JLF Architects Creates Seamless Addition to Original Home Design
Jackson Hole addition literally bridges gap, extending authentic rustic materials
Jackson Hole, Wyoming—Using a palette of reclaimed barn wood and stone, JLF Architects designed a 700-square-foot addition for a Jackson Hole, Wyoming, home that seamlessly blends with the firm’s original mountain-rustic design of the structure, completed years earlier. In need of more space to host their extended family during holidays and summer getaways, the homeowners – a retired couple who bought the home for its good bones – called on the Bozeman, Mont., and Jackson Hole-based architecture firm to tackle the project, looking for additional space that would remain true to the forested site in the Teton Pines community.
“Our design-build approach allowed our team to look at the design of this home holistically to create continuity and quality within the architecture,” explains JLF Architects principal Logan Leachman.
The new addition provides a private locale for the guestsuite and bathroom, as well as a cozy sitting room with a fireplace. It also creates a space for an outdoor oasis, where the family can enjoy native grasses and plants paired with mature trees and a trickling stream.
Known for a building philosophy that centers on connection and communication between architect and craftsman, the JLF teambegan by curating the essential building materials to blend old and new construction. Scouring Montana’s logyards and landscape for reclaimed timbers and stone to match the original structure was a priority before the building could begin. The result is a near-perfect match of Montana mossrock, rough-sawn fir and early 20th-century chestnut hardwood floors.
To connect new living space to old, JLF worked with design-buildpartners Big-D Signature to craft a glass entryway that connects the two structures, and offers views of the wooded terrain and native landscape design by Jim Verdone of Verdone Landscape Architects of Jackson Hole. The transparent entry acts as a bridge between old and new construction. Bookended by two stone walls that Leachman designed to be reminiscent of ancient ruined structures, the glass and timber passageway blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor living as it welcomes visitors.
The team ensured that the views would remain paramount and brought the outside in by preserving a jaw-dropping view of the Grand Teton, the focal point of the living room. Utilizing the opening that was originally and oversized window in the living room, the JLF team engineered a seamless connection between the original structure and the new addition of guest suite and entertaining space by creating the glass bridge to join the two structures.The homeowners’ heirloom furniture and Western artwork harmonizes with the rustic timbers; while French mirrors, a Myanmar tapestry and other treasures found during world travels provide pops of color among a muted color palette. Plaster walls add texture to the main living space, and a clean-cut, gabled roofline provides architectural interest. The resulting structure showcases the history and personality of its homeowners, while effortlessly blending with its idyllic setting.
Building timeless structures rooted in integrity and simple elegance, Jackson Hole and Bozeman-based JLF Architects applies distinctive solutions and materials to create place-based houses marked by the influences of landscapes from the Rocky Mountains to the Eastern Seaboard. Their award-winning perspective is powered by inspired design and an exacting eye for placement, an ethos that stems from a unity of nature, beauty, balance and imagination. JLF Architects has established a genuine alliance with Big-D Signature construction, built over 17 years of working together, to create a streamlined design-build process that benefits clients. Winners of Mountain Living magazine’s 2016 Home of the Year, and with multiple projects featured in the recently released book Rustic Modern, the JLF Architects and Big-D Signature team unites passionate architects with dedicated builders to enable the collective imagination of visionary artisans working with visionary clients.
