Modern Montana in Afton Minnesota by James McNeal & Angela Liesmaki-DeCoux, Architects and Designers at JMAD - James McNeal Architecture & Design. Detailed, creative architecture firm specializing in enduring artistry & high-end luxury commercial & residential design. Architectural photography, architect portfolio. Dream house inspiration, custom homes, mansion, luxurious lifestyle. Rustic lodge vibe, sustainable. Connection with the outdoors, biophilic, natural materials. Front exterior entrance, reclaimed wood, metal roofs & siding. Details, bridge over waterfall, water feature.

THE WARMTH OF HOME This project was a comprehensive renovation and addition of a new pool house and outdoor entertainment spaces. In keeping with the home's sustainable ethos, new vertical siding manufactured from upcycled rice hulls was selected to complement stained cedar shingles and painted siding. The distinctive stainless steel shingle cladding remained in excellent condition and was carefully preserved. The result is an exterior that feels renewed without compromising the architectural character that defined the original home. Inside, the home was fully reimagined to better support the modern rhythms of family life and frequent entertaining. The interior was taken back to the studs, allowing the floor plan to be thoughtfully reorganized to improve openness, circulation, and visual connections between spaces. Every interior finish was replaced, including custom cabinetry, lighting, and architectural detailing. The interiors are now warm and inviting, highlighted by quality craftsmanship throughout. Rather than replacing this exceptional home, this project demonstrates how thoughtful renovation can preserve significant architecture while enhancing its performance and livability. The reimagined interiors are calm, warm, and inviting, creating spaces that encourage gathering, support everyday family life, and reinforce the enduring comfort and sense of home that great residential architecture can provide.

Modern Montana in Afton Minnesota by James McNeal & Angela Liesmaki-DeCoux, Architects and Designers at JMAD - James McNeal Architecture & Design. Detailed, creative architecture firm specializing in enduring artistry & high-end luxury commercial & residential design. Architectural photography, architect portfolio. Dream house inspiration, custom homes, mansion, luxurious lifestyle. Rustic lodge vibe, sustainable. Front exterior entrance, reclaimed wood, metal roofs & siding. Connection with the outdoors, biophilic, natural materials.Outdoor living spaces, outdoor dining area, grilling area, outdoor kitchen, backyard pool, trout pond, fishing pond, dream backyard, patio, deck, indoor-outdoor living.

The Social Curve: The Story of a Dining Room Every dining room tells a story, and this one is about connection. The journey begins with the boat-shaped table, a sculptural form that curves gently outward, breaking away from the rigidity of straight lines. Its silhouette creates a sense of movement and energy, shaping the room around moments of gathering and conversation. The chairs, inspired by the elegance of the 1960s, were chosen as much for comfort as for their quiet sophistication. They invite you to linger, balancing function with style, and ensuring the space feels as inviting as it does refined. Light streams through the windows, softening the architecture and highlighting the room’s layered textures. Above, a statement fixture adds rhythm and sparkle, completing a composition where every detail was considered, every choice intentional. This is more than a dining room. It is The Social Curve, a space designed not just for eating, but for living, gathering, and creating enduring memories.

A modern cabana along the Hudson River Set just above the waterline, the Hudson Pool Cabana is a quiet architectural retreat designed for effortless summer living. This modern pool house embraces its riverside setting with a warm, minimalist material palette and an open connection to the surrounding landscape. With pergolas constructed of cedar that will naturally silver over time, the structure nestles into the terrain with quiet confidence. At its heart is a streamlined kitchen that opens wide to the pool terrace, thanks to custom lift-up glass panels that transform the façade and dissolve the boundary between indoors and out. This gesture invites conversation, movement, and hospitality to flow freely between interior and exterior spaces. Inside, the cabana is grounded in simplicity—clean lines, natural finishes, and purposeful details. A full bath and changing area support long days in and around the pool, while pergolas offer shelter and shade when the sun begins to dip over the Hudson River. At once practical and poetic, this riverside cabana elevates the everyday into something serene and enduring—a modern companion to the water's edge.

Modern Montana in Afton Minnesota by James McNeal & Angela Liesmaki-DeCoux, Architects and Designers at JMAD - James McNeal Architecture & Design. Detailed, creative architecture firm specializing in enduring artistry & high-end luxury commercial & residential design. Architectural photography, architect portfolio. Dream house inspiration, custom homes, mansion, luxurious lifestyle. Rustic lodge vibe, sustainable. Front exterior entrance, reclaimed wood, metal roofs & siding. Connection with the outdoors, biophilic, natural materials.Outdoor living spaces, outdoor dining area, grilling area, outdoor kitchen, backyard pool, trout pond, fishing pond, dream backyard, patio, deck, indoor-outdoor living.

Modern Montana in Afton Minnesota by James McNeal & Angela Liesmaki-DeCoux, Architects and Designers at JMAD - James McNeal Architecture & Design. Detailed, creative architecture firm specializing in enduring artistry & high-end luxury commercial & residential design. Architectural photography, architect portfolio. Dream house inspiration, custom homes, mansion, luxurious lifestyle. Rustic lodge vibe, sustainable. Connection with the outdoors, biophilic, natural materials. Front exterior entrance, reclaimed wood, metal roofs & siding. Corrugated metal, custom garage doors.

For a family putting down lasting roots in Park City, this 10,000-square-foot estate within the gated enclave of Quarry Mountain Ranch is conceived as both sanctuary and legacy. Designed to evolve alongside its owners, the home balances permanence with a deep sensitivity to the land it inhabits. Thoughtfully positioned within an alpine meadow shaped by the gentle flow of McLeod Creek, the residence embraces its setting. The waterway threads through the property, sustaining native grasses and drawing elk, deer, and migratory birdlife, grounding daily life in the rhythms of season and landscape. Broad planes of glass and sheltering rooflines frame uninterrupted views of ski slopes and distant ridgelines, while long sightlines pull natural light deep into the interior. Terraces and covered outdoor rooms mediate between house and meadow, creating spaces for gathering, reflection, and year-round connection to the outdoors. A restrained palette of wood and stone echoes the textures of the terrain, lending warmth and durability to the home’s contemporary expression. A separate guest house extends the architectural language, forming a discreet compound that supports family life, hospitality, and the enduring cadence of alpine living. Architecture: Advanced Design Interior Design: Erin Brewer Design

Set on a narrow lakefront parcel defined by tight setbacks and limited hardscape allowance, this modern cabin demonstrates how thoughtful design can transform restriction into possibility. Carefully composed to preserve privacy while opening fully toward the water, the home feels both expansive and intimate—an elevated retreat grounded in its landscape. Though modest in footprint, the residence lives generously. Four bedrooms are tucked efficiently within the plan, including a light-filled quilting studio that reflects the homeowners’ creative life. Each bedroom opens onto its own private balcony, offering moments of pause and perspective with views stretching across lake and countryside. The upper level also includes a family room, providing a quiet gathering space removed from the activity below. From here, the home’s vertical volume becomes apparent, as daylight pours down through a dramatic two-story space framed by glass facing the lake. At the center of the home, a custom steel-and-wood plank stair acts as both circulation and sculpture. Rising through the double-height volume, it leads the eye upward to a tall Nelson cigar lamp suspended above—an intentional moment of drama and delight. The main floor is designed around connection and flow. Kitchen, dining, and living areas exist as one continuous space, unified by light, views, and material warmth. A 12-foot-long island anchors the kitchen, serving as the natural gathering place for morning coffee, family meals, and summertime buffet-style entertaining. When fully opened, large folding accordion glass doors dissolve the boundary between inside and out, allowing the screened porch to become a true extension of the living space. Function is carefully layered throughout the plan. A mudroom entry from the tucked-under two-car garage includes a powder room and utility closet, while a generous entry closet provides essential storage and has been dimensioned to accommodate a future elevator. Designed intentionally for aging in place, the home incorporates zero-threshold access from the garage, wide halls and doorways, reinforced wall blocking for future grab bars, and infrastructure for a future elevator—ensuring long-term comfort without compromising design. Clad in dark painted board-and-batten siding, the exterior minimizes visual scale and allows the home to recede quietly into the landscape. Recessed balconies and façade elements are wrapped in warm wood-look siding, adding depth and contrast while bringing warmth into the interior. At night, light spills softly from within, and the cabin glows along the shoreline—welcoming, calm, and enduring.

Modern Montana in Afton Minnesota by James McNeal & Angela Liesmaki-DeCoux, Architects and Designers at JMAD - James McNeal Architecture & Design. Detailed, creative architecture firm specializing in enduring artistry & high-end luxury commercial & residential design. Architectural photography, architect portfolio. Dream house inspiration, custom homes, mansion, luxurious lifestyle. Rustic lodge vibe, sustainable. Connection with the outdoors, biophilic, natural materials. Front exterior entrance, reclaimed wood, metal roofs & siding. Corrugated metal, custom garage doors.

For a Buffalo-based family with a longstanding connection to Deer Valley, Eagle’s Nest marks a return to a place shaped by childhood winters beneath Bald Mountain. Now being created for the next generation, the home offers a setting for shared traditions, time outdoors, and seasons spent together. The interiors take on a more masculine character, expressed through substantial materials, deeper tones, tailored detailing, and a restrained sense of warmth. The result is a home that feels grounded, personal, and quietly enduring, rooted in memory while designed for what comes next. ARCHITECTURE: ARTISANS DESIGN INTERIORS: LSL DESIGN

Modern Montana in Afton Minnesota by James McNeal & Angela Liesmaki-DeCoux, Architects and Designers at JMAD - James McNeal Architecture & Design. Detailed, creative architecture firm specializing in enduring artistry & high-end luxury commercial & residential design. Architectural photography, architect portfolio. Dream house inspiration, custom homes, mansion, luxurious lifestyle. Rustic lodge vibe, sustainable. Connection with the outdoors, biophilic, natural materials. Front exterior entrance, reclaimed wood, metal roofs & siding. Details, bridge over waterfall, water feature.

Beauty is expressed through elegant proportions, refined detailing, and views into the landscape. Expanses of glazing invite daylight deep into the home, and spaces flow seamlessly to support multiple uses. The result is an open yet intimate environment that fosters wellness, privacy, and enduring connection—anchored in its purpose and place.

The Wisteria House is named for a robust wisteria vine that managed to endure an extensive remodel of this Brentwood hillside home. A large new primary bedroom window offers a close-up view of this thriving plant, as well as a deep connection with the garden. Reconfigured interior walls and new glazing yielded a more coherent spatial flow through the residence. Hemlock ceilings, oak flooring, Carrara marble, and linen drapery together create a warm atmosphere for sleeping and bathing within the primary suite.

Modern Montana in Afton Minnesota by James McNeal, CEO and Principal Architect at JMAD - James McNeal Architecture & Design. Detailed, creative architecture firm specializing in enduring artistry & high-end luxury commercial & residential design. Architectural photography, architect portfolio. Dream house inspiration, custom homes, mansion, luxurious lifestyle. Rustic lodge vibe, sustainable. Front exterior entrance, reclaimed wood, metal roofs & siding. Connection with the outdoors, biophilic, natural materials. Interiors, great room, dining area, kitchen, living room, family room, stone fireplace, hallway, tray ceiling, staircase, stairway, stairs.

For a Buffalo-based family with a longstanding connection to Deer Valley, Eagle’s Nest marks a return to a place shaped by childhood winters beneath Bald Mountain. Now being created for the next generation, the home offers a setting for shared traditions, time outdoors, and seasons spent together. The interiors take on a more masculine character, expressed through substantial materials, deeper tones, tailored detailing, and a restrained sense of warmth. The result is a home that feels grounded, personal, and quietly enduring, rooted in memory while designed for what comes next. ARCHITECTURE: ARTISANS DESIGN INTERIORS: LSL DESIGN

Modern Montana in Afton Minnesota by James McNeal & Angela Liesmaki-DeCoux, Architects and Designers at JMAD - James McNeal Architecture & Design. Detailed, creative architecture firm specializing in enduring artistry & high-end luxury commercial & residential design. Architectural photography, architect portfolio. Dream house inspiration, custom homes, mansion, luxurious lifestyle. Rustic lodge vibe, sustainable. Front exterior entrance, reclaimed wood, metal roofs & siding. Connection with the outdoors, biophilic, natural materials. Interiors, great room, dining area, kitchen, living room, family room, stone fireplace, hallway, tray ceiling, staircase, stairway, stairs.

Modern Montana in Afton Minnesota by James McNeal & Angela Liesmaki-DeCoux, Architects and Designers at JMAD - James McNeal Architecture & Design. Detailed, creative architecture firm specializing in enduring artistry & high-end luxury commercial & residential design. Architectural photography, architect portfolio. Dream house inspiration, custom homes, mansion, luxurious lifestyle. Rustic lodge vibe, sustainable. Front exterior entrance, reclaimed wood, metal roofs & siding. Connection with the outdoors, biophilic, natural materials.Outdoor living spaces, outdoor dining area, grilling area, outdoor kitchen, backyard pool, trout pond, fishing pond, dream backyard, patio, deck, indoor-outdoor living.

Modern Montana in Afton Minnesota by James McNeal & Angela Liesmaki-DeCoux, Architects and Designers at JMAD - James McNeal Architecture & Design. Detailed, creative architecture firm specializing in enduring artistry & high-end luxury commercial & residential design. Architectural photography, architect portfolio. Dream house inspiration, custom homes, mansion, luxurious lifestyle. Rustic lodge vibe, sustainable. Front exterior entrance, reclaimed wood, metal roofs & siding. Connection with the outdoors, biophilic, natural materials.Outdoor living spaces, outdoor dining area, grilling area, outdoor kitchen, backyard pool, trout pond, fishing pond, dream backyard, patio, deck, indoor-outdoor living.