TOTARO RESIDENCE
Brightly lit and ample visual space
Jackson, Wyoming • 1,840 sq. ft.
Design Team: Chris Moulder, AIA; Bryan Gleason, Nereida Ortiz
and out.
How do you design a 3-bedroom, 2-bath house with an office, a full laundry, a mudroom and a 2-car garage all on an irregularly shaped lot of approximately 1/8 of an acre? The answer is: very carefully.
On this small wedge-shaped lot, the “given” was that the 2-car garage had to face the road as that is the narrowest part of the property. The next design consideration was to create an identifiable entrance that wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the size of the garage. In this case, a light flat stone patio segways from the driveway to a covered porch which emphasizes the entry and more practically, protects people from the weather and ensures that snow piles to the side rather than on the walkway to the front door.
Upon entering the home, the kitchen, dining, and living rooms form one long center core in the middle of the plan, allowing for a tall volume, which expands the eye both upward and outward. Large windows at the living end of the space further suggest that the mind process the house as something much larger than the modest 1,640 square feet it really is.
To the left of this great room are two guest bedrooms separated by a shared bathroom. To the right is the mudroom and laundry and door to the garage, as well as the owner’s office and master suite. This organization of rooms allowed all of the desired spaces to fit on the property while providing the most privacy as the owner and guest areas are separated by the public area of the house. The floor plan flows easily from one room to the next with tall open doorways and a high angled ceiling creating more visual space.
The east-facing side of the house is almost all windows, allowing natural light to flood into the living room, dining room and kitchen. A door from either the living room or the master bedroom accesses a surprising secluded place back deck that abuts common space where a small creek meanders past, partially hidden by natural vegetation. The deck and the small patio adjacent to it create a true Zen spot, where the owner can relax and recharge while enjoying the sound of running water and birds in the surrounding willows, aspen and cottonwood trees. With close neighbors on either side, this oasis is a very private outdoor space, inviting for one or providing a cozy ambiance for a group of close friends.
The design of this house is a mix of styles, with a traditional exterior and modern interior. Roofs were placed over each space below, and their lines merge with those of the hills to the east, which were the main inspiration for the design. The exterior of the home was completed with a careful arrangement of vertical and horizontal cedar siding stained in natural grey with a lighter grey used on the columns and door and window trim to add subtle contrast. The home owner has furnished the interior herself and her modern and eclectic taste has created a harmonious home that takes advantage of and emphasizes all features.