Montana Mountain Compound
The Montana Mountain Compound by principal designer Jesse Sahlani was designed for a stunning parcel of land in Iowa, and what struck us immediately was how difficult it is to capture the home in a single frame during our 3D modelling process. That sprawling quality is entirely intentional, as Jesse designed this composition to unfold across the landscape rather than present itself all at once, prompting a sense of exploration as soon as you enter the grounds.
The design direction was classic Montana mountain style, and Jesse approached every facade with the goal of achieving a refined rusticity so grounded that the structure feels less like it was built and more like it emerged from the land itself. The buttress-style limestone rubble blend masonry and heavy timber woodwork carry the full weight of this intention. The base of the home visually widens as your eye follows the wall corners down toward the gardens. This dampens the perceived height, making the home deceptive in its scale. Up close, it is much taller than it reads from a distance.
The composition of the footprint creates several courtyards throughout the grounds, each surrounded by facades, auxiliary structures, and landscape details that ensure architectural character and design intention enclose you on every side. There is no vantage point within the property that feels bare. Every corner was considered as part of a total environment rather than a collection of individual elements.
Every exterior material was selected for its rusticity, and each requires a degree of installation specificity that transforms even minor details into something you notice while wandering between these spaces. Jesse extended this material language across the full lot using masonry walls, auxiliary structures, and an alpine-specific planting palette including multiple species of evergreen and Scottish Heather. The property's mature specimen trees, natural pond, and topographic shifts create organic divisions between the wildflower gardens, workshops, chicken coops, and entertaining areas populating the grounds.
The design direction was classic Montana mountain style, and Jesse approached every facade with the goal of achieving a refined rusticity so grounded that the structure feels less like it was built and more like it emerged from the land itself. The buttress-style limestone rubble blend masonry and heavy timber woodwork carry the full weight of this intention. The base of the home visually widens as your eye follows the wall corners down toward the gardens. This dampens the perceived height, making the home deceptive in its scale. Up close, it is much taller than it reads from a distance.
The composition of the footprint creates several courtyards throughout the grounds, each surrounded by facades, auxiliary structures, and landscape details that ensure architectural character and design intention enclose you on every side. There is no vantage point within the property that feels bare. Every corner was considered as part of a total environment rather than a collection of individual elements.
Every exterior material was selected for its rusticity, and each requires a degree of installation specificity that transforms even minor details into something you notice while wandering between these spaces. Jesse extended this material language across the full lot using masonry walls, auxiliary structures, and an alpine-specific planting palette including multiple species of evergreen and Scottish Heather. The property's mature specimen trees, natural pond, and topographic shifts create organic divisions between the wildflower gardens, workshops, chicken coops, and entertaining areas populating the grounds.
Project Year: 2026
Country: United States
