Reclaimed Materials Get A Modern Twist In This Tetons Retreat

"This project really began with the dining room table, which started to drive the size of the space around it,” says Logan Leachman of his clients’ beloved extra-long heirloom, a piece crafted of wood culled from the doors of an ancient Italian church. The architectural designer framed it with windows that capture the sweeping landscape and mountain ridges of Jackson, glazing that extends across a great room to highlight the Teton Range. For the homeowners, a German-born couple drawn to Jackson’s low-key vibe, these distinctive peaks recall the Swiss Alps. And the mountains played a major role in the pair selecting the locale as their vacation getaway (and likely “forever” residence).

Leachman assisted them in their search for the perfect property, helping the couple choose a private site perched on an elevated peninsula with enviable eastern views. The owners liked his firm’s architectural style—known for a pioneering use of reclaimed materials and a balanced blend of rustic and contemporary materials—as the homes in his portfolio evoke the European chalets the two had known in their youth. “Our approach is grounded in the Western American landscape and the legacy of its hand-crafted structures,” Leachman explains. “These clients have a somewhat contemporary and minimalistic style, so we wanted to recreate that, but also have their new home fit Jackson’s environment and community.”

He visualized the house as a series of interconnected spaces: There’s a central core that includes the kitchen, dining and living areas, with the primary bedroom placed at one end and guest suites at the other. Instead of ordinary halls, Leachman laid out glass-lined passageways that turn the act of strolling through the space into an experience. “The impression is that you’re walking outside as you move from one part of the house to another,” he says. Stepping from confined corridors into open spaces also plays with perceptions of the size and scale, he notes. “It imparts this feeling of expansiveness.”

Leachman and his team worked closely with general contractor Mark Pollard, joined by project manager Eric Christiani and site superintendent Rob Fellows, to bring the residence to life. As the dwelling’s architectural envelope makes broad use of reclaimed materials—see the patina of the oak thresher flooring, the kitchen’s rustic corral-board paneling, the weathered timber beams spanning the home—a meticulous eye for aesthetics proved important. “There’s a uniqueness with each individual board and a choice in just how you place those,” Christiani observes. “I think our crew did excellent work.” The clients, who had built other houses before, were familiar with the process and homed in on the selections of wood and stone, says interior designer Abby Hetherington. “We kept retelling the material story as a consistent thread throughout the house, which helps keep the spaces quiet and understated yet really beautiful and thoughtful,” she comments. “This house has a voice, but it’s not loud.”

The interiors are a juxtaposition of modern and rustic, simple and elegant, she goes on to say. Taking cues from the architecture, the designer used texture and a palette of earthy colors to create inviting spaces that underline the majesty of the views seen through the home’s windows. Vintage finds, like a shearling-covered club chair in the living room, nod to a respect for craftsmanship and tradition, while playful lighting—the dining area’s twinkling glass globes, for instance—confirms this house as a place that revels in the celebration of everyday pleasures. “We were able to build a legacy home that I don’t feel will age; it already feels lived in,” Hetherington concludes. “It’s going to feel just as good in 20 years. Or even 50.”