A masterfully crafted retreat blends Japanese and Scandinavian design principles, creating a serene sanctuary amid Park City’s alpine splendor
Photos by Malissa Mabey; Styling by Jen Paul
In a world buzzing with noise, Japandi offers a rare kind of calm—a design philosophy rooted in simplicity, balance and reverence for nature. It’s more than a style; it’s a mindset, celebrating restraint while elevating bespoke craftsmanship and celebrating purposeful design.
High in Park City’s snow-draped mountains, Greg Walker and Chimso Onwuegbu, co-founders of WOW atelier—an architecture, interior design and custom fabrication studio, bring this vision to life in a Kings Crown ski home that resists the expected, eschewing both rustic lodge traditions and the familiar formulas of mountain modern design. Instead, the home embraces a quieter sophistication, merging Scandinavian functionality with Japanese minimalism to create artful, livable spaces.
Here, beauty lies in the details: perfectly proportioned lines, hand-selected materials and a muted palette that soothes every space. Light and texture become its ornamentation, shaping a home where après-ski gatherings and serene moments coexist. Step inside and discover how this thoughtful philosophy unfolds room by room.
Arrive: Entry
Just inside the door, an entry tableau signals the home’s quiet sophistication. A custom console—its profile airy yet grounded—anchors the composition. Made from rift-sawn white oak with uninterrupted grain, its drawers seem to hover within a slender frame. Above, a marble top appears to float, detailed with a shallow carved recess for keys and other small rituals of daily life. Even the legs are thoughtful, intersecting at floor level in a quiet gesture of craft. And around it? Nothing is accidental. The pottery, the art, the pale flooring and its slim baseboards all play their part. “All of it is part of the experience,” Walker says, underscoring the philosophy that governs this home.
Near the entry table, a slatted white oak wall reimagines the humble coat closet as a piece of functional art. “These clients couldn’t just have an entry closet with things shoved in,” Walker insists. “That wouldn’t be in the spirit of the design.” Instead, his team conceived, fabricated and installed a floating panel of vertical oak strips accented with warm brass. Individual pegs pull forward like small gestures of welcome, offering a place for coats, hats and bags. Behind it, a floor-to-ceiling illuminated print creates a subtle glow, transforming a practical storage moment into a layered composition of light, texture and craft. “It turns the mundane task of removing shoes and hanging a coat into an experience,” Walker says.
Gather: Great Room
Describing the main level’s great room, Onwuegbu explains, “It’s all about the views, and everything looks in that direction.” To honor that connection, furnishings keep a low profile, while a suspended fireplace offers warmth without interrupting sightlines through expansive windows. The palette is light, tactile and natural. Oak mingles with walnut; copper accents gleam against stone; handmade ceramics invite touch. The bespoke dining table, its base and center inlay clad in copper, mirrors the metal used in the kitchen backsplash—a choice as much about evolution as aesthetics. “The homeowners like the history that will be told by the surface as it changes over time,” Onwuegbu explains. To resolve an angled wall and encourage lingering après-ski, the team crafted a floating bench that runs the length of the dining area before gliding into a console by the hearth—a gesture of continuity, utility and artistry.
Play: Entertainment Level
On the lowest level where the tone is darker and moodier, the entertainment room takes a playful turn without sacrificing intention. At its center, a custom armless sofa—framed in black walnut—was crafted entirely in-house. Designed for versatility, it offers countless ways to lounge and easily converts to a queen-size bed, making the room as functional as it is inviting. Above, the ceiling sets the tone with a bold vinyl graphic—the one place where the home embraces its fun, funky side. Along one wall, a sleek installation for speakers and a record player nods to the oversized stereo systems of the ’80s. “In the spirit of Danish architecture, every square inch is obsessively detailed,” Walker says. That philosophy extends to the floating shelves and a cozy, channel-tufted booth designed for listening sessions; it cleverly transforms into bunks. Thoughtfully designed, the space doubles as a full family suite—kids in the bunks, parents on the sofa—without losing its identity as a hip music lounge.
“It’s great to welcome guests into this space without them feeling compelled to notice every detail,” Walker explains of the dark office bathroom—a compact environment meticulously layered with detailed design elements. Curved lights and round mirrors soften the room’s geometry, echoing the sculptural lines of the faucets. Behind the vanity, a slatted walnut wall brings warmth, driving the choice of gray stone that fronts the drawers in a continuous, perfectly matched pattern. Black fixtures provide bold contrast, while handmade concrete basins lend a tactile, artisanal touch—elements that speak to Japandi’s celebration of material honesty and refined simplicity.
“In the spirit of Danish architecture, every square inch is obsessively detailed.”
Greg Walker
Retreat: Primary Suite
On the upper level, tranquility becomes tangible in the primary bedroom—a true retreat. “They were hungry for a simple space,” Walker recalls. Instead of assembling separate pieces, his team composed a continuous element: a wood surface that flows seamlessly from the bed surround into a nightstand and finishes as a small desk. Such simplicity demands precision. “The challenge was knowing where the trim should stop and where to hide switches and power sources,” he says. A standard wall outlet would have shattered the illusion, so custom brass USB ports from Juniper were discreetly integrated into the frame. Texture enters through a bespoke headboard upholstered in fabrics chosen by the client for their energy and hues. The result feels personal yet pared-back—a narrative told in hushed tones.
The primary bath distills Japandi’s essence into a single serene vignette. A floating vanity in warm wood stretches across the wall, its four drawers aligned in a continuous grain. Above, a custom concrete trough sink spans the length of the vanity, paired with a teak-slatted board that bridges the basin—a graceful perch for soap and accessories. Wall-mounted faucets preserve clarity, while a backsplash of handmade moss-green tiles infuses the space with a subtle lift of color and warmth, adding an organic note that enlivens the calm. Lighting remains understated—glow rather than glare—framing two simple mirrors. “In a small space, every inch matters,” Walker notes. “It’s about keeping things out of the way without losing beauty.”
Chimso Onwuegbu and Greg Walker, co-founders of WOW atelier—an architecture, interior design and custom fabrication studio.
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