Vacation Homes
At Home on the Range
Cabin retreats in idyllic locales fill the pages of the new book ‘American Rustic.’ We take you inside one of them
Rustic architecture — seen in buildings ranging from log cabins to Craftsman bungalows, adobe haciendas and the grand national park lodges — never seems to lose its appeal. Chase Reynolds Ewald calls the style “an iconic American expression that speaks to our history, our belief in the healing power of nature and our enduring desire to get away from it all.”
Writer Ewald and photographer Audrey Hall have documented two dozen homes built and decorated in this style in their new book, American Rustic (Gibbs Smith, $50). Many are timber and stone structures set amid the mountains, meadows and forests of Wyoming and Montana. They are visually rich, with timber beams, reclaimed wood-paneled walls, stacked-stone fireplaces, Native American and Western furnishings, pottery, textiles and paintings — and the occasional luxury soaking tub. Ever present are the stunning views, such as those seen from this 700-square-foot cabin on 3,000 acres in Idaho.
Writer Ewald and photographer Audrey Hall have documented two dozen homes built and decorated in this style in their new book, American Rustic (Gibbs Smith, $50). Many are timber and stone structures set amid the mountains, meadows and forests of Wyoming and Montana. They are visually rich, with timber beams, reclaimed wood-paneled walls, stacked-stone fireplaces, Native American and Western furnishings, pottery, textiles and paintings — and the occasional luxury soaking tub. Ever present are the stunning views, such as those seen from this 700-square-foot cabin on 3,000 acres in Idaho.
The house was built off the grid, and energy use was minimized. The architect sited the cabin to get as much winter sun as possible while reducing exposure to the summer sun.
The porch, visible from inside the cabin through the large window walls, blurs the boundary between indoors and out. It adds depth to the living space and shades vistas while reducing the structure’s square footage.
The porch, visible from inside the cabin through the large window walls, blurs the boundary between indoors and out. It adds depth to the living space and shades vistas while reducing the structure’s square footage.
The architect based his design for the cabin on an old calving shed with an offset granary on the Gallatin River that he used to pass on his way to go fishing.
“I love that building composition,” Stevens says, “but what’s wrong with vernacular architecture intended for animal or grain storage is there’s no natural light and no views. But to simply punch windows in walls for that purpose detracts from the essential solidity of these structures. Instead, what we try to do is leave voids between otherwise continuous forms, respecting the integrity of the walls and rooflines — kind of a vernacular modernism.”
The cabin is seen here from the north, where a small porch shelters the entrance between the low-slung shed form and the tower-like granary. Openings on this side are limited to protect the interior from northern exposures while framing key views.
“I love that building composition,” Stevens says, “but what’s wrong with vernacular architecture intended for animal or grain storage is there’s no natural light and no views. But to simply punch windows in walls for that purpose detracts from the essential solidity of these structures. Instead, what we try to do is leave voids between otherwise continuous forms, respecting the integrity of the walls and rooflines — kind of a vernacular modernism.”
The cabin is seen here from the north, where a small porch shelters the entrance between the low-slung shed form and the tower-like granary. Openings on this side are limited to protect the interior from northern exposures while framing key views.
Architect Clark Stevens of New West Land Company calls the three-season dwelling that he designed “the oldest kind of pre-fab.” The logs were cut and stacked off-site, then moved and reassembled on-site. A special steel frame makes the house mobile: It can be picked up and dragged or put on a flatbed and moved if desired.
The land on which the house sits was purchased by a conservation developer and protected by easement. The home offers 360-degree views of the Lemhi and Lost River mountain ranges, and is near prime fly-fishing waters.