The just-released November/December issue of Mountain Living makes it official: A contemporary homestead built for a young family of five near Jackson, Wyoming, has been named 2016 Home of the Year. Featuring interior design by WRJ Design; architecture and construction by the JLF Design Build team of JLF & Associates and Big-D Signature; and landscaping by Verdone Landscape Architects, the home won the hearts of Mountain Living’s judging committee, according to the magazine’s Editor in Chief Darla Worden.
“The Home of the Year judges fell in love with this project,” says Worden. “It fits with the landscape, it belongs there. And then when you walk inside, the interiors, with the combination of Midcentury Modern and the rustic homestead aesthetic, work perfectly.” “Being awarded Home of the Year by Mountain Living was an incredible surprise and thrill for our entire team,” says WRJ Design’s COO Klaus Baer. “But even more rewarding was the experience of creating a beautiful mountain residence for a wonderful client, and having the opportunity to collaborate with such a talented design group.”
Rush Jenkins, CEO of WRJ, agrees: “It has been a pleasure and honor to work with the homeowners, who had a very special, curated collection of midcentury furniture, and for us to have the opportunity to collaborate with the talented architects Paul Bertelli, Ashley Sullivan and their partners at JLF, as well as their project team including contractor Big-D Signature and landscape architect Jim Verdone.”
The WRJ Design team of Jenkins, Baer, Nida Zgjani and Emily Janak enthusiastically accepted the homeowners’ call to work with their extensive collection of midcentury and Danish modern furniture. As a counterpoint to the architecture’s historically rooted timber and stone, the WRJ team introduced lush accents such as buttery leather chairs, singular light fixtures and custom Italian silk and linen drapes. And the sweeping landscapes on view from every room informed a palette of sky blues and cloud creams – soothing colors that complement the caramel wood beloved by midcentury designers.
According to Mountain Living, its 2016 Home of the Year committee received submissions from eight states and Canada’s British Columbia. Now in its 22nd year, the annual contest evaluates projects based on design execution of the architecture and interiors, and how the components complement each other.
About WRJ Design: Headquartered in Jackson, Wyoming, WRJ Design imparts the special serenity of its local Teton landscape to interior designs in Jackson Hole and across the country. Begun out of a passion for great design by Rush Jenkins and Klaus Baer, WRJ creates experiences and environments through its designs that provide timeless reflections of the homeowners or collectors. WRJ is also known for exhibition designs that offer insight into the lives of luminaries as they showcase the objects they loved. The WRJ Design blog, Hunt X Gather, was named one of the Top 100 Interior Design Blogs on the web. For more information visit www.wrjdesign.com.