Modern Living: Three New Residential Designs Explore a Softer Side of Modernism
BY NORA BURBA TRULSSON
Shedding Conventions
Bozeman, Montana | Stephen Dynia, AIA | Stephen Dynia Architects | Jackson, Wyoming
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GORDON GREGORY
 Architect Stephen Dynia referenced indigenous buildings as well as the existing guest house at left when he designed this home outside Bozeman, Montana. The home's public spaces are arranged in the long, single-level section, while bedrooms are stacked in the two-story volume.
When Stephen Dynia was asked to design a house for a pristine meadow setting outside Bozeman, Montana, he played off several reference points, including an existing structure on the property as well as the area's architectural history.
"The owners, a couple, had built a guest house on the property," says Dynia, who is known for his site-appropriate modern designs. "They were living there when I was asked to design the main house." The guest house, built in 2003, also includes the garage and a greenhouse, done in a traditional barn style.
"We needed to address the existing house and acknowledge the indigenous buildings of the surrounding Gallatin Valley — the old sheds, the cabins, the ranch structures," Dynia says. "We drove around and photographed buildings we found interesting."
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A metal-clad fireplace anchors an outdoor dining and seating area. |
Synthesizing various influences, Dynia designed what he terms is a "combination between a hay shed and bungalow-farmhouse," placing the 2,900-square-foot home's public spaces in a long, low, single-story shed-like structure, intersected with a more traditional, two-story volume that houses the bedrooms and other privates spaces.
In plan, the home's main entrance is located on the north side and leads into a gallery that opens to the living, dining and kitchen areas on the first level. The master suite and a home office are also located on the first level, to one side of the open living, dining and kitchen area. A protected outdoor dining area was sited just off the kitchen, and both the master bedroom and office have access to smaller decks. Upstairs are two bedrooms, a bath and a small sitting space.
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Architect Stephen Dynia repeated the exterior's stone walls in the home's open living, dining and kitchen areas. |
The home presents a more solid face to the north, with a series of clerestory windows providing some airiness near the roofline. "On the south side of the public wing of the house, we lifted the roofline for the views and opened the interior with windows," says Dynia. "This also plays into the home's passive-solar strategy."
The exterior was clad in tobacco-hued board-and-batten cedar siding, as well as pale stone, quarried locally. The standing-seam metal roof on both sections of the house sheds snow and rain easily. A dramatic, metal-clad fireplace anchors the outdoor dining area.
 The back of the home is transparent, facing views of mountains and meadow.
The exterior's stacked stone walls are repeated indoors, where the liberal use of rich woods helps warm the setting. Smooth teak was used for kitchen cabinetry, and alder was utilized for other millwork. Walnut flooring underscores much of the first floor, while exposed-beam ceilings add interest overhead.
Simple, contemporary furnishings, with an emphasis on comfort, complete the interior setting.
 In the home's public spaces, the roof rises to capture views and light.
The home's main "accessories" are the surrounding meadow and the distant mountain views. "This house is about its connection to the landscape," says Dynia.
Architecture: Stephen Dynia Architects, PC, 1135 Maple Way, Jackson, WY 83001; (307) 733-3766 or www.dynia.com.
Builder: Bridger Builders, 115 W. Kagy Blvd., Bozeman, MT 59715; (406) 587-8544.
Cabinetry: Crown Creations Cabinetmakers, Inc., 110 N. N St., Livingston, MT 59047; (406) 222-7262 or www.crowncreations.com.
Windows: Weather Shield Windows & Doors, www.weathershield.com.
Treading Lightly
Sundance, Utah | John Carney, FAIA | Carney Architects | Jackson, Wyoming
Actor, director, producer and social activist Robert Redford bought a small ski resort on Mt. Timpanogos, just outside Park City, Utah, in the late 1960s. In the ensuing decades, the ski resort has grown to become Sundance, which now encompasses an environmental preserve, a film festival, a television channel, and a fashion and furnishings catalog, as well as the ski resort.
When Redford and his associates opted to turn a small segment of the Sundance property into a nine-parcel custom-home enclave called Founders Ridge, sustainability was the theme.
Carney Architects, headed by principal John Carney, was asked to design the first home in the enclave for a longtime Redford and Sundance associate and his wife. The couple, active in the film industry and humanitarian causes, have grown children.
"The whole idea of this project was to disturb as little land as possible," says Carney, whose design team included architects Kevin Burke and Andy Ankeny and interior designer Jessica Travis. "The one-acre site sits on a narrow ridge, and the building envelope was about 80 by 120 feet — roughly the size of a tennis court."
With the homeowners wishing to use the house for entertaining, visits from family and friends, and for work purposes, the programming called for a 5,000-plus-square-foot building. Carney solved the design challenge by creating a two-story, "upside-down house" with a narrow first-floor footprint and a larger upper level.
"The house is tucked into a forested site, so it made sense to place the public areas on the second story for the views," explains Carney. "You really get a sense of being in a treehouse and looking out over the trees toward the mountains."
In the plan, the entrance is on the lower level, which also includes the garage, storage, two guest suites and, for the younger set, a bunk room. The upper level contains the master suite and an open living, dining and kitchen space. The architectural team designed a deck jutting out into the trees off the living room, along with a smaller deck for the master suite.
For the home's architectural design, Carney took heed of a Redford quip regarding Sundance style. "I believe he said something like, 'We've taken rustic about as far as it can go,'" Carney says. With that in mind, the home's design is decidedly modern and clean, but the elevation's gabled form and material choices point to a classic Western mountain vernacular.
"We like to express the home's structure," says Carney. "That's why you'll see rafter tails exposed here. We also chose a thinner roof profile."
On the exterior, the first level is clad in locally quarried, squared-off stone, while the upper level sports recycled barnwood and copper cladding. A dark hue was chosen for the standing-seam metal roof.
Inside, a combination of wood, steel and stone keeps a modern edge yet links the home to its ski-slope site. A steel and wood open-tread staircase greets visitors in the entrance. Upstairs, structural steel columns in the living area and master suite were partially wrapped in a thin wood veneer, while the open ceiling exposes beams and steel tension rods. Black granite was used for the fireplace and the kitchen counters, while the cabinetry, trim and ceiling decking is Western larch. Reclaimed oak was used as flooring for much of the upper level.
As sustainability was the theme for the development, the Carney team incorporated numerous earth-friendly strategies in the home, including photovoltaic roofing elements, using steel with a recycled content, and making use of the reclaimed wood. An evaporative cooler chills the house during the warmer summer months, and vast floor-to-ceiling windows not only capture views, but flood the interior with daylight. Additionally, low-VOC paint was selected for the interior.
When it came to the interiors, the homeowners, active participants in Sundance enterprises, requested that some of the furniture and accessories be sourced from the Sundance Catalog, a collection of artisan-crafted fashions and furnishings reflecting a Western lifestyle. Interior designer Travis wove in the Sundance pieces, including industrial-style barstools for the kitchen, but kept the look of the home light and airy through pale-colored fabrics and low-profile furniture.
The house was completed in winter 2007, just in time to enjoy the ski season. The home, says Carney, has worked well for the homeowners, who, in addition to being surrounded by family and friends, often host informal meetings and retreats at the residence.
Says Carney, "The home, really, is an extension of the Sundance experience."
Architecture and interior design: Carney Architects, 215 S. King St., Jackson, WY 83001; (307) 733-4000 or www.carneyarchitects.com.
Landscape architecture: Wenk Associates, Inc., 1335 Elati St., Denver,
CO 80204; (303) 628-0003 or www.wenkla.com.
Builder: Lowell Construction Co., 1035 S. 800 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84104; (801) 973-0993 or www.lowellconstruction.com.
Mixed Metaphors
Paradise Valley, Arizona | Claire Ownby, ASID | Ownby Design | Scottsdale, Arizona
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK BOISCLAIR
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A curved soffit detail adds interest to the library ceiling. |
Interior designer Claire Ownby faced a few design challenges recently when working on a residential project in Paradise Valley, Arizona. "We came in at mid-construction," says Ownby, who is known for a deft touch with architectural details. "The amount of changes we could make was limited." Additionally, the homeowners, a couple with grown children, asked Ownby to incorporate two distinct and seemingly disparate collections — Oriental and tribal art — within the home.
With a thoughtful approach, Ownby created an elegant, understated interior, rich in details without resorting to fussiness.
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Framing details lend the living room a formal look and highlight Oriental artworks. The fireplace opens on the opposite side to the family room. |
The 6,500-square-foot mountainside home was based on an open floorplan, with a master suite and library flanking the public spaces to one side and three guest suites on the other. "I would say that the architectural style is a soft contemporary," explains Ownby, who worked on the project with Lindsey Schultz, Allied Member ASID, from her office.
Despite the fact that construction was well underway, Ownby did manage to impart a strong statement on the interior, detailing flooring, the color palette, fireplaces, finishes, cabinetry, soffits and more. The designer suggested using a pillow-cut travertine flooring throughout much of the home, which segues into black walnut flooring for the master suite and library. A taupe hue, interspersed with splashes of color, was chosen for the walls.
 A restrained touch in the master bedroom keeps the focus on views, as does a low firepit. A television is hidden in a void above the glass-tiled fireplace. When in use, it slides down over the artwork.
For a two-sided fireplace that faces both living room and family room, Ownby had the living room side framed in espresso-stained maple, creating a more formal look, and used the same wood for shelving and cabinetry on the family room side, giving the space a more intimate, informal ambiance. She clad the fireplace opening on both sides with a stone mosaic tile. A fireplace in the bedroom was clad in iridescent glass mosaic tile.
In the master bath, the designer angled a floating vanity and mirror into the room, creating a dramatic entrance into the room, which was finished with espresso-stained cabinetry and marble countertops.
 A splash of yellow enlivens the family room, where a collection of tribal art is displayed.
The designer also created a long, low firepit for the patio outside the master suite. "We didn't want to block the view from the room," Ownby explains, "so we kept everything low to the ground." Another ingenious touch for the master bedroom was a motorized television, which comes down from a void in the ceiling to viewing level. When the television is up, a framed piece of artwork takes center stage in the void. Ceilings, too, received attention, such as an oval soffit design, highlighted with rope lighting, for the library.
Ownby worked closely with the wife to incorporate many pieces of existing furniture into the home, as well as to use both the Oriental and tribal artworks appropriately. Ownby underscored most furniture groupings with a series of subtly colored and patterned Oriental rugs, then selectively placed the furnishings — a mix of traditional, contemporary and Asian-influenced pieces — within each room. Neutral fabrics and rich wood finishes link the furniture to the interior. Ownby placed many tribal pieces in the library and grouped numerous Oriental pieces in the living room.
 An angled vanity and floating mirror lead from the master bedroom into the bath.
"We tried to keep everything as simple as possible," says Ownby. "We also kept the rooms spacious, not filled with furniture and art. That's how the mix worked — with a little bit of space around each piece."
Interior design: Ownby Design, 7720 E. Redfield Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85260; (480) 575-8448 or www.ownbydesign.com.
Travertine flooring: Arizona Tile, Numerous Locations, www.arizonatile.com.
Oriental rugs: Azadi Fine rugs, Numerous Locations, www.azadifinerugs.com.
Plants: Botanical Elegance, 15475 N. Greenway-Hayden Loop, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, (480) 991-9909; 1121 W. Warner Road, Tempe, AZ 85284, (480) 705-0882; www.botanicalelegance.com.
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