Extensive valley and mountain views inspired the siting of this simple L-shaped house that is anchored into the landscape. This shape forms an intimate courtyard with the sweeping views to the south. Looking back through the entry, glass walls frame the view of a significant mountain peak justifying the plan skew. The circulation is arranged along the courtyard in order that all the major spaces have access to the extensive valley views. A generous eight-foot overhang along the southern portion of the house allows for sun shading in the summer and passive solar gain during the harshest winter months. The open plan and generous window placement showcase views throughout the house. The living room is located in the southeast corner of the house and cantilevers into the landscape affording stunning panoramic views. Project Year: 2012

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Photo by Alen Lin
Minimalist great room photo in Los Angeles

Extensive valley and mountain views inspired the siting of this simple L-shaped house that is anchored into the landscape. This shape forms an intimate courtyard with the sweeping views to the south. Looking back through the entry, glass walls frame the view of a significant mountain peak justifying the plan skew. The circulation is arranged along the courtyard in order that all the major spaces have access to the extensive valley views. A generous eight-foot overhang along the southern portion of the house allows for sun shading in the summer and passive solar gain during the harshest winter months. The open plan and generous window placement showcase views throughout the house. The living room is located in the southeast corner of the house and cantilevers into the landscape affording stunning panoramic views. Project Year: 2012

Extensive valley and mountain views inspired the siting of this simple L-shaped house that is anchored into the landscape. This shape forms an intimate courtyard with the sweeping views to the south. Looking back through the entry, glass walls frame the view of a significant mountain peak justifying the plan skew. The circulation is arranged along the courtyard in order that all the major spaces have access to the extensive valley views. A generous eight-foot overhang along the southern portion of the house allows for sun shading in the summer and passive solar gain during the harshest winter months. The open plan and generous window placement showcase views throughout the house. The living room is located in the southeast corner of the house and cantilevers into the landscape affording stunning panoramic views. Project Year: 2012

Extensive valley and mountain views inspired the siting of this simple L-shaped house that is anchored into the landscape. This shape forms an intimate courtyard with the sweeping views to the south. Looking back through the entry, glass walls frame the view of a significant mountain peak justifying the plan skew. The circulation is arranged along the courtyard in order that all the major spaces have access to the extensive valley views. A generous eight-foot overhang along the southern portion of the house allows for sun shading in the summer and passive solar gain during the harshest winter months. The open plan and generous window placement showcase views throughout the house. The living room is located in the southeast corner of the house and cantilevers into the landscape affording stunning panoramic views. Project Year: 2012

Extensive valley and mountain views inspired the siting of this simple L-shaped house that is anchored into the landscape. This shape forms an intimate courtyard with the sweeping views to the south. Looking back through the entry, glass walls frame the view of a significant mountain peak justifying the plan skew. The circulation is arranged along the courtyard in order that all the major spaces have access to the extensive valley views. A generous eight-foot overhang along the southern portion of the house allows for sun shading in the summer and passive solar gain during the harshest winter months. The open plan and generous window placement showcase views throughout the house. The living room is located in the southeast corner of the house and cantilevers into the landscape affording stunning panoramic views. Project Year: 2012

Extensive valley and mountain views inspired the siting of this simple L-shaped house that is anchored into the landscape. This shape forms an intimate courtyard with the sweeping views to the south. Looking back through the entry, glass walls frame the view of a significant mountain peak justifying the plan skew. The circulation is arranged along the courtyard in order that all the major spaces have access to the extensive valley views. A generous eight-foot overhang along the southern portion of the house allows for sun shading in the summer and passive solar gain during the harshest winter months. The open plan and generous window placement showcase views throughout the house. The living room is located in the southeast corner of the house and cantilevers into the landscape affording stunning panoramic views. Project Year: 2012

Extensive valley and mountain views inspired the siting of this simple L-shaped house that is anchored into the landscape. This shape forms an intimate courtyard with the sweeping views to the south. Looking back through the entry, glass walls frame the view of a significant mountain peak justifying the plan skew. The circulation is arranged along the courtyard in order that all the major spaces have access to the extensive valley views. A generous eight-foot overhang along the southern portion of the house allows for sun shading in the summer and passive solar gain during the harshest winter months. The open plan and generous window placement showcase views throughout the house. The living room is located in the southeast corner of the house and cantilevers into the landscape affording stunning panoramic views. Project Year: 2012

The owners of Moonlight Basin Ranch are from the southeast, and they wanted to start a tradition of skiing, hiking, and enjoying everything that comes with the classic Montana mountain lifestyle as a family. The home that we created for them was built on a spectacular piece of property within Moonlight Basin (Resort), in Big Sky, Montana. The views of Lone Peak are breathtaking from this approximately 6500 square foot, 4 bedroom home, and elk, moose, and grizzly can be seen wandering on the sloping terrain just outside its expansive windows. To further embrace the Rocky Mountain mood that the owners envisioned—and because of a shared love for Yellowstone Park architecture—we utilized reclaimed hewn logs, bark-on cedar log posts, and indigenous stone. The rich, rustic details in the home are an intended continuation of the landscape that surrounds this magnificent home.

Studio C | Cheryl Nemazie
Inspiration for a large coastal brown three-story wood exterior home remodel in Other with a shingle roof

Weathered steel walls were used for sound attenuation and to block vehicular lights from the gravel road along the property. photo: Chrissy Scarpitti

Extensive valley and mountain views inspired the siting of this simple L-shaped house that is anchored into the landscape. This shape forms an intimate courtyard with the sweeping views to the south. Looking back through the entry, glass walls frame the view of a significant mountain peak justifying the plan skew. The circulation is arranged along the courtyard in order that all the major spaces have access to the extensive valley views. A generous eight-foot overhang along the southern portion of the house allows for sun shading in the summer and passive solar gain during the harshest winter months. The open plan and generous window placement showcase views throughout the house. The living room is located in the southeast corner of the house and cantilevers into the landscape affording stunning panoramic views. Project Year: 2012

Extensive valley and mountain views inspired the siting of this simple L-shaped house that is anchored into the landscape. This shape forms an intimate courtyard with the sweeping views to the south. Looking back through the entry, glass walls frame the view of a significant mountain peak justifying the plan skew. The circulation is arranged along the courtyard in order that all the major spaces have access to the extensive valley views. A generous eight-foot overhang along the southern portion of the house allows for sun shading in the summer and passive solar gain during the harshest winter months. The open plan and generous window placement showcase views throughout the house. The living room is located in the southeast corner of the house and cantilevers into the landscape affording stunning panoramic views. Project Year: 2012

Extensive valley and mountain views inspired the siting of this simple L-shaped house that is anchored into the landscape. This shape forms an intimate courtyard with the sweeping views to the south. Looking back through the entry, glass walls frame the view of a significant mountain peak justifying the plan skew. The circulation is arranged along the courtyard in order that all the major spaces have access to the extensive valley views. A generous eight-foot overhang along the southern portion of the house allows for sun shading in the summer and passive solar gain during the harshest winter months. The open plan and generous window placement showcase views throughout the house. The living room is located in the southeast corner of the house and cantilevers into the landscape affording stunning panoramic views. Project Year: 2012

The planning phase of this modern retreat was an intense collaboration that took place over the course of more than two years. While the initial design concept exceeded the clients' expectations, it also exceeded their budget beyond the point of comfort. The next several months were spent modifying the design, in attempts to lower the budget. Ultimately, the decision was made that they would hold off on the project until they could budget for the original design, rather than compromising the vision. About a year later, we repeated that same process, which resulted in the same outcome. After another year-long hiatus, we met once again. We revisited design thoughts, each of us bringing to the table new ideas and options. Each thought simply solidified the fact that the initial vision was absolutely what we all wanted to see come to fruition, and the decision was finally made to move forward. The main challenge of the site was elevation. The Southeast corner of the lot stands 5'6" above the threshold of the rear door, while the Northeast corner dropped a full 2' below the threshold of the door. The backyard was also long and narrow, sloping side-to-side and toward the house. The key to the design concept was to deftly place the project into the slope and utilize the elevation changes, without allowing them to dominate the yard, or overwhelm the senses. The unseen challenge on this project came in the form of hitting every underground issue possible. We had to relocate the sewer main, the gas line, and the electrical service; and since rock was sitting about 6" below the surface, all of these had to be chiseled through many feet of dense rock, adding to our projected timeline and budget. As you enter the space, your first stop is an outdoor living area. Smooth finished concrete, colored to match the 'Leuder' limestone coping, has a subtle saw-cut pattern aligned with the edges of the recessed fire pit. In small spaces, it is important to consider a multi-purpose approach. So, the recessed fire pit has been fitted with an aluminum cover that allows our client to set up tables and chairs for entertaining, right over the top of the fire pit. From here, it;s two steps up to the pool elevation, and the floating 'Leuder' limestone stepper pads that lead across the pool and hide the dam wall of the flush spa. The main retaining wall to the Southeast is a poured concrete wall with an integrated sheer descent waterfall into the spa. To bring in some depth and texture, a 'Brownstone' ledgestone was used to face both the dropped beam on the pool, and the raised beam of the water feature wall. The main water feature is comprised of five custom made stainless steel scuppers, supplied by a dedicated booster pump. Colored concrete stepper pads lead to the 'Ipe' wood deck at the far end of the pool. The placement of this wood deck allowed us to minimize our use of retaining walls on the Northeast end of the yard, since it drops off over three feet below the elevation of the pool beam. One of the most unique features on this project has to be the structure over the dining area. With a unique combination of steel and wood, the clean modern aesthetic of this structure creates a visual stamp in the space that standard structure could not accomplish. 4" steel posts, painted charcoal grey, are set on an angle, 4' into the bedrock, to anchor the structure. Steel I-beams painted in green-yellow color--aptly called "frolic"--act as the base to the hefty cedar rafters of the roof structure, which has a slight pitch toward the rear. A hidden gutter on the back of the roof sends water down a copper rain chain, and into the drainage system. The backdrop for both this dining area , as well as the living area, is the horizontal screen panel, created with alternating sizes of cedar planks, stained to a calm hue of dove grey.

Inspiration for a transitional gray floor and vaulted ceiling great room remodel in Austin with white walls

Jeffrey Freeman Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Portland

Located near the foot of the Teton Mountains, the site and a modest program led to placing the main house and guest quarters in separate buildings configured to form outdoor spaces. With mountains rising to the northwest and a stream cutting through the southeast corner of the lot, this placement of the main house and guest cabin distinctly responds to the two scales of the site. The public and private wings of the main house define a courtyard, which is visually enclosed by the prominence of the mountains beyond. At a more intimate scale, the garden walls of the main house and guest cabin create a private entry court. A concrete wall, which extends into the landscape marks the entrance and defines the circulation of the main house. Public spaces open off this axis toward the views to the mountains. Secondary spaces branch off to the north and south forming the private wing of the main house and the guest cabin. With regulation restricting the roof forms, the structural trusses are shaped to lift the ceiling planes toward light and the views of the landscape. A.I.A Wyoming Chapter Design Award of Citation 2017 Project Year: 2008