DREAM + DESIGN + BUILD

No project has embodied Mountain Town building Companies philosophy and approach as much as the renovation of Allegra and Miller’s personal home in Teton Valley, Idaho. It started with a dream, it lingered in design and during the building process a dream was actualized and a community was built.

Visions of a minimalist studio perched high in a grove of Aspen trees guided their vision from the start. Through a mix of contemplation and design, a dormer was added to the second floor to maximize space and let in morning light.

Months were spent defining a pallet of materials. Lighting and plumbing fixtures followed, and bit by bit, trade by trade the dream came to life.

The people that worked with us on this project work with us on current projects. We got to know our neighbors and our community. By the time we moved in we had built much more than a home.

This process turned into a design methodology.

1. Light - Diffuse Light  (glowing objects like paper Noguchi lanterns or indirect led concealed troughs), Shafts of Light (from windows South windows create narrow patterns on interior evoking aspen groves letting in less heat )

2. Natural Materials: bamboo, charred cedar sho shugi ban, solid hickory, limestone, reclaimed amish deer fence exterior siding.  We allowed those materials to help us create a language (ie the edges of the bamboo could be exposed at transitions like jambs and casings or even border details on built in nightstands and bookshelves.  )

3. Framed Views - vignettes of nature from inside looking out and outside looking in.  We used contrasting materials around windows on East and West Sides create the frames, portals.   East and West sides frame the views Grand Tetons and BTNF ranges, capture the undulations of big holes.  On the North side floor to ceiling glass frames expansive views of the bucolic setting .

4. Textures : Monochromatic areas rely on texture to differentiate Smooth limestone floors, Charred wood walls, woven tatami mats inset into the floors, these  are all tones of black/gray catch and reflect light differently.

5. Shadows: Intentional Dark Areas (bedroom/personal space) and light areas (family room kitchen / social spaces)

6. Forms: Existing gambrel truss exposed, angular dormer, built in furniture to make the transition from wall to floor seamless

7. Organization of elements: Dark Materials North and South, Light Materials East and west and on ceilings.  This practice allowed our whole team come up with solutions as materials turned corners.  Empowered the whole team to problem solve during construction based upon a design philosophy we were all on board with.

8. Ritual: Areas for ritual were developed: Mediation / stretching Platform, Living Room Bedrooms and Kitchen No TV,  Yoga Area with wall supports, Listening lounge for: TV, Records, Reading.

9. Energy - General camaraderie of a team went into building this, we as a company grew as a family, within our team of subcontractors there was a real harmony.  Building is emotional and all of that energy is left behind when everything is done.

10. Imperfection - the namesake “wabi sabi” the perfectly imperfect.  As a builder I can see the imperfections sometimes.  But we remember it was built by people, not machines.  Wood is not always perfectly straight, edges of stone get chipped, a building breathes in moves and expands and contracts and rests. When we see it as a living thing we can be forgiving of it’s imperfections and instead turn to the memories of when we were building that specific thing.  And maybe we smile