Tucked against the southern edge of the Teton Range in the hamlet of Wilson, Wyoming, Overlook Residence is sited on an ecotone or border between a dense conifer forest and an open, grassy meadow. The home embraces this edge condition with a low, sweeping form that nestles into the hillside to maximize eastern-facing views of Jackson and Sheep Mountain beyond.
Designed to answer the client brief for a modest, compact program in a home that blends with its natural surroundings, the house celebrates outdoor connections in living spaces that extend from inside to out. Contrasting the vertical ridge of the Tetons behind, the low-slung horizontality of the home establishes a sense of protection and comfort through a palette of warm wood, natural stone, and blackened steel against a broad expanse of glazing fronting the home’s eastern façade.
The 4,700-square-foot split-level home contains an open living/dining/kitchen area and primary living suite on the main level with two guestrooms and ancillary spaces located up a half level. Private areas of the home hunker down into the hillside and are oriented inwards, while public spaces turn outwards to embrace the site’s prospect views. Off the kitchen, a sculptural steel-and-wood stair with glass balustrades gathers daylight down to the basement, which contains overflow space for the family and guests to recreate. A detached garage to the north is connected via a generous, 12-foot-deep roof overhang that defines a protected outdoor hot tub space adjacent to the home. Retractable corner glass doors in the living area continue the connection between inside and out, opening to a covered patio on grade.
Outside, a raw exterior palette of cedar siding, hemlock soffits, limestone walls, and blackened-steel exposed columns and doors establishes a naturally-inspired material language that continues inside. Here, a restrained palette of wood, concrete, stone, and steel warms interior spaces while keeping emphasis on the landscape beyond. A monolithic blackened steel fireplace with a suspended flue separates the living and dining areas, anchoring the space while maintaining views through. A single pine tree stands as a sentinel in front of the home, marking the entrance and establishing the natural integration that defines Overlook Residence.