACKSON HOLE—THEY’RE SUPER DURABLE, MADE FROM WOOL AND NATURAL DYES, AND COME FROM ANOTHER MOUNTAIN CULTURE.” MADE ENTIRELY BY HAND—THE AVERAGE ONE TAKES ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO COMPLETE—SHYRDAKS IN 2012 WERE PUT ON UNESCO’S LIST OF INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE IN NEED OF URGENT SAFEGUARDING. MOST WOMEN—IT’S ALMOST ALWAYS WOMEN WHO MAKE THEM—ARE OVER THE AGE OR 40. WATSON AND HER MOTHER FORMED PAGE AND COMPANY, AND THEIR FIRST SHIPMENT OF SHYRDAKS ARRIVED IN JACKSON HOLE FROM KYRGYZSTAN IN OCTOBER 2016.

RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 26

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Pick your colors. Some rugs have vibrant contrasting colors; others have complimentary neutral tones. A vibrant rug can liven up a neutral room.

A neutral rug can allow another statement piece to shine.

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In 2018, Lizzie traveled to Kyrgyzstan with a cinematographer to meet the artisans whose rugs she sold and to make a movie to give people more insight into where and who shyrdaks came from. “We went to yurt villages high in the mountains and filmed women making these. They are art.

Within the Kyrgyz culture, shyrdaks can be used as dowries,” she says.

Professional Construction Ser vices Commercial - Residential w w w. p i n g o r a c o n s t r u c t i o n . c o m 307-690-4675

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TEN TIPS

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Rugs within sight of each other don’t have to be the same. One of these has a pattern and the other picks up colors the client likes.

They’re complimentary, but not perfectly so, which I think gives the space extra character and shows a sense of confidence.

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Having all the legs of your furniture on the carpet, rather than the front legs on and the back legs off, grounds a space.

David Bowers Photography

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Small rugs chop a room up, which can be good or bad. Here, two smaller rugs create two different spaces—a TV watching area and chairs around a game table—within the same room.

I usually like larger rugs, but that doesn’t always make sense. Because this room has a door in from the garage and is heavily trafficked—it connects to the kitchen—it needed two smaller rugs instead of one big one.

“THERE ARE SOME RULES ABOUT THE SIZE OF CARPETS IF YOU HAVE A PERFECT SPACE,” SAYS NANETTE MATTEI, WHO FOUNDED NANETTE MATTEI DESIGN IN JACKSON HOLE ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO AFTER 20 YEARS WORKING IN NEW YORK CITY AS AN ART CONSULTANT AND FOR HOME FURNISHING COMPANY KRAVET/LEE JOFA. “BUT HOW MANY SPACES ARE PERFECT? I DON’T FIND MYSELF FOLLOWING RULES.” GENERALLY, MATTEI SAYS, “THE BIGGER [A RUG] IS, THE BETTER. BUT IT IS HARD TO CONVINCE PEOPLE INTO LARGER CARPETS. THEY ALWAYS WANT SOMETHING SMALLER.” MATTEI, WHO DOES BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL PROJECTS, SAYS A BIG CARPET “GIVES A SPACE A FEELING OF CONFIDENCE. PEOPLE THINK THEY HAVE HARDWOOD FLOORS AND HAVE TO SHOW THE WOOD, BUT A CARPET CAN FEEL WARMER.”

Let yourself be inspired by a carpet, or not. Sometimes I find a carpet first and it inspires the whole space. Other times, it is fabric that first inspires me and then I work to find a carpet that works with it.

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C O M M U N I T Y F O U N D AT I O N O F J A C K S O N H O L E

TOGETHER.

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P HOTO : P ET ER LOBOZZ O

The Community Foundation helps our community connect, achieve more, and move forward.

ARTISAN

BLOWING UP

Laurie Thal and Dan Altwies collaborate to create sculptural and architectural glass pieces.

By Samantha Simma • Photography by Cole Buckhart

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A unique selection of locally made ceramics, home goods, jewelry, accessories and children’s gifts.

JUST OFF MOOSE-WILSON ROAD, a colorful glass sign marks Thal Glass Studio. The sign foreshadows what’s to come: the home and studio of the glass art duo of Laurie Thal and Daniel Altwies. Together, they create functional, sculptural, and architectural glass pieces that have been exhibited and collected internationally. Thal does the glass blowing; Altwies creates designs on the pieces by careful sandblasting. The two also collaborate on architectural glass projects like lighting fixtures, windows, panels, and wall art.

Thal first blew glass at age 18 as a freshman at Alfred University, about 80 miles south of Rochester, New York, and immediately fell in love with it. “I chose Alfred University because of their art and ceramic department,” says Thal, who built her West Bank studio in 1998. Although she started studying ceramics, Thal says, “Once I tried glass, I was captivated by the intensity of the heat, the seductive quality of the molten glass, and with the immediacy of working with this gorgeous material.” After two years at Alfred, she transferred to the Art Institute of Chicago, from which she graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts in 1975.

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Workshop 180 E Deloney Street Jackson (307) 203-7856 workshopjh.com workshopjacksonhole

ARTISAN

Altwies, a graphic artist who has designed album covers, taught himself how to etch and sandblast glass. The two have been art partners for six years and life partners since 2007. “Because of our love for each other, we have a connection with our pieces that most artists will never experience,” says Altwies.

The pair’s work has been exhibited at the 2018 Smithsonian Craft Show, the 2020 Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibition, the Wyoming State Art Museum, and the 2016 Scottsdale Arts Festival, where it won Best of Glass. A hand-blown glass ornament by Thal adorned the White House Christmas tree during the Obama presidency, and Obama gifted one of Thal’s vases to the prime minister of India during his 2009 visit to the U.S.

Once I tried glass, I was captivated by the intensity of the heat, the seductive quality of the molten glass, and with the immediacy of working with this gorgeous material” [ LAURIE THAL ] AS DELICATE AS THESE GLASS pieces are, they require brute strength and bulky, specialized equipment to make. Thal built most of her equipment herself. There’s the glassblowing furnace, which, because it takes three days to heat up to the necessary 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, Thal keeps on for one to three months at a time. The studio is also home to two “glory holes” and annealing ovens. The former are used for reheating glass during the blowing process. The latter allow blown glass to slowly cool to room temperature, which takes between eight and sixteen hours, depending on the piece’s thickness. If blown glass cools too quickly, it can crack or break. When working, Thal—who is only 5-foot-1 but has hands and forearms that look like they could crush bricks—does a carefully choreographed dance between these pieces of equipment. Once the furnace is on and up to temperature, she melts approximately 100 pounds of glass each week.

After the glass has been blown and cooled, preferably for several days, it is Altwies’s turn.

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“Most pieces are a collaboration,” he says, “but I do all of the drawings and prep work after we discuss the outcome we would like.” After a design is decided on, Altwies applies rubberized vinyl to a piece’s surface and then hand-draws the design onto it. (The rubberized vinyl protects the glass form.) The design drawn, he then uses an X-ACTO blade to cut out around the design.

“When I pull the vinyl material off, that’s where I sandblast,” he says. Altwies says drawing can take days depending on the design’s complexity.

Many of the couple’s projects are glass bowls with carved edges. These can take Altwies up to 100 hours from design to completion. As fragile as glass is, Altwies says, “I am never nervous about anything I do—I am a master glass fabricator and everything is well thought out and planned for.”

GLASS ART IS GENERALLY CONSIDERED to be contemporary in style, although Thal describes her and Altwies’s work as having a “simple elegance.” “Art with elegant style is more appealing than a busy piece that can hide

the basic form and design,” she says. Altwies’s etchings are often of aspen leaves or flowers, but no two designs are ever the same. “I want every [collector] to have a one-of-a-kind piece,” he says.

The first large-scale architectural piece the two collaborated on was a commission for a home in Teton Village: a 26-by-72-inch tryptich of fused glass with the Teton Range in it.

Thal and Altwies host open studios several times throughout the year, and in the winter Thal invites groups to the studio and coaches participants as they make their own glass ornaments. “I like giving people the opportunity to see where we make the magic happen,” she says. “It’s a relaxed, beautiful atmosphere where you can see the whole variety of work we do, and we can show you the sandblasting equipment and the fusing kilns and really explain how things are made.”

To make an appointment to visit Thal Glass Studio, call 307/690-2491 or email thallaurie@gmail.com; Thalglass.com

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ARCHITECTURE

TO THE MAX An East Jackson home is designed to maximize a lot’s zoning.

By Samantha Simma Renderings courtesy of Farmer Payne Architects

ON A 0.17 ACRE LOT on Cache Creek Drive, Jamie Farmer, of Farmer Payne Architects, designed a modern farmhouse-inspired home for Robert Huggins, president of New West Building Company, his partner Shawn Cripps, and their two young kids. Although the size of the home was limited by the small lot size, Farmer was able to design an open, family-friendly 2,961-square-foot main house, a detached 1,000-square-foot guest house (with its own garage) and a 755-square-foot accessory residential unit, or ARU, in the basement that the family can rent out. “We want to provide some housing that is desperately needed,” Huggins says.

It was challenging to fit such a massive program into the small lot, but, Farmer says, “The most successful designs use limitations as opportunities.” In this case, it was an interesting and challenging exercise for him to design the absolute largest structures allowed by the zoning. Farmer says these large-structures-on-small-lots are “definitely a departure from the traditional East Jackson vernacular but [are] exactly what the town planners and the community have been working toward over the last decade with RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 34

respect to centralized density, reallocating county development to town.”

Large, east-facing windows welcome natural morning sunlight into the main home’s voluminous, two-story great room.

Farmer says he “focused on using the volume of the space to make the interior feel more open and bring natural light and passive solar heating into the home.” The great room is the centerpiece of the home; a second-story landing looks down into it, and an open staircase leads up to where a bridge connects the kids’ rooms to the master suite.

Huggins has more than 30 years of experience in the building industry, but it was unique for him to work on a personal project, he says. “I believe in trusting the architect and designers, but when it’s your space it is very personal.” While Huggins tends to get very involved in the programming of spaces for clients, he found making such decisions for his own home intense.

main level, the great room opens onto a south-facing terrace, which is covered by the second-story bedrooms that extend out over it. To extend the functionality of the terrace, it has ceiling heaters and a fire pit. A spiral staircase connects the terrace to a second-story deck and also to the rooftop deck. Because the couple enjoys entertaining guests, Farmer says, it was important to provide connectivity between the indoor and outdoor public spaces.

The exterior materials palate includes neutral, vertical white siding and a stone veneer on the chimney. “Delicate wood screens enclose the entryway from the parking area,” Farmer says. Similar natural cedar screens enclose the covered back patio. For the interior, Huggins and Cripps factored in their two young boys into some materials selections. The basement—both the rental apartment and the family’s area—has concrete floors. “Over the concrete we plan on placing Flor carpet

The most successful designs use limitations as opportunities.” [ ARCHITECT JAMIE FARMER ]

Farmer says that because most lots on Cache Creek Drive accommodate rowstyle housing, “the views to the sides are difficult.” To give the guesthouse privacy and its own alley access, it was sited north of the main home. (North is the direction of the Tetons from Cache Creek Drive.) While this makes the guesthouse feel separated from the main home, it means the master bedroom in the main home doesn’t have Teton views. Instead the master suite sits at the south end, where, Farmer says, it has “a great view of Snow King and direct sunlight through big glass doors.”

The main house isn’t totally without Teton views though: The range can be seen from a rooftop deck. On the main home’s

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tiles that can be easily cleaned,” Huggins says. “The baths have a less expensive melamine cabinet, rather then a solid oak, as it’s easier to clean and is bulletproof, so to speak.”

From his own experience in building, Huggins knew he wanted the basement to have 10-foot ceilings to achieve an airier feel. Farmer says, “Basements are always challenging with respect to natural light, comfort, and views. Our solution was to create tall ceilings and large, full-height light wells. The east wall of the basement is basically floor-to-ceiling glass, creating a sense that the space is above grade.”

The project is on schedule to be finished by spring 2020.

TRAVEL

OCEANSIDE CALIFORNIA WHEN IT’S THAT TIME OF year— too soon to switch out the ski mounts for the bikes; slushy snow; moody weather—every Jacksonite thinks of the same restorative option: beach.

A quick flight via Salt Lake City to San Diego is the ticket. But don’t stop there. Take the train one hour north to Oceanside, a once-great, becominggreat-again beach town that maintains a little grit and still-off-theradar charm that its over-polished cousins—Carlsbad, Malibu, Newport, Laguna—nostalgically wish they had.

And you don’t even need to rent a car.

How’s that for “California Dreamin’”?

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One hour by train from San Diego, discover a cure for mud season.

By Jeremy Pugh Photography Courtesy of Visit Oceanside

GET YOUR ART, HISTORY & ARCHITECTURE ON Bagby Beer Company

California Surf Museum

California Surf Museum

City Hall

IN THE DAYS BEFORE SOUTHERN California was connected with its vast network of fourlane concrete arteries (now clogged), there was one road: Highway 1. Early car travelers ventured south from Los Angeles, often headed to Mexico for liquor during Prohibition. To make the trip, they would cross the largely unserviced Rancho Santa Margarita before arriving in Oceanside. The little town became an ideal spot to stop and stay in one of the nation’s first “travelers hotels,” or motels.

When WWII broke out, the U.S. Department of the Navy commandeered Rancho Margarita to build Camp Pendleton. Thousands of raw Marine recruits arrived in town along with builders and their families who followed the work to carve out Pendleton. Oceanside boomed. It got schools and hospitals, churches, movie palaces, and department stores. The post-war ascendance of the automobile made Oceanside a destination for car buyers, and the town’s new car dealerships became the place for the Greatest Generation to buy its shiny Cadillacs, Buicks, Oldsmobiles, and Fords.

But then, bust. California sprawl and cheaper land elsewhere saw the big dealers move closer to metro areas, leaving the husks of giant showrooms behind. These shells were occupied by down-market used-car dealers.

Meanwhile, the rise of malls and megaplexes in the ’60s and ’70s gutted Oceanside’s once bustling town center. It also didn’t help that one of the state’s largest railroad switchyards, built during the war, was a giant eyesore in the middle of town and impeded beach access. (The switchyard was moved in the ’90s onto Camp Pendleton, much to town boosters’ relief.)

But these downsides would ultimately become upsides, says Oceanside historian Kristi Hawthorne: “We were largely overlooked, and while everyone else was tearing down old buildings, neighborhoods, and architectural

Star Theater

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treasures, we were left alone.”

Hawthorne and her colleagues at the Oceanside Historical Society lead free two-hour walking tours (visitoceanside.org, 760/722-4786) that highlight this “lucky” preservation. She points to neighborhoods filled with charming, stick-built bungalows including, famously, the “Top Gun House,” where Tom Cruise’s Maverick bedded Kelly McGillis’ Charlie Blackwood in the 1986 film.

Also preserved were palatial movie theaters featuring beautifully garish neon signs in the futurist Googie style. For example, the Star Theater (402 N. Coast Hwy., startheatreco.com), with its space-age-fab marquee, now bills musical theater performances produced by the local company. Even some of the unwieldy old car showrooms are finding new life, gutted to become restaurants and craft breweries, like the Bagby Beer Company (601 S. Coast Highway, bagbybeer.com).

The work of architect Irving Gill is also a point of town pride. The minimalist modern architect, who designed with subtle North African flair, built four edifices in Oceanside: The Americanization School (1210 Division St.), the still operational Fire Station No. 1 (714 Pier View Way), The Blade Tribune Building (401 Seagaze Dr.) and the original City Hall (300 N. Coast Hwy.). In 1990, when the City Hall was expanded and renovated into a civic center and public library, the effort preserved Gill’s original structures, and project architect Charles Moore matched Gill’s signature simple, unadorned style.

At its heart, though, Oceanside is a beach town: It’s home to the California Surf Museum (312 Pier View Way, 760/721-6876), perfect for any pony-tailed surfer dad. Highlights are the shark-bit surfboard and the accompanying story of pro surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm but ultimately survived an encounter with a tiger shark off the coast of Kauai.

TRAVEL

BRING IT HOME On Mission Avenue, between Coast Highway and Pier View Way, Artist’s Alley is a collection of independent galleries and shops that is anchored on either end by two of the town’s 30 murals. The alley’s top shop is Gypsy Den Boutique (1931 S. Coast Hwy., 760/512-1205, gypsy-den-boutique.myshopify.com), a flowyfabrics, “One-Winged-Girl”-type of spot. The alley also features an escape room and a virtual reality activity center, if that’s your bag.

Gypsy Den Boutiques

PLAY Oceanside’s beachfront is a wide, perfectly sandy stretch, marked midway by the state’s longest wooden pier (home to an irascible pelican named Charlie). On either side of the pier, the reliable break brings a daily lineup of surfers waiting for sets. It’s a pretty serious surfing crowd, so before you paddle out on your own consider a lesson. The family-owned shop Surf Ride (1909 S. Coast Hwy., 760/433-4020, surfride.com) offers lessons three times a week as well as gear rental. If you want to stay dry, rent a rod and reel from the pier’s bait shop and cast a line, or rent a bike or four-person, team-pedaled surrey contraption and cruise the strand. The northern end of the beachfront connects to the 19.2-mile San Luis Rey River Trail, which heads inland and passes by the Mission Luis Del Ray (4050 Mission Ave., 760/757-3651, sanluisrey.org). Known as the “King of the Missions,” the site a prime example of Spanish Colonial architecture with Moorish influences. The Mission offers a glimpse into California’s Spanish past through its interpretive museum, self-guided tours, educational lectures, and retreat stays.

STAY Mission Luis Del Ray

The Fin Boutique RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 38

Part of Oceanside’s rejuvenation has been the renovation of the older traveler hotels that, while cutting-edge in the 1920s, were still bathroom-down-thehall situations. But they had good bones.

The latest example is The Fin Boutique Hotel (133 S. Coast Hwy., 760/279-6300, thefinhotel.com). Originally opened as the Keisker Hotel in 1927, The Fin preserves the meticulous mosaic tile flooring in the lobby, the original grand woodenrail staircase, and the Tiffany windows while updating everything else (read: en suite water closets). The Oceanside Springhill Suites is a chain, but it boasts a rooftop pool with ocean views and is steps from the waterfront. Beachfront Only (beachfrontonly.com) is a vacation rental service offering, as the name says, a selection of on-the-beach properties, from cozy cottages to 10-bedroom redoubts for the big reunion.

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DINE

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Petite Madeline

Surf towns require breakfast, and Oceanside’s go-to is Petite Madeline (223 N. Coast Hwy., 760/231-7300, petitemadelinebakery.com) with house-made pastries and hearty options for the most important meal of the day. And then there is toast. How good can toast be?

Find out at Camp Coffee (101 N. Cleveland St., 442/2662504, campcoffeecompany.com) where cutsey coffee drinks (think S’mores) are served with hearty slices of “camp toast”—a panini-style hunk of wonder.

Start a night out with a flight of wine from Coomber Craft Wines (611 Mission Ave., 760/231-8022, coomberwines.com). You’ll find a selection of wines from Santa Barbara winemakers and a fantastically chill patio. Up the block is Mission Ave Bar and Grill (711 Mission Ave., 760/637-2222, missionavebarandgrill.com), a whiskey-forward joint (more than 200 tipples in the library) with a meticulously blended Eternal Pour bottle behind the bar.

The phrase “let’s go out for Balinese” is not a thing, yet. But Dija Mara (232 S. Coast Hwy., 760/231-5376, dijamara.com) is well on its way to making it one.

This popping joint on the Coast Highway feels like a town center-cum-happy hour. California servers, presciently aware of every food preference, expertly work the tables, passing out small plates of delightfully fresh Balinese cuisine. For the big meal of your trip, try Master’s Kitchen & Cocktail (208 S. Coast Hwy., 760/231-6278, mastersoceanside.com) where 28-yearold wunderkind chef Andre Clark has unstuffified the menu. Clark got his start here, working on the line. He left for apprenticeships in some of San Diego’s finest kitchens and has returned with whiz-bang energy.

For starters, he’s got a thing for albacore. Ahi’s canned cousin, Clark points out, is caught locally. “Why am I serving tuna from Hawaii when I am a chef in California?” Why indeed?

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Photo by: Will Brunker

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DESIGN

IN THE CLOSET Whether your closet is a walk-in or a small section of one wall, if it is efficiently designed and organized, your life will be better. Seriously.

By Samantha Simma

“FUNCTIONALITY, FIRST AND FOREMOST.” THAT’S what Heidi Stephenson, an interior designer at Snake River Interiors, says should drive the design of any closet. Sam Danahy agrees. She’s the founder and owner of Jackson-based In Place, which offers a variety of organization-related services including designing storage systems for closets, pantries, and garages to senior transitions. “You never want to make your stuff fit in a space,” she says. “You want to make your space fit your stuff.”

Stephenson and Danahy share similar end goals for any client’s closet: to accommodate clothes and accessories in an efficient, organized way, with day-to-day items close at hand and space for seasonal items. And they don’t just work with huge closets. The smaller the closet, the more beneficial organization is. “Organization is important everywhere,” Danahy says, “but it’s extramandatory in small spaces.”

Danahy and Stephenson both take the same first step with every client: an inventory of what will live in a given space. Danahy, who grew up implementing systems to keep her stuffed animals organized, can take this step further by assisting clients in “editing” their closets. Editing a closet involves purging items that are underutilized. (If utilized at all; how many pieces of clothing in your closet haven’t you worn in a couple of years?) “I help people sit down and have the conversation with themselves about why they’re holding on to things that are just taking up space,” Danahy says. She also encourages clients to swap out their seasonal clothes if not four times a year, at least twice. She says this allows people to be reminded of everything they have.

Hang On

Once you know what you want to keep in your closet, it’s time to start designing it. Be thoughtful in determining the heights of your hanging rods. Stephenson recommends “rods at varying heights to avoid ending up with dead space.” She says most people need less space for long hanging than they think, especially here in Jackson Hole where we have far many more jackets than we do formal wear. Kristen Carter, a design specialist at Bison Custom Cabinetry, likes to incorporate pull-down rods so less-frequently used articles of clothing can be hung up high. These rods work best in closets with high ceilings. When planning two hanging levels, Carter makes sure there is at least 33 vertical inches of clear space and a shelf between the upper and lower rods. The shelf prevents hangers on the lower rod from catching on the items on the top rod.

When it comes to hanging clothes on rods, Danahy likes huggable hangers—nonslip hangers with a velvet finish and a slim profile. Not only do these give your closet rods a nice, clean look, they also “buy you a lot of space,” Danahy says. “They debulk, and things won’t fall off them.” For small closets Danahy recommends hanging multiple items on a single hanger.

Courtesy of Kristin Carter, Bison Custon Cabinetry

RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 40

Custom Closets

If you’ve got the space and budget, custom cabinetry can be used to creatively store collections of purses, shoes, and accessories. In one bedroom closet, Bison Custom Cabinetry designed and made a pullout cabinet similar to a spice cabinet you might find in a kitchen. In the closet, though, it stored a collection of scarves instead. It “pulled out like a huge panel and had little hooks for all of the scarves,” Carter says.

For shoes, adjustable shelves are most efficient and functional, especially here, where “it’s not all loafers,” Carter says. But shoes are an area where designers often don’t think about only the functionality of how they’re stored: “Glass-fronted cabinetry can turn a collection of shoes into an art installation,” says Danahy. Handbags can be similarly elevated. Danahy advises clients to store purses with paper stuffed inside them. This makes them stand up, rather than flop over, on their shelves and preserves bags’ shapes. Stephenson says, “It can’t be ‘pretty’ if it isn’t organized.”

An organizational favorite of Carter’s is velvet-lined jewelry drawers. She has also done drawers with cubbies to fit individual rolled up belts and ties. Stephenson says she has more and more clients asking for USB charging ports hidden in closet drawers.

Better Dressing

Including drawers in your closet eliminates the need for a dresser in the bedroom and can make getting dressed easier. Ideally, when space allows, you would have all of your clothing, shoes, and accessories in your closet. “It doesn’t make sense to go back and forth between your bedroom and your closet,” Stephenson says. Carter suggests adding shallow closet drawers with dividers for storing socks and undergarments and, in a generous closet, having a “center island.” “This creates an ideal surface to stage your dressing for the day and to place a suitcase on when preparing to travel,” she says. Extra credit for including drawers in this island.

If you don’t have room for a closet island, Danahy says a bench or set of hooks can also function as a staging area. “Anything you can use for temporary stowage to keep often-used or soon-to-beused items in one place works,” she says.

Your System

While nice materials and good design can make your closet efficient and functional, sadly the work doesn’t end there. Danahy can spend hours helping you edit your closet and hang your clothes, but if it’s not organized in a way that works for you, it’s not going to stay efficient and functional for long. Danahy believes it is important to base closet organization on “your particular stuff and how you use your closet.” Color coding, for example, looks photogenic, but isn’t practical for individuals who are unfamiliar with their own inventory, where a black shirt can get lost in a section of black. A more broadly beneficial system is to group like items together, whatever that means for your things. “When you’re getting dressed for a specific occasion—whether it’s yoga class or dinner—all those items for that occasion should be in one place,” Danahy says. How do you know when it’s not working? “If you find you’re frequently not putting an item away, then that location isn’t working for you,” Stephenson says.

“Studies have shown that disorganized spaces can be detrimental to a person’s health,” Danahy says. Disorganization adds stress to an already chaotic life. Carter adds: “Even the smallest closet can put a smile on your face if it is well-organized, functional, and atheistically pleasing.”

An important but often-overlooked detail of closet design is lighting, which designers group into three types: overhead lighting, accent lighting, and task lighting.

Overhead lights illuminate the entire closet. Accent lighting can highlight architectural details like crown molding.

Task lighting can make finding things in your closet easier.

For example, in a jewelry drawer: “Have it light up so you can see what pieces of jewelry are in the drawer,” Carter says. Or in a “big, deep cabinet, there might be a light that turns on when you open the doors so that you can see what is inside.”

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“The amazing, unobstructed views of the Tetons this house has proposed a challenge,” says interior designer Kate Binger, who founded Dwelling in 2007. “As awe-inspiring as it is, it can also be a little overwhelming.” In the combined kitchen/dining/living room, Binger started by deciding to use wood on the ceiling and floors. (The former is hemlock; the latter is white oak.) “The focus is still on the mountains, but the wood above and below the giant views envelops the mountains in warmth.”

Binger worked with Dave Daniel, of Molding Mud, on the custom two-sided fireplace. “I needed something that was contemporary enough for the clients’ desires, but also warm and textured enough to balance out the space and views.” Binger and Daniel came up with the idea of wrapping the entire fireplace in panels of matte concrete. “Concrete is physically a hard material, but here it is soft with the finish and the eased edges of the panels,” she says, “but still contemporary.”

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F R OM

Lemonade

Lemons Homeowners planned for a remodel, but then the contractor discovered serious problems with the foundation.

By Lila Edythe Photography by Tuck Fauntleroy

“I

called [the homeowners] and asked, ‘How married are you to remodeling this house?’” says Steven Landis, the owner/president of Select Builders.

Landis made the call after his crew had been demo-ing the 1970s home for several weeks and well after the owners had finalized plans and permits for a remodel with Jackson-based architect Rick Merrell. “When we were doing the demo, we started modifying the foundation, and as we were doing this we saw cracks everywhere. We started digging for a new foundation and went 20 feet down and found there was no bearing soil,” Landis says.

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Right: A concrete resin matte charcoal dining table and mid-century modern teak chairs sit below an architectural light fixture. “I wanted to find a fixture that had some softness, but also had modern lines. As I was doing this house, circles became important to me—the shape softens the hard edges of the Tetons. The painting, Stick ‘em Up, is by Jackson-born artist Connor Liljestrom, whom Binger’s assistant discovered at one of the Art Association Art Fairs last summer. “He uses western icons and creates his own modern take on them, and then infuses them with abstraction and vibrant colors. To me, his compositions have a lot of depth,” Binger says.

Below: A credenza doubles as a dry bar. The two leather-wrapped mirrors hanging above it reinforce the circular theme Binger used throughout the entire home.

We don’t need a huge house.

From the beginning we were more interested in huge views.” [ HOMEOWNER ]

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Binger says the coffee table was one of the last pieces she was looking for.

She found this slab of curly maple while in North Carolina. “I fell in love with the piece of wood and sent it off to the client,” she says. “Curly maple has a lot of movement in it—it has curly lines within the slab, and, again, it spoke to the circular theme I had been wanting to follow.” For the base, “it made sense to marry the concrete material from the fireplace into the base of the coffee table,” Binger says. On this, she again worked with Dave Daniel.

The sofas are from Stanford Furniture. “The client wanted mostly neutral upholstery, but with the intensity of the views it couldn’t be plain,” says Binger.

“It needed pattern and depth.”

If the homeowners answered Landis’s question with a “yes,” the remodel could still have happened, albeit on an extended timeline. The soil beneath the foundation could have been “reconditioned,” or helical piers could have been installed and the original foundation repaired and put on top of them. Reconditioning soil entails removing the existing soil, adding moisture to it, mixing it, and then putting it back in place before compacting it. A helical pier is a steel shaft that is rotated into the ground—much like a screw into wood—until it hits rock.

But the couple who owned the home, one half of which grew up in Jackson, wasn’t married to a remodel.

“The original house was perfectly fine and we decided we could make a remodel of it work for us,” says the Jacksonborn half. “But then the nonbearing soil happened. We had to think about it and regroup, but in retrospect, that was a godsend.” The couple and their three kids—a 13-year-old and 10-year-old twins—first visited their brand new house in June, shortly after construction was finished. Since then the couple has hosted numerous friends (with and without kids) and a family Christmas.

“It is a great place to get together with friends and family

Local woodworker Jeremy Landis made all of the kitchen cabinetry, which is bleached white oak. Countertops are quartz. “A challenge in the kitchen was the lighting—having enough task lighting and decorative lighting fixtures to balance the unencumbered views of the Tetons,” Binger says. To continue the circular theme, Binger chose ceramic tiles that have an undulating scallop relief pattern on them.

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Right: Binger has a common refrain when talking about interiors in Jackson Hole: “What would work in places that have a constant balance of greenery, like California or Florida, would not work here, where, in the middle of January we might not have seen the sun for three weeks. As beautiful as the views are, the whiteout conditions outside our windows can be depleting for the human spirit,” she says. With this project Binger worked to make spaces cozy enough to balance the “massive, stark landscape” visible from almost every room while still achieving the clients’ desire for a minimalist aesthetic. Like the other rooms with big views, the master bedroom has a circular pattern—here a starburst twig chandelier above the bed—to soften the intensity of the views.

and enjoy Jackson,” the homeowner says.

Although the couple was able to start with a blank slate, the house they ended up building has a footprint similar in size to what their planned remodel would have had. “We don’t need a huge house. From the beginning we were more interested in huge views,” the homeowner says. And the property has some of the biggest, most expansive views in the valley; it is on an inholding in Grand Teton National Park. “This place is only on 1 acre, but it feels like it is on a zillion acres,” says the homeowner. “Grand Teton National Park is on four sides of us.”

The biggest change between the original house and the new one (besides the new home having a structurally sound foundation) is the orientation.

“The original house was oriented about 15 degrees off from looking directly at the Tetons,” says the homeowner. “That wasn’t a reason to build new

Below: “I’ve worked on plenty of houses that have incredible Teton views,” Binger says. “But this is the first project where almost every room has views—the bedrooms, the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the entry, the den—they all have unobstructed views of the Tetons. For all of these rooms, the natural light and views were paramount.” In the master bathroom, a freestanding Victoria + Albert deep soaking tub sits beneath a window.

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rather than remodel, but when the soil [problem] was discovered, that was enough of a reason to build new. We took the opportunity to change the orientation.” Almost the entire northwestern side of the home is glass and faces the Tetons full-on. “They are very, very large windows and doors,” the homeowner says while sitting at a dining table in front of some of the windows. Landis, who has been building homes since 1979, says this glass wall, which stretches almost the length of the combined kitchen/ dining/living room, is “the biggest open space we’ve ever done. One huge steel moment frame created two window walls on the main level. There’s another on the lower level.”

“We put a lot of work and thought into the plans for the remodel, and having that all be for nothing was a disappointment, but sitting here today, we couldn’t be happier,” says the homeowner. “We totally love it.”

Above: While porcelain tile was too cold for the see-though fireplace in the living/dining room, in the office/den off the master suite, it works. “Here it is framed by two credenzas and bookshelves; it is a much more intimate setting,” Binger says. Still, she softened the natural hardness of porcelain’s look by opting for a textured tile. “Texture can soften a material,” she says.

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Evan Simms Berning and Jason Berning enjoy the upstairs kitchen/dining/living area in their new home in Mountainside Village. The couple worked with Victorbased woodworker David Trapp on the ash breakfast counter, which moves into different positions and is kept in place by hidden magnets. The patterned cement wall tiles are from Walker Zanger. Evan says, “I love the matte finish of concrete tiles as opposed to a baked-on glossy finish.” The tiles were a splurge, but Jason says the tongue-and-groove ceiling here was an area where they saved money.

“The wood we used is the exact same as the exterior siding. It is not a perfect wood, it’s rough. But you’re not in this room and touching the ceiling.”

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EmotionalINVESTMENT Evan Simms Berning herself did the Japanese technique of shou sugi ban on the stair stringers. After finishing the labor-intensive process, which requires burning the wood’s exterior with a blowtorch, she sealed them. The treads are made from Douglas fir that Evan stained using a hybrid of two colors from Livos, a company that makes ecological wood stains and finishes. The Douglas fir “had been sitting in a friend’s wood shop for years,” Jason says. Butte West made the steel railing.

A couple acts as general contractor for their own home and finds that the rewards aren’t just financial.

By Dina Mishev | Photography by David Agnello

T

he open staircase in the new home of Evan Simms Berning and Jason Berning is gorgeous. The treads are stained a color that is a mix of brown and grey and cut from a three-inch-thick timber that had been sitting in a friend’s basement for years.

The stringers are charred; they’re charcoal black and the grain of the wood is visible.

When Evan walks up and down these stairs—which she does often because the home’s kitchen, living, and dining area, and master suite are on the second floor—she feels proud, she says: She was the one who stained the treads and did the labor- and fire-intensive Japanese technique of shou sugi ban on the stringers.

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I always carry a certain amount of emotion for the success of work projects, but doing it for ourselves brought a new level of emotion.� [ JASON BERNING ]

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Left: The couple’s original concept for the house included multiple buildings, but, working with architect Meghan Hanson and thinking about their budget, they realized a single building made more sense for them. It was Jason’s idea to clad the bottom three feet of the home’s exterior in metal. “We wanted to make everything as low-maintenance as possible,” he says. “The bottom weathers the fastest, being exposed to snow and sprinklers.” Above the metal, the siding is spruce.

“We also wrapped the eaves in metal to minimize maintenance,” Jason says.

Above: The living area’s big move is a patinated stainless steel fireplace.

It was concept designed by TruexCullins, the Bernings designed and built the balance using Douglas fir from a friend’s wood shop (from the same batch as the stair treads) and stainless steel. Evan patinated the latter herself to provide a smoky finish with depth. The Danish midcentury chairs came from Evan’s family. “We’re so happy these were passed forward to our new home,” Jason says. The single-cushion sofa is from Younger Furniture, a North Carolina manufacturer that specializes in custom, sustainable furniture at a reasonable price.

Evan, who is trained as an industrial designer, and Jason, a civil engineer who has worked in construction management for 18 years, did as much of the work as they could on their home, which is in Mountainside Village near the bottom of the western side of Teton Pass.

They were not so DIY that they didn’t work with an architect, though.

Evan says they did “low-level” sketches of the design they envisioned, “and then we quickly went to Meghan [Hanson of Teton Valley’s Natural Dwellings Architecture].”

In addition to Evan staining and shou sugi ban-ing the stairs, she was the on-site forewoman and did odd jobs from hauling sheetrock to sweeping, painting, and damp proofing the foundation. (Jason says, “The excavators said they had never seen a foundation damp proofed as well as Evan had done it before.”) Jason was the off-site foreman and responsible for preconstruction planning, estimating, and hiring subcontractors, among other things.

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“We wanted to introduce a natural material behind our bed and found bringing the outside in by using the siding fit perfect,” says Jason. “It also kept a minimalist approach by not introducing another material.” The bedroom, which is on the second floor with the other main living areas, purposefully faces east to the morning sun. The pendant above the nightstand is the “pulley” pendant from Pottery Barn.

“Our reasons for being so involved were three-fold,” Jason says. “It saved us money, we wanted to have the added pride of doing things ourselves, and I knew it would be really difficult for me to hire someone and not micromanage them. Managing construction projects has been my job my entire adult life.”

Even with Jason’s experience and Evan being on site every day, “we still ran into challenges,” Jason says. “I always carry a certain amount of emotion for the success of work projects, but doing it for ourselves brought a new level of emotion. The decisions we made during the design and construction process are ones we’ll live with for years to come.”

A decision the couple made early in the design phase did help make the decisions that followed during the 12-month construction period slightly easier: “We decided we were building a house for us,” Jason says. “We checked in with a Realtor to make sure we weren’t doing anything totally foolish, but early on we decided not to build what a Realtor told us to build. We used professionals as sounding boards, but weren’t scared to go with what we wanted. We went with our guts.”

And then they invested their time and energy in making their decisions reality. “The accomplishment of GC-ing and building our own home is still settling in,” Jason says. Evan adds, “We feel so fortunate to be able to touch many of the surfaces and know we contributed in an intrinsic and intimate way.”

The water closet of the master suite doubles as a powder room when the couple is entertaining.

It has two doors—one that connects to the master bedroom and a second that connects to the combined kitchen/dining/ living area. Using a wood beam and Moroccan-style pendants in this room was a design vision that Evan had from the start.

“We swapped time one weekend packing straw walls for a neighbor friend building his house for the rough timber counter he had laying in his yard,” Jason says.

When the time came, the same friend, Adam Riley, who owns Teton Timberframe, installed the timber as a counter. Evan made the mirror above the sink.

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“We wanted the walls of the shower to have a nice feel,” Evan says. The couple found a deal on an “ice skating” textured tile from a quarry in Italy. “It has small gold bands in it that glitter in the natural light,” Jason says. The sample they got was ¼-inch thick, but when they got the actual tile it was ¾-inch thick. “We wouldn’t have picked something so thick on purpose, but it does have a massing and elegance that a thinner tile doesn’t,” Jason says.

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Decision Makers

By Maggie Theodora

Photography by Tuck Fauntleroy

A couple maximizes their budget with thoughtful planning–and compromises.

W

ould you give up a fire pit and hot tub in the backyard so you could have wood floors in the kitchen? Some families building their dream house are fortunate and don’t have to make such decisions, but most, including Jason Leslie and Maria Löfgren, did. “Our budget was a reach the whole way, and we tried to incorporate the features we wanted most while recognizing there would be decisions to be made along the way,” says Leslie, who is a builder and contractor but, until this project, had focused on commercial spaces rather than residential.

This lot on the perimeter of the Melody Ranch neighborhood is a perfect square, but “when we were siting the house, we did a slight rotation—just twisted a couple of degrees—so that we’re aligned with the Grand Teton,” says homeowner Jason Leslie. When these liftand-slide doors in the living room are fully opened—the three panels stack on the right side—there’s an eight-by-eight-foot opening to the back yard.

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Zoe and Teton views greet guests. While the idea to twist the house a few degrees to directly face the Tetons was a move made to maximize views in the main living spaces and the master bedroom suite, “it worked really well for the entry as well,” Leslie says. “It’s a pretty amazing view to walk into.” The homeowners spent significant time considering different front doors before deciding on a horizontal, quarter-sawn cherry door.

“The stripes on it play off the windows to the right,” Leslie says.

55

Right: The master bathroom has lots of natural light. The larger window that parallels the freestanding tub is extra deep, perfect for setting a glass of wine on. “Or it has plenty of space we could fill with orchids,” Leslie says.

Below: Even the laundry/mud room/office has views of the Tetons, from Mount Glory to Teewinot. Leslie and wife Maria Löfgren knew they wanted a combined laundry and mud room, but originally did not imagine such a large space. This room is between the main house and attached garage and studio; the homeowners call this area “the connector.” Leslie says, “The connector ended up growing much larger because of [Melody Ranch] design guidelines: 75 percent of your eaves need to be within nine feet of grade. [Architect Brad Hoyt] grew this part of the house to meet this requirement, so this room got bigger, which we’ve found to be nice.”

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“One of our favorite features is the breakfast nook,” says Leslie, here with Löfgren, sons Olin, 9, and Tor, 11, and dog Jasper. “I invested a lot of hours into it and it was worth it. Sitting in there you’re surrounded by windows and you feel like you’re outside.

If we’re sitting in here and neighbors walk by, they’ll wave or we’ll wave. It’s a very outdoor-feeling indoor space.” The built-in table and benches are the same white oak as the stair treads and the kitchen/dining/living room floors.

57

Olin climbs the stair treads while Tor looks on in the home’s main public space, a combined kitchen/ dining/living room. “The fireplace gives just a bit of separation, but you can see through it and over it,” Leslie says. To negate the need for a traditional chimney, this gas-fueled fireplace has a power vent that allows it to exhaust through the crawl space. Pipes out of the top and vents at the bottom blow heat into the room.

Other decisions made during the 13-month construction of their 3,755-square-foot home on a perimeter lot in Melody Ranch were to have fewer speakers throughout the house so that they could have electric shades on key windows. Leslie really wanted the latter, and Löfgren, a physical therapist and partner at Excel Physical Therapy, decided she didn’t actually like the look of “all these speakers everywhere,” she says. Another decision, Leslie adds: in-floor heat.

Originally he didn’t think hydronic heat was a necessity or an option with their budget. “I had always thought it was a luxury item,” he says. But

after looking at the long-term energy savings, and also what was common in existing homes in the neighborhood, Leslie realized it would eventually pay for itself, and that lacking it could, were they ever to sell the house, hurt its value. Not that hydronic heating was a hard sell for the couple.

Leslie doesn’t have a vivid memory of the family’s first night in the house, which was last June—it “was just sound and comfortable,” he says—but he does vividly remember waking up and walking on heated floors. “It felt, and still feels, so good to have your feet on warm floors,” he says.

Another luxury the couple found money for in RANGE ISSUE ELEVEN 58

the budget was “a giant master bathroom,” says Löfgren, a native of Sweden. She says that, from the earliest design phase, “I liked the idea, especially in a cold town, of having a nice, relaxing soaking tub, and I wanted a sizeable space for it.” When the couple visited showrooms to look at tubs, Löfgren says, she sat in each one they considered. “I wanted to be able to lay down and feel comfortable,” she says. They eventually selected a Jacuzzi Celeste tub, which Löfgren says “is perfect.”

Because Leslie is a builder himself—after working in the trade for more than 20 years, he founded Pingora Construction in 2017—he knew

how to make the most of the family’s budget beyond categorizing things as “saves” or “splurges.” “You can only save so much money making compromises on finishes and details,” he says. “Getting a good team in place and advance planning can affect the budget in a much bigger way.” Leslie, who, after ground was broken was able to spend most of his time working on his house, had weekly planning/design meetings with architect Brad Hoyt and interior designer Jessica Travis Ginter, whom the couple made sure to get involved early on. “We’d all sit down together and discuss features and floor plans. Everything was very direct and flowed,” Leslie says. “I’ve been

involved in a lot of complex construction projects and would say that this house wasn’t as challenging as other projects, mostly because of the efficient design and decision process we established at the beginning and kept to.”

While the design and permit process were mostly smooth, a few challenges arose during construction. But, “just like a lot of things in life, the more challenging they are, the more rewarding they are,” Löfgren says. “The fireplace, breakfast nook, and stairs were the most challenging to get through, but they are my favorite parts of the house and I’m so glad we persevered with these elements.”

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Architect Brad Hoyt says the stairs were an important piece to set the tone for the home.

“They’re right in the middle of the main public space,” he says. “We wanted to keep it open and clean in keeping with the rest of the project.” Hoyt and Collin Delano came up with the idea of a single HSS (hollow structural sections) stringer and, to give the stairs some warmth, wood treads. “The metal rails pick up some of the metal detailing in the rest of the project,” Hoyt says. About the home’s aesthetic Löfgren says, “I think with time there will be more layers—art and color on the walls—but for now I like the simplicity and I want us to grow with it. When we find pieces and things that speak to us, they will be nice to add, but we’re not forcing it.”

HOME sweet HOME

THE FAMILY HOME AS TOLD BY JESSE AND STEPHANIE ROY Photograph by Cole Buckhart

THE YEAR WE GOT MARRIED, 2013, we bought a house together on West Snow King Drive. At that time, we were living in a condo in the Aspens. The condo was nice—we had remodeled it—but we knew we’d eventually want more space for a growing family. We saw the potential in a lot with a little orange 1956 house on it. We knew that eventually we’d scrape it and build something of our own, but because that was several years out we fixed it up and rented it out for a while. We used that time to save up for the new house and also to better understand the rules and regulations that went with the AR-zoned 0.17-acre lot: We were allowed two ARUs [accessory residential structures] in addition to our own home and wanted to make sure we maximized the potential of the lot so we’d have rental income to help us with our mortgage. Because one of us is in building and the other is in property management [Jesse owns Couloir Construction and Stephanie owns Jackson

Hole Property Management], we knew exactly what we were getting into with the build and had insight into what renters were looking for.

The final design that we settled on and that was approved by the town included a 1,600-square-foot house and two 800-square-foot apartments. Our house has a two-car garage, and each of the apartments has an oversize singlecar garage. One apartment is in the 3/4 basement, and the other is detached and accessed from the alley in the back.

Everyone has their own private entrance.

In late 2016, after about eight months of construction, we moved in and so did two groups of renters. We’re now totally settled and are on our second round of renters in each apartment. We love our house and feel like we’re making the most of this lot. With our two kids and the newborn of one of the couples renting from us, there are nine people living comfortably on one lot that isn’t that big.

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