This Is How to Give Your Home That Laid-Back Luxury Look
Get design inspiration from these Sun Valley homes.
Architecture design by Backen & Backen Architecture; Interior design by Hemmings Design; Photo by John Merkl Photography
Two Sun Valley, Idaho-area homes master the art of elegant but informal modern mountain living that’s in tune with the town’s family-first, always-fun ethos.
Fine Vintage
An awkward ‘80s-era Ketchum, Idaho, home is refashioned as a high-style, retro family getaway.
Photography © Malissa MabeyPhotography © Malissa Mabey
As America’s first destination ski resort, founded in the mid-1930s with heavy Alpine influences and plenty of Western flair, Sun Valley, Idaho, has maintained its quaint, family-owned charm and four-season appeal for almost a century. Though the community has dodged some of the pretentious pitfalls of its corporate cousins in the Rockies, the real estate market at the resort and in neighboring Ketchum will still make your eyes water. It’s a luxury market that rejects ostentation, fancy but chill. When it comes to architecture and interiors, that can be a challenging note to hit.
Photography © Malissa Mabey
How do you rise to the aesthetic level that a multimillion-dollar home deserves without sacrificing the low-key, outdoorsy vibe the region demands? The approach requires creativity, balance, restraint, and a slightly retro approach to modern mountain living.
Photography © Malissa Mabey
Julia Miller of Minneapolis-based Yond Interiors was hired to update an early ‘80s multi-level house with wood-paneled interior walls in a Ketchum subdivision. Where others may have seen a disjointed jumble in need of complete gutting, Miller and her clients saw opportunities.
Photography © Malissa Mabey
Photography © Malissa Mabey
“We knew the house could be cool, but it needed some thought. It was the kind of house with carpet in the bathroom. Certain areas were always cold,” Miller says. “The owners loved the quirkiness, but we needed to work to make it feel more connected. The vibes were good, but it needed to be decluttered.”
Photography © Malissa Mabey
Repositioning a fireplace against an exterior wall helped to open up the main living area. Adding fresh wood paneling, a handmade tile fireplace surround, durable stone flooring, and updating the kitchen helped usher the home into its new, refreshed era. Vintage Louis Poulsen, retro swivel chairs in a Pierre Frey geometric pattern, and a Patate modular sofa upholstered in deep aubergine corduroy add to the home’s loungey, modern feel. And, the dusty color palette was drawn from the family’s roots in New Mexico and Australia.
Photography © Malissa Mabey
“This is a house that was designed for welcoming their kids and their friends, playing games, and enjoying everything the area has to offer,” Miller says.
Family Tradition
Forgoing cliche mountain house decor, an architect and interior designer opt for classic American family camp influences.
John Merkl Photography
John Merkl Photography
On a slightly grander scale, this new build by Backen & Backen Architecture, with interiors by Leslie Hemmings of Hemmings Design, was designed for a multigenerational family to grow into. Built on a steep hillside lot, the two-level house is sited to maximize views of Mount Baldy and the town below.
John Merkl Photography
John Merkl Photography
The main level contains the arrival courtyard, a skylit entry gallery, and the primary suite, positioned discreetly behind the great room. This right-sized open plan space is the heart of the home, combining kitchen, dining, and living areas around a large wood-burning fireplace. A full-width terrace extends directly off the great room, accessible through steel and glass pocketing doors that dissolve the boundary between inside and outside.
John Merkl Photography
The owners were familiar with Backen & Backen’s work on the Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma, California, and they wanted a similar structure with pronounced steel trusses. They were drawn to a modern barn aesthetic, which the firm embodied through clean detailing and reclaimed materials that were regionally attuned.
John Merkl Photography
John Merkl Photography
The real appeal of this house, we think, lies in the smaller, more intimate spaces, which are often sacrificed when designers and builders err on the side of making rooms overly large to maximize the views. A breakfast nook with a wood stove, a comfortable media room, and a windowed mudroom with seating help the house maintain a cozier, more human scale. The requisite bunk room and guest rooms are located on the lower level. Hemmings’ interiors, with soft plaid upholstered pieces, rustic lighting, and charming art, tip the scales from vacation property to beloved family home, the kind of place that feels in step with the Sun Valley ethos.
