Location: Big Sky, MT
Size: 20 acres (site), 7,500 sq. ft. (building)
Category: Interiors
Situated in the heart of Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana, this mountain retreat rises into the dense trees, offering a close connection to the natural environment. With the owner’s primary residence in Manhattan, they desired a vacation home where they could reconnect with nature and encourage their children to experience the landscape. The owner spent time growing up on his grandfather’s farm in New Hampshire and wanted to recreate those treasured experiences amongst nature for his young family. The resulting 7,500-square-foot home brings family members closer to one another and to the forests and lakes of Big Sky, which are framed by interior and exterior spaces across the home’s two levels. A launchpad for their many outdoor recreation activities, the home is a framework for the family through which connect to nature and to one another.
Located in a sub-alpine, densely forested area, the home was carefully sited to blend with the natural environments and minimize site disturbance while maximizing views. Its long, linear plan is punctuated by two wings at either end of the house that reaches out into the landscape to capture dramatic views. The two wings are angled outwards to embrace the landscape and define a semi-sheltered outdoor space between the volumes. A double-sided glass corridor on the upper level connects the two wings, centering a porous, transparent zone in the home’s core and inviting the outside in.
The home’s program supports connectivity with modestly-sized bedrooms on the lower level to encourage family members to congregate in the main living areas. Elevating the kitchen, dining and living spaces allows for sweeping treetop views. The design emphasizes a link to nature in every room, with indoor entertaining areas directly connecting to outdoor spaces for a free flow of movement from inside to out.
The interior reflects the family’s personality and unique identity, while also drawing influence from the natural surroundings. Continuous hemlock soffits run from exterior to interior, with white oak and polished concrete floors in bedrooms and living areas and dark walnut casework in the kitchen. Dry-stacked quartzite stone on interior and exterior walls completes the elemental material palette. Furnishings help bring the colors and textures of nature inside, with pops of deep reds and oranges, rich leathers and textural rugs and fabrics conjuring an autumnal landscape palette. A deeply personal art collection unites the family’s two worlds, with pieces sourced locally and from New York City.
