Designed by CLB Architects, Caju is a home that expresses simplicity and material honesty through the belief that beauty lies in functionality. The Miami-based clients, a young family with Brazilian roots and a love of the outdoors, sought a peaceful retreat at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Teton Village, Wyoming.
They envisioned an intimate, welcoming space for family and guests to connect, emphasising essential living rooted in practicality and natural materials. The Corten steel exterior, with its protective orange patina, evokes the Brazilian cashew fruit (“Caju”), the home’s namesake.
The 2,800-square-foot home offers a deliberate alternative to the large-scale vacation houses common in American resort areas. Andy Ankeny, Partner at CLB Architects, describes it as “living simply,” with architecture grounded in essential human needs rather than excess.
Balance and lightness
The house balances presence and lightness. Elevated on slender columns, the bedroom wing appears to float, respecting the forested terrain. The weathering steel exterior recalls Scandinavian designs, while the larch interior reflects Alpine timber construction, offering warmth and protection.
Minimal furniture turns the architecture into functional sculpture. A perforated stainless steel staircase exemplifies this idea, acting as circulation, light filter, and visual connector between floors. This multifunctionality draws from Japanese minimalism, where elements serve several purposes without compromising beauty.
Site and context
Located on one of the last undeveloped parcels in Teton Village, the site features dense woodland, rugged terrain, and expansive views of the Snake River Valley and surrounding peaks.
The wooded, boulder-strewn site demanded a careful approach that limited tree removal and site disturbance. The resulting structure both embeds itself in and hovers above the landscape, with a compact footprint and an elevated bedroom wing supported by slender columns that touch the hillside lightly. Outdoor spaces—including a rear deck surrounding two aspen trees and a front deck extending from the kitchen—enhance the home’s connection to its setting.
Design approach
The challenge was to design a modest yet highly functional home that prioritises simplicity without losing warmth or character. The two-story layout places the main living spaces on the upper floor to capture views, with practical areas such as a garage, mudroom, and gym below.
The upper floor includes an open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area with four bedrooms. A floating staircase of perforated stainless steel serves as both functional and sculptural, visually linking the two floors while allowing light to pass through.
Materials and detail
The design emphasizes a restrained material palette of steel, wood, and concrete, selected for durability and beauty. Recycled weathering steel panels form the exterior, reducing the demand for new material, while interior concrete floors incorporate recycled content.
Larch used for siding and interior walls is sourced from certified forests supporting responsible management. Modified timber in high-moisture areas provides extended durability—up to fifty years—reducing carbon impact from replacement cycles.
The natural patina of the weathering steel exterior creates a dynamic backdrop for the landscape, while larch inserts add warmth and accentuate the home’s sculptural form. Inside, larch continues across walls and ceilings for a cohesive, calming atmosphere, complemented by durable concrete floors and stainless steel accents.
Built-in furniture and casework continue the larch walls and ceilings, forming a unified interior. This material restraint required precise detailing, allowing each element to contribute to a cohesive design where the house itself feels like a work of art. The project’s clarity and simplicity let each component function as part of an integrated whole.
Low-impact footprint
Sustainability begins with the home's siting. Positioned to minimize excavation and tree removal, the elevated wing reduces ground contact, preserving vegetation and limiting foundation emissions. The low-carbon approach combines energy efficiency with a restrained material palette selected for durability, recycled content, and sourcing transparency.
The home’s placement preserves dense woodland and rugged terrain. Its compact footprint and minimal excavation strategy directly reduce emissions and disturbance linked to heavy land movement.
The design “sits lightly on the land,” with an elevated bedroom wing supported by slender columns that minimise contact with the hillside. This protects existing trees and boulders, preserving the site’s integrity while reducing the foundation’s carbon footprint.
The home employs “super-insulated” construction with triple-paned windows that maximise daylight and passive solar gain while minimising heat loss. Radiant heating serves as the primary system, supplemented by efficient forced-air systems for secondary heating and cooling.
Durability and longevity
The exterior weathering steel is left unfinished to form a natural patina, eliminating the need for high-maintenance coatings and ensuring long-term durability with minimal labour or chemical input.
