Project Description
This 6,500-square-foot home, which sits on a quiet cul-de-sac in Ketchum, Idaho between Bald Mountain and Dollar Mountain, was designed around the client’s collection of contemporary art alongside commanding mountain views. Windows carefully frame views of exterior artworks against the forested landscape beyond.
“This project is truly an art house. Art is very much a part of the family’s lifestyle, so the home was designed to work at different scales depending on their constantly rotating collection of artworks.” –Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, Design Principal
Based on a Latin cross plan, this steel-and-wood-clad home consists of two main forms. The primary form contains the entry foyer and the open plan kitchen, dining, and living areas, along with two bedrooms below and two offices above. Upon entering the house, a large art wall in the double-height foyer showcases a favorite abstract painting by Lawrence Fodor titled Rain Forest, establishing the home’s dual emphasis on art and nature.
An interior palette of exposed steel, concrete and wood supports the prominence of the client’s curated art collection. The home’s secondary form completes the “T”-shaped plan, its steel-and-glass entry vestibule and glass-box master suite acting as the yin to the main house’s yang.
“In Ketchum, winters are cold and snowy while summers are hot and dry. Like any mountain adventure where you might encounter different climate conditions, the driver for this design was to create a house that could ‘dress’ for the changing weather, opening and closing depending on the climate situation.” –Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, Design Principal
Project Team: Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, Design Principal; Edward Lalonde, Project Manager; Jamie Slagel, Project Architect
Key Consultants: Elias Construction, General Contractor; Galena Engineering, Civil Engineer; Ben Young Landscape Architects, Landscape Architect; Grid Engineers, Structural Engineer; O- Lighting, Lighting Design; Lucas Design Associates, Interior Design
Photographers: Aaron Leitz, Benjamin Benschneider