As part of a move from the East Coast to the Wyoming mountains, the clients wanted to build a house that brought with them elements they loved about the architecture of back home, while at the same time embracing their new life.
Dubbed the ‘East to West’ project, the design took shape as an elegant assembly of structures that was “formal, but with jeans, cowboy boots, and a dog.” Rather than fitting everything into one larger building, the home kept the cottage character of its East Coast roots, dividing the massing into 3 connected structures.
The central cottage holds the public functions, highlighted by symmetrical stone chimneys, focused around a grand kitchen and living room with views into the aspens to the east, and overlooking a creek with views to the mountains to the west. It is flanked on either side by a distinct wing, one that holds the private functions; bedrooms and offices, and the other holds the service functions, garage, mudroom and laundry, with a tucked-away guest bedroom above.
The upper level bedrooms capture the vintage charm of ‘living in the roof’, with pitched ceilings and dormers cut out to bring in light and air.
Overall the design is balanced, true to the proportions of the traditional east coast cottage, with the rugged wood and heavy timbers, fitting of it’s western mountain setting.
