High Contrast

February 25, 2016

Consider the black-and-white scheme. When it comes to creating classic style with graphic appeal, all other color combinations pale by comparison.

By Brad Mee

Here’s what you do: Choose black and then choose white. It doesn’t get much simpler—or more spectacular—than that. You’ve just created the most classic color combination and one that is all the rage today in stylish rooms of all kinds, from living to laundry and every space in between. For proof, we present 11 stunning black-and-white décors created by local design pros.

1. For the laundry room of a French-style Highland home, designers Jessica Bennett, Christy Klomp and Kristina Kellet chose a checkerboard black-and-white limestone floor.

“We carried the checkerboard limestone floor throughout and added accents of black for a more modern take on the classic French style,” Bennett says. Iron stools, window frames and an island countertop contrast black with the room’s white cabinetry.

2. To accentuate the daring design of this Salt Lake home’s white fireplace, architect Kathryn Anderson and Marsala & Co. suspended a slab of black Cosmopolitan granite along the bottom of the modern, sculpture-like feature.

3. A black stair rail and framed art pieces punctuate this room’s fresh white color scheme. “A strong punch of black and white really helps balance out some of the more feminine elements throughout the home,” says designer Shea McGee. “We love that it adds drama and sophistication to an otherwise laid-back space.”

4. A palette of black, gray and white packs a powerful design punch in a Park City bedroom decorated by designer Beth Ann Shepherd. “It’s the accents that create the contrast,” she says. Patterned black-and-white shades create drama while texture-rich furs, blankets and bedding add luxuriously layered texture.

5. In a Park City powder room, a white Boffi sink stands like a modern sculpture surrounded by highly textured walls of cypress-raked limestone. Duravit fixtures add shots of shimmering metal to the striking, two-toned space.

6. To replicate the forest surrounding this bedroom’s Park City home, designer Kristin Rocke dressed the walls in a graphic Cole & Son’s Aspen Branch wallpaper. Finished in stark white, the modern canopy bed doesn’t detract from views of the trees, indoors or out.

7. In a Salt Lake City home built by Jackson & LeRoy, a short hallway features a built-in bench backed with bold black-and-white wallpaper and accessorized with a similarly colored striped pillow and rug. The confined nature of this area provides the perfect spot to add this statement of color and pattern.

8. Using black and white as her tools, Kristin Rocke creates bold style in a client’s very small bathroom. The stool’s off-kilter stripes are a surprising detail in a space balanced by symmetrically staged fixtures.

9. “People don’t decorate bathrooms, so you give them levels of finishes,” says architect Scott Jaffa, who layered finishes and fixtures of dark and light to create this modern Park City bathroom. The colors contrast, as does the visual weight of delicate Sonneman pendant lights paired with the dark mass of Oregon pine cabinets from Peppertree Cabinets and the stone countertop and wall tiles from European Marble.

10. By painting this front door black, designer Shea McGee hints at the classic color palette flowing throughout the home. Played against a canvas of white walls, refined black accents move the eye across the interior without darkening or bullying its light-filled décor.

11. To create a classic, chic kitchen in a Holladay home remodeled by Upland Development, designers Nicole Thompson and Bennett Lee fearlessly contrasted floor-to-ceiling white cabinetry with strong shots of black captured in the island countertop, range hood, shades and graphic tiles.

Saving Grace

Ashley Miller

February 25, 2016

A fresh mix of vintage and modern elements transform a timeworn 1937 Georgian Cottage into a gracious, high-style home in Salt Lake’s Federal Heights neighborhood.
By Brad Mee, Photos by Scot Zimmerman

After more than a year of scouring Salt Lake City for a fixer-upper, designer Gregg Hodson and his partner Gary McClellan finally found a diamond-in-the-rough dream home in the city’s Federal Heights neighborhood.

“We were looking for a sad sack that needed to be totally redone,” Hodson explains. Within a day after discovering the neglected property, the couple had purchased and taken possession of the small 1937 shingled Georgian Cottage. “Even though it was a mess, I could see that it could be transformed into an amazing and gracious gem,” says Hodson, who had renovated many homes for clients and relished the challenge. This house would provide many.

To begin, the small three-level 2,600-square-foot cottage was dark and timeworn, Undersized windows provided only dim light for cramped rooms clad in tattered shag carpeting, “smokers-beige” paint, ’60s paneling and failing fixtures.

Structurally, the main-level floor sloped, the tiny foyer seemed to trip into the adjoining living room and the kitchen and baths had, as the designer recalls, seen much better days. Hodson and McClellan responded by gutting the interior down to the studs, replacing and expanding most of the windows and fashioning a fresh look for every room.
“I considered how they would have done things in 1937 and then interpreted them for today in terms of livability and style,” says Hodson. Doggedly, he created a décor that’s decidedly dashing, yet nods to the home’s period past.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the living room, where darkly dramatic gray walls and stately molding envelop the space and create an elegant backdrop for a keenly choreographed mix of furnishings, colors and collectibles. Accessories, lamps and a mid-century console discovered at antique stores and online meld easily with a sofa and chairs richly upholstered in mohair, leather and woven fabrics.

“The fabrics’ colors are subtle, but their textures are bold,” Hodson explains. Gold raw silk draperies adorn new, dark-framed windows and join pillows in delivering vibrant color and pattern to the mix. Paintings, drawings and photographs gleaned over time gather in collections that perform as delightful focal points.
The new marble fireplace surround and “beefed-up” built in shelves bask in the glow of a jaw-dropping chandelier and help finish the glamorous, yet relaxed, room. “I wanted it to be like stepping into a great lounge that pampers you after a hellish day,” Hodson says.

The rich mix eases in the dining room, where light walls along with enlarged windows and paned-glass doors, opening to a covered patio lounge, brighten the casual, cottage-style space. New naturally toned oak floors flow here and throughout the home.
“I wanted them to resemble the originals and not look glitzy like dark wood would have,” Hodson says of his understated choice. Original built-in maple cabinets, freshly painted white, frame a large window seat piled with colorful pillows. “These cabinets were pivotal in how the design of the house came about. I wanted to honor the home’s history, so I kept them and painted them to look current.”

Nearby, vivid-orange wing chairs, boasting large-scale and modern silhouettes, anchor the ends of a farm table serving the adjacent kitchen—the project’s most daunting space.
How does one create a contemporary kitchen that fits in a 1937 house and looks like it could have almost been there from the beginning? For Hodson, capturing the space of an existing pantry and dingy hallway in the new kitchen and then using tile, lots of tile, were key to his solution.
“The room is small, so I wanted it to look like it is a bright tile box,” he explains. He clad every wall with white 4-by-12-inch tiles, and even covered the backside of the open wall separating the kitchen from dining room in tiles. “It helps connect the spaces visually.”

To foster a vintage feel, Hodson chose gray stain rather than chip-prone paint for the custom, clean-lined cabinets and worked with Clint Call of Call’s Design to develop the vertically grooved, grained finish. Terrazzo-patterned Caesarstone countertops—a nod to mid-century, says Hodson—join appropriately proportioned appliances and simple lighting to keep the little space bright, clean-lined and uncluttered.
The home’s classically detailed, yet modern, bathrooms, eclectically furnished bedrooms, as well as the roomy landing and graceful staircase also reflect Hodson’s savvy ability to honor the home’s heritage without becoming a slave to predictable period design.

Linked by savvy molding treatments, seven grayish wall colors and a mix of timeless and unexpected furnishings and fixtures, the entire home belies its small size with big style and undeniable charm.

Homeowners Gregg Hodson, left, and Gary McLellan

Floral Designer Jessica St. Thomas

Glam Slam

Ashley Miller

February 25, 2016

In Highland, an evocative mix of trendy and timeless design gives a French-inspired home a hit of haute livable style.

By Brad Mee, Photos by Weston Colton

From the onset designers Jessica Bennett, Christy Klomp and Kristina Kellett knew one thing for certain about the interior they would be creating for this large Highland home: It would be as fashion-forward as its young homeowners and as timeless as the French Manor architecture that defines the house and its tony neighborhood.

“The wife loves trendy design, so we took a modern approach by adding it in a classic and clean way that speaks to the style of the home,” Bennett says.

The team’s tactic presents itself from the get-go. Inside front doors glamorously dressed in black paint and swanky gold hardware, the chic two-story entry daringly introduces the home’s au currant-meets-ageless design.

Walls sheathed in traditional paneling rise from a marble floor configured in head-turning geometric shapes. “It’s an edgy pattern the wife would wear, but we created it from classic stone,” Klomp explains. Overhead, a golden orb chandelier shimmers through a round window and hangs below the ceiling’s ringed paneling.

These elements contribute to a circular motif that subtly flows throughout the home to foster continuity. “You don’t really notice the circles, but they connect the spaces,” says Kellett. The design trio employed black in a similarly strategic manner.

“Black has a lot of heritage, but it also adds a casual young vibe,” Bennett says. The designers deftly used the color to embolden window frames and repeated it generously throughout. It glams the powder room ceiling and master suite’s desk, animates the mudroom’s checkerboard limestone floor and accentuates the main stairway’s architectural railing.

It also enriches dining room chairs and countless artful accessories. “Contrasting black against the home’s neutral background gives the décor a fresh edge,” Klomp explains. Richly mixed metals accomplish the same.

From shimmering gold and brushed brass to brilliant chrome and sleek nickel, the interior’s assorted metals may appear effortless as they recur from space to space, but their dance is carefully choreographed.

Rejecting rigid rules, the designers mixed metals in all spaces, tending to employ gold to embellish dressier rooms including the master suite and foyer while fancying silver finishes for more casual areas including the lower level family room and kid’s bathrooms.

The team also turned to brass and gold to flatter cooler-colored surfaces while choosing icier nickel and chrome to dress warm-toned woods and materials.

“Metals offer the opportunity to create depth and tension through the contrast of warm versus cool,” Bennett explains. But matching finishes were a no-no. “You have to mix it up with different shades of gold or brass, for example, otherwise it will look like paint-by-number and fall flat,” Klomp says.

The designers’ disdain for predictable “dial-it-in design” and their passion for creating surprising “moments” are vividly evident throughout the décor. In the kitchen, a custom gold-and-silver hood and a foursome of brass pendants crown the room with drop-dead chic style. In the nearby dining area, a chandelier of freeform glass orbs floats like clustered clouds in front of view-laden windows.

Glamorous knobs of gold-wrapped quartz bejewel the master bathroom’s white vanity, while nearby, a chrome-framed canopy bed shimmers brightly in the dreamy bedroom. “We decided which elements would be the stars in the rooms and let other details play supporting roles,” Bennett explains. “Not everything needs to be a hero,” she insists.

The designers’ masterful mix of lux and laid-back, elegant and edgy thwarted any hint of boredom—a feat in a home of this size and scale. “Our goal was to create something different and include surprise and delight around every corner,” says Klomp. Fortunately for the young homeowners who relish the spectacular results, that’s exactly what the talented team did.

Senior designer Christy Klomp, design principal Jessica Bennett, and designer Kristina Kellett, from Alice Lane Home Collection in Salt Lake City

A Matter of Time

Natalie Taylor

February 25, 2016

Designer Jenny Samuelson gives modern mountain style an eclectic edge, mixing elements of past and present in her family’s new Park City home.

By Natalie Taylor, Photos by Scot Zimmerman

In a town where über-modern digs have become the rage, it’s rare to see new homes integrating elements of times past. But that’s exactly what Jenny Samuelson’s new family home in Park City does.

“Our goal for the entire house was to make it look timeless,” says Samuelson. “So, literally no one would be able to tell when it was built.” Jenny and her design partner, Julie Chahine, both principal designers for J Squared Interiors, worked hard to create an eclectic design that mixes traditional, contemporary and everything in between.

And that meant taking an unconventional approach to the new build. “We added a brick fireplace and then painted over it,” Samuelson explains, “Imagining that it had been there for decades and at one point, a previous owner decided they were sick of red brick, took out a can of paint, and went to town.” The Samuelsons hired architect Scott Jaffa, CEO of Jaffa Group Design Build, to design the home.

“I knew he would understand me,” she says. Jaffa not only understood, he appreciated her unique vision.“Jenny is both a friend and a client,” says Jaffa. “She has a great aesthetic and brings fresh ideas to the table. She doesn’t want to do what her neighbors are doing or what she sees in a magazine. She let me be creative, which is what I do best. It’s so nice to have a client put so much trust in an architect.”

One of the hardest things to express, however, was that she didn’t want things to look perfect—it was okay if paint dripped a bit or didn’t go on totally even. “All of Jaffa Group’s subs were such professionals, accustomed to doing everything perfectly, that this came as a strange and uncomfortable directive,” she says. “I didn’t want a perfect home; I wanted an interesting home with character.”

Although it’s a ski-in home located slopeside on Park City Mountain Resort, the house doesn’t translate as a typical Park City mountain home thanks to wide-paned windows, wood paneling, and accessories including Swiss army blankets that look as though they could be 100 years old.

The breakfast room was deliberately designed to appear as though it was an addition, and finishes, such as the reclaimed wood that adorns the fireplace in the master bedroom, can’t be defined by one specific era. “We used a lot of industrial lighting fixtures,” explains Samuelson. “So it looks as though the fictitious previous owner went through an industrial phase.”

But the most important element of history in this 8,500-square-foot home with six bathrooms and seven bedrooms is art. Jenny and her husband Kevin have been collecting art since they met in college. “After we graduated (she earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from UC Berkeley), we lived in Europe,” she says. “We had no money, but what we did have, we spent on art.”

Jenny has served on the board of directors at the Kimball Art Center for the past three years so when the drafting began, art took center stage. “Modern builds with great rooms have very little wall space,” she explains. “So the challenge was creating the wall space and color palette that we needed to display our collection. That meant designing specific spaces for our favorite pieces.”

For example, a painting by Brady Gunnell hangs prominently on the brick fireplace and serves as a focal point in the great room. And they opted for a wall instead of a window in the breakfast room.“I wanted to showcase one of our most beloved pieces, Ghost Station, by Ed Ruscha,” says Jenny. So they painted the wood paneling dark gray to make the painting pop.

The new home is designed for comfort and family. It mixes new with the old: materials used a long time ago, actual reclaimed materials and custom-built contemporary furniture. It employs traditional forms, shapes and architectural details to create its own rules.

In the backyard, six chickens peck in the grass and the dog chases butterflies. For this Park City family, it’s a place where history begins.

Jenny Samuelson, principal designer, J Squared Interiors

Balancing Act

Ashley Miller

February 24, 2016

Enlisting a team of talented Utah pros, Floridians Andy and Sherry Sturner build a spectacular Park City home boasting equal parts mountain and modern styles.
By Brad Mee, Photos by Scot Zimmerman

Even as autumn leaves fall and snow begins to fly, there’s a hint of Miami heat warming the interior of this Park City home. As snowbirds splitting their time between Florida and Utah, homeowners Andy and Sherry Sturner desired exactly that as they worked with a talented team to create their modern mountain getaway in the resort town’s Colony community.

The Sturners visited Park City for nearly 20 years before deciding to build a home in Park City. “We’ve skied all over the world, and this is our favorite ski town,” Andy says. So the couple assembled a team of professionals to help them design a home that strikes a perfect balance between modern aesthetics and the mountain setting.

“We knew we wanted a contemporary feel, but wanted to make sure that it was still warm and cozy,” Sherry explains. “Thanks to our world-class team including architects at Otto Walker, designers from LMK Interior Design and the builder at Craig Construction, we were able to incorporate both the clean lines and the coziness we were looking for.” Hits of high glam were also melded into the mix.

To incorporate chic and sleek into the rugged environment, LMK designers Rion Locke, Richard Miller and Mark Kizerian blended finishes and textures featuring a soothing color palette and then sprinkled in a little bling to add luster to the clean lined, contemporary interior.
“Sherry loves rich, warm, earthy tones,” explains Miller. “So we added a few elements to the master bedroom, such as a gilded lamp, and then contrasted the metal with a roughly textured dresser to dress it down.” The designers’ creative choreography of similar contrasting pairings plays throughout.

In the master bathroom, for example, the designers offset white lacquered cabinets—polished to a high sheen—with a wide plank walnut floor, dulled to a matte finish. And in the high-style kitchen, honed Calcutta marble and sophisticated cabinetry contrast with stacked Idaho ledgestone that recurs on the main fireplace, stunning staircase wall and even the exterior entry columns.

“The polished Calcutta is classic, but a slight matte finish makes it more harmonious in the mountainous geography,” Locke explains. Repeating elements like the ledgestone creates a unified bridge from the great room to kitchen as well as from the inside to the outside. “We wanted a cohesive design,” Kizerian says. “Using the same mix of wood, rock and metal helps the eye to float seamlessly from the interior to exterior.

Maximizing views while staying within The Colony’s building requirements called for creativity and collaboration, and resulted in a breathtaking porte-cochere that frames the home’s entry, capacious great room and vistas beyond.

“One of the biggest challenges we faced occurred right before we broke ground,” says Andy. “The home was designed to fit perfectly within the allowed building envelope, but the placement of the front door and the view through the great room didn’t capture the most stunning feature of our property, namely the view of the valley and the Uinta mountain range, including Porcupine Peak and Lewis Peak.”

So the team rolled up their sleeves and got creative. “In order to nail that view, we set the house on an angle,” explains architect Mark Walker. “That angle created a bend in the house and made the space much more interesting.”

But bridging modern architecture and clean aesthetics was only the beginning; functionality was also key. “Our priority in designing our house was livability,” says Sherry, stating that every room needed to be both stunning and livable. “Finding that perfect balance wasn’t easy, but it was so gratifying to see our home come together in such an elegant, yet comfortable, way. From the minute you walk through the front door, you get the warmest feeling, and you know you’re home.”

LMK Interior Design’s Rion Locke, Richard Miller and Mark Kizerian

Let There Be Light

Ashley Miller

July 4, 2015

Contemporary design and Modern Prairie style define a Millcreek kitchen that’s flooded with sunlight, flexibility and clean-lined features.
By Brad Mee, Photos by Scot Zimmerman

“Sunlight, lots of sunlight,” says architect Warren Lloyd, summarizing what clients Darren and Susan Call craved most for their new Salt Lake City home. Considering that the Calls lived in drizzly Seattle before returning to Utah, the desire for an abode flooded with natural light resonated with Lloyd who had previously lived and worked in Seattle as well.

He teamed with interior designer Susan Taggart to create a home that delivers the coveted light in addition to distinctive Modern Prairie style, a colorful contemporary décor and an open floor plan that unites very inviting, very livable rooms. Among these is the Call’s kitchen. It sits below the end of an 18-foot-high cupola that runs the length of the home and floods the kitchen—as well as the adjoining dining space, living area and family room—with bright, uplifting light.

A two-sided fireplace anchors these connected spaces and performs as a striking focal point for each, including the kitchen. There, clean lines, natural materials, smart space planning and a host of distinctive details unite to give the room its fresh, flexible and highly functional style.

1. Light-Filled Space

As seen from the kitchen’s walnut-based, Caesarstone-topped island, the double-sided fireplace boasts bands of natural rift-sawn oak that match the floors. Light streams in from an 18-foot-high cupola above. Island Stone strip cladding tile surrounds the firebox and a water-hued color dresses the walls. “The use of fairly monochromatic, natural materials in serene colors and textures helped us to create a sense of openness and light, while maintaining a comfortable, inviting feeling,” Taggart explains.

2. Working Wall

A west wall lacking any notable outdoor views became the perfect spot to position the range, hood and flanking cabinets. “Open shelving and floating cabinets provide required storage space without creating a heavy massive look on the wall,” Lloyd says. Corner windows open diagonal views and promote the look of a floating ceiling—a key element of Prairie style.

3. Hidden Storage

Ray Bird designed and built an appliance garage featuring two airplane doors that conceal small appliances and cookware when they’re not in use. White subway tile runs to the ceiling behind a horizontal open shelf that provides display space while preventing this cabinet- and appliance-laden wall from appearing too heavy.

4. Built-In Banquette

“Considering the level of the street to the kitchen floor was important,” explains Lloyd who strategically positioned the home above street level to provide a sense of privacy for those inside the kitchen and other rooms overlooking the front yard. He also created a step-up breakfast nook that positions those seated in the booth at eye-level with those standing in the room or seated at the nearby island.

“It makes conversations from the booth more comfortable and intimate,” he says. By raising the booth, he also promoted the interior’s horizontal lines by positioning its concrete tabletop at the same visual level as the kitchen countertops.

5. Compelling Colors

“I think it’s the most beautiful dining table around,” says Taggart of the Athos table by B&B Italia. The sleek piece extends to accomodate large groups and is paired with B&B Italia Melandra chairs upholstered in a textured purple fabric. Taggart chose Benjamin Moore’s Iced Marble paint for the connected spaces. “It’s a very serene color that stands on its own and also provides the perfect backdrop for more vibrant accent colors,” she says.

6. High-Style Island

“We chose straight-grained walnut for the island so it would make a dramatic statement and anchor the space,” Taggart explains. Above, light fixtures are intentionally understated and simple. “We wanted the lighting to be subtle and discreet to complement the natural light without becoming a focal point,” Lloyd says.

7. Open Corners

“Corner cabinets are difficult realities to deal with,” says Lloyd, who solved the problem by opening the corners with windows rather than bulky storage cabinets. The adjacent cabinetry—flanked with open shelves—stops short of the windows to enhance the openness. “This room would have a very different feel if we had stuffed cabinets in its corners,” he explains.

Modern Translation

Ashley Miller

June 28, 2015

In Park City, Scott Jaffa and Kristin Rocke team to create a fresh vision of modern mountain style.

By Brad Mee, Photos by Scot Zimmerman

Who claims that mountains and modern design don’t mix? Who says that in Park City, bigger and bulkier is best or that white isn’t right. Certainly not architect Scott Jaffa or interior designer Kristine Rocke. These pros teamed to create a hilltop home in the Colony community that is as surprising as it is spectacular.

Jaffa, principal of Jaffa Group in Park City, used the wooded lot as inspiration for his design of the unique ski-in/ski-out residence. He created a soaring roof that opens to views and used shiplap siding to soften the architecture and establish horizontal lines visually linking the house to the property’s grade.

Jaffa utilized stone, visually eased with lichen and moss, to anchor the dwelling and visually organize its sections. Corrugated metal serves as an aesthetic connector between the garage and main house and sculpture-like wood-framed columns encase metal railings.

Exterior colors mimic those of the surrounding aspen bark and scrub oak to help nestle the house into its site. “Every element in a house is a design opportunity,” Jaffa says. “You don’t want to leave anything to chance.” His comprehensive approach to design and building is broadcast loud and clear inside the home as well.

The light-filled entry ousts any thoughts that this may be a typical mountain home. A contemporary composition of untrimmed windows and a single door inset with horizontal glass panes opens to a space performing less as a foyer than as a vantage point where guests catch first sight of the mountain views filling the great room beyond.

“People stop dead in their tracks the minute they walk into the entry and gape out onto the hill,” Rocke says. To fully capture the million-dollar panorama, Jaffa curved the roof on the back of the house and positioned decks at the home’s ends rather than in the center. “Decks off the middle of the house would have interrupted the views,” he explains.

Common rather than private spaces occupy the majority of the 6,800 square-foot home, which is modest by Colony standards, Jaffa says. He devoted much of the interior to living areas, less for bedrooms and none for space-wasting hallways. “I put the square footage where people use it; we don’t live and entertain in bedrooms and bathrooms.”

Jaffa integrated expected features in a condensed format. In the wide-open great room, for example, multiple sitting areas boost the living area’s functionality. A wet bar, pantry and working area merge in the nearby kitchen and a curved, single-level island performs double duty as a counter and breakfast bar for the kitchen and the dining areas. “This house lives larger than it is because of the absence of extraneous rooms and the way it flows,” Rocke says.

A narrow palette of materials and colors unifies interior spaces and defines the décor. “Architecture is all about contrast and balance,” says Jaffa who juxtaposed dark, wire-brushed oak floors with smooth, white walls. He also painted window frames black to replicate steel and clad both fireplaces in stone to connect the interior with its natural surrounding.

“One of the hardest parts of my job is being an editor,” says Jaffa who admits he errs on the side of simplicity. For this reason, he recruited Rocke to select furnishings, rugs and wall coverings that help soften and shape the interior’s captivating, contemporary design.

“People are unshackling themselves from strict ideas of what mountain style is about,” Rocke says. “Today, they want to live with clean and modern design but in a mountain location.” She responded to this desire in the great room by composing a mix of fabrics and low-profile furnishings that define and delineate the open space without detracting from the views.

“The clean-lined forms and the contrasting colors make them work together,” says Rocke who fostered Jaffa’s consistent interplay of light and dark with her selections. “The dialogue is compelling and interesting. If this room’s furnishings were beige-on-beige, the effect would be too subtle,” she explains. For dramatic effect, Rocke gave both levels daring shots of bold color, organic materials, sparkling Lucite and spirited wallpaper.

“All the details reinforce why one home feels better than another home,” Jaffa explains. Rocke agrees. “This house feels fresh and current,” she says. “The look is unexpected.” As for the reaction to the out-of-the box design, Rocke adds, ”People are so excited to know that they can create and live with this kind of style in Utah’s mountains.”

Taking Flight

Ashley Miller

June 24, 2015

Inspired by a winged butterfly, a vibrant St. George residence proves contemporary design has a home in Utah’s southern desert.
By Brad Mee, Photos by Scot Zimmerman

At first glance, the house appears to be floating above scenic St. George. It’s as if the structure’s angular white forms inset with broad panes of glass hover above the surrounding red rocks and high desert landscape. Overlooking these vistas and the eighth hole of the Green Springs golf course, the home is a statement of daring contemporary architecture driven by its site and its owners’ creativity.

“When I stood on the lot overlooking the enormous panorama, I envisioned a giant butterfly-like footprint for the home with a left wing looking toward Pine Valley mountain and a right wing to Zion,” says homeowner Ashley Johnson who, along with husband Markay, designed and built the dynamic, 4,000-square-foot residence.

Teaming with architects Rob McQuay and Todd Benson as well as interior designer Gregory Abbott, the Johnsons—owners of Markay Johnson Construction—created a dwelling that differs dramatically from the pueblo and Tuscan-style homes common to St. George. They sought something different, something unapologetically contemporary.

“The house is like building blocks with glass filling in the blanks,” says McQuay, describing grouped geometric forms joined by soaring cantilevered roofs and spacious decks beneath. Inside and out, the home resembles a piece of modern sculpture.

Inside the front door, a glass paned entry opens to an airy interior filled with gleaming white surfaces, bright daylight and breathtaking views. Floor-to-ceiling, 13-foot-tall windows frame the main level’s vistas and appear to shoulder the ceiling, making it look and feel as if floating above. A luminous white Thassos marble floor expands in every direction below. “The effect is heavenly,” Abbott says.

The entry acts as a connecting bridge to the butterfly’s two wings: A triangular master suite and deck at one end of the main level and a rectilinear great room and large triangular deck at the other. Angled ceiling forms, linear architectural elements and streamlined furnishings delineate the great room areas.

A broad fireplace anchors the living space, a chandelier centers the dining area and a triangle-shaped, waterfall-style island sets off the kitchen. Behind the island, a solid wall of walnut cabinetry conceals major appliances and a door that opens into a roomy butlers pantry. “We put this dark wood on a back wall, so it doesn’t detract from the views,” says Ashley, who selected all of the home’s surface materials and finishes creating a compelling mix of glossy and matte, sleek and heavily textured.

She also collaborated with Abbott to choose the streamlined furnishings and exuberantly colored accents that warm the décor, preventing it from appearing cold or austere. “The punches of color played against the white-on-white backdrop are so uplifting and comforting,” Ashley says.

Leading downstairs from the entry, a staircase formed by glass-panel balustrades and open, white oak treads leads to the lower level where color plays a more dominant role in the décor. “We wanted to warm up the family room,” says Ashley, who flowed wood floors throughout the open space and worked with Abbott to incorporate color and a mix of contemporary and rustic furnishings anchored by textured rugs in view-laden room.

Two bedroom suites, Markay’s office nook and an intimate lounge located beneath the sculptural staircase compose the lower level. Outside, covered patios overlook a large pool filled with a sheath of water cascading from an upper deck above.

“This home reflects a growing trend,” says McQuay. “People want simplicity, they want to be outside, and they want a home that is clean-lined and easy to maintain.” For the Johnsons, the house is much more than that. It is their sanctuary. “This is a culmination of all the homes we built during the past 40 years,” Markay says. Ashley agrees. “We love everything about this house,” she says. “We couldn’t ask for anything more.”

All Decked Out

Ashley Miller

June 20, 2015

Event producer Doug Smith transforms his small patio into a multi-level retreat with open-air living spaces as stylish and inviting as any indoors.
By Brad Mee, Photos by Adam Finkle

In Utah and beyond, corporate event producer and design guru Doug Smith is known for magically converting plain venues into magnificent spaces for celebrations, conventions and galas of all kinds. Think exhibit halls to airplane hangers and ballrooms to mountainside meadows. Clients ranging from international corporations to blushing brides rely on Smith’s transformative talents to dynamically design spaces for their special soirees.

No matter the size of the challenge, Smith rises to the occasion with head-turning results. So when he decided to overhaul his home’s small, unsightly walled patio, it’s no surprise that the outcome was hugely spectacular. Here’s how he created such big results.

Seating Area

Staged on the patio’s new upper level, this outdoor living room is shaded by an existing tree growing through an opening in the raised deck. “There was this large 20-foot tree to work around, so I decided to think ‘tree house’ and build an aerie around the trunk,” says Smith. He positioned sofas and a chaise around the perimeter of the lounge area to provide plenty of seating while shaping an open lounge area.

Water Feature

Water trickles from a traditional Japanese bamboo spout into a small pool positioned in the raised garden separating the dining and lounge areas. Smith incorporated the water feature to introduce the ambient sound of moving water to the patio. “The sound of trickling water is especially calming and refreshing on warm summer evenings,” he says. Smith used dimensional foam blocks rather than solid debris to fill planter space beneath the pool.

Framed Steps

Wide stairs lead from the dining area to the raised lounge space. A rusted metal planter box doubles as a wall that encloses the area under the deck and frames the steps. A lacy Japanese maple softens the hardscape and serves as a natural screen that draws people to the upper level. “Creating a pathway of discovery is very important,” says Smith.

Durable (and Dynamic) Furniture

“Decide how you live in a room inside the house and create the same outdoors with suitable materials,” Smith says. He selected large seating pieces to match the scale of the great outdoors and chose accent pieces like small, easy-to-move tables for flexibility. Sunbrella fabrics, all-weather wicker, Trex-topped tables and metal frames make the stylish furnishing perfect for outdoor use.

“Having materials and surfaces that can stand the abuse of weather is important to me,” says Smith. Regarding wool finishes, he suggests a weathered look from the beginning rather than becoming a slave to constant maintenance.

Zones and Levels

“Zones and levels give the patio texture and make it more interesting,” says Smith, who explains that they also make the small space look and feel larger. Smith planted greenery in the corner of the lower dining space to ease the wall’s hard angles and used leafy trees to create airy screens that help define the areas. Fostering continuity, he used four tons of black Mexican beach rock to surround the patio and to help fill the pond, garden beds and planters.

Bold Tabletop Design

Smith prefers simple and subtle serving pieces that welcome the introduction of vibrant flowers and table linens. He topped this table with an orange runner layered with lacy placements, grouped candles, bright napkins and fresh cut zinnias and marigolds. “Floral arrangements should be simply constructed and whimsical,” he says.

Neutral Palette (with a Punch)

“Nature will guide you if you listen,” Smith says. “Bold, unnatural colors may be appropriate for accents and accessories, but their use on walls, canopies and other large surfaces doesn’t support a natural, restful environment.” By creating a monochromatic palette for the patio, Smith enjoys a neutral canvas that encourages the addition of colorful pillows and lively tabletop pieces.

Serve with Ease

Smith frequently serves buffet-style by lining up trays of food on a console table brought from indoors. He prepared some dishes, and others takeout. Drinks chill a bowl filled with ice.

Ranch Revival

Ashley Miller

April 3, 2015

In Salt Lake City, fresh design and an updated floor plan breathe new life into a 1950s ranch home.
By Brad Mee, Photos by Scot Zimmerman

When a retired couple in Salt Lake City decided to revamp their 1950s ranch-style residence, they knew it would take much more than reupholstering a sofa or repainting a wall. Located in the quiet St. Mary’s neighborhood, the modestly sized home had a list of challenges making it ripe for a major remodel: an odd floor plan, dysfunctional spaces, old features and a dated decor.

“It was a mess,” says designer Gregg Hodson. Solving the home’s problems without adding to its footprint, the designer transformed the 2,600-square-foot dwelling into a showplace oflivability.

Hodson began by evaluating the flow and existing functions of each space before going to work. “The floor plan was noticeably awkward,” says Hodson, who repositioned walls on both of the home’s two levels to ease movement throughout and to create more usable spaces. “In a small home, every room needs to earn its keep,” he says.

On the main level, Hodson redirected the entry into the living room rather than down an existing hall that oddly bisected the main level. He also removed a wall that enclosed a dark, descending stairwell and replaced it with open railing that allows light to flow from the adjoining dining room into the stairway leading to the lower level.

Downstairs, he converted a maze of small dark spaces into a large inviting family room, as well as a children’s playroom and comfortable guest quarters. The designer enlarged windows and expanded window wells to flood these rooms with light, making the once dim basement look and feel like a bright garden-level retreat.

New enlarged windows update the main level with equal impact. “We had to replace the old windows anyway, so I thought why not create larger windows that are more gracious than the original long, narrow versions from the ’50s,” Hodson explains. The metal-clad wood windows deliver shots of “wow” to spaces throughout, perhaps nowhere more dramatically than in the living room.

Once serving as a little-used sitting room for the holidays, the revitalized living room now performs as the hub of the home and opens to a spacious patio, not through outmoded aluminum-framed glass sliders, but rather through what appears to be a wall of new French doors. One door opens as expected while the others are actually framed windows with affixed handles to replicate doors.

“The space couldn’t accommodate three working doors, but I wanted it to look like they all opened to the patio,” Hodson says.

The designer performed similar sleight of hand on the living room’s lackluster flat-faced fireplace. He created the illusion of depth by popping out the fireplace chimney three inches and then adding a mantel and hearth to the extension. “It looks more stately and substantial,” says Hodson, who then designed a grid of molding that serves as modern paneling that updates the fireplace’s feature wall.

Visually the treatment expands the room both vertically and horizontally. On the ceiling, Hodson installed tongue-and-groove paneling that replicates the paneling above the adjoining patio and decoratively links the two living areas together.

Hodson flowed this fresh, timeless design-and mid-tone oak floors-from the living room into the nearby dining room and the completely remodeled kitchen beyond. There, dark painted cabinets, stainless steel appliances and white Caesarstone countertops give the small room a decidedly modern, yet classic, style.

A short hall leads to a vestibule that unites a revamped home office, master suite, guest bedroom and hallway bathroom. A new skylight brightens the vestibule where new cabinets house as well as hide the washer and dryer. “We wanted it to look and feel like a nice room, not a walkthrough laundry,” Hodson says.

The homeowners are quick to praise Hodson for bringing new life to every room of their old abode. Without expanding the modest home, he significantly improved it both aesthetically and functionally. Of course, that was the designer’s plan all along. As Hodson explains, “Now the house not only looks new, it lives new as well.”

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