Imagine yourself inside a house, embraced by 35 hectares of forest and rolling meadows, as if cocooned, and immersed in breathtaking views. If this isn’t already enough to trigger generous doses of creativity, then we don’t know what else is. In fact, it was the search for a space with these characteristics that led the owners — a couple, both writers and owners of an independent record label — to want to build this house near Wilson, Wyoming.
The architects from the CLB Architects collective and the interior designers from HSH Interiors were entrusted with the task of designing the space, which would have to be focused on the natural surroundings and act as a catalyst for creative work, since the owners wanted this to be a space to pursue their writing. The result was three simple, box-like structures that punctuate the poplar grove and accommodate the main house, the guest house and the writer’s studio.
The main house was conceived as a geological remnant in the landscape, located on the boundary between field and forest. The guest house and the writing studio are nestled more intimately in the wooded environment. A fourth structure, of a more spiritual character, will be built further south. The architecture is open, offering breathtaking views of the mountains of Grand Teton National Park, almost bringing the natural fauna and flora indoors and allowing the interiors to commune with the forests and meadows.
With its rectilinear floor plan, the main house seems to cling to the trees that surround it. Its language, which is in perfect harmony with the landscape, is a dynamic quality that, according to the authors, is further enhanced on the outside by Shou Sugi Ban — a traditional Japanese technique in which the wood is carbonised.