Rustic-chic retreat set against the backdrop of the Sawtooth Mountains

By One Kindesign April 17, 2019

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This rustic country house is comprised of a collection of different architectural buildings, with interiors designed by M. Elle Design in Sun Valley, Idaho. This family retreat features the Sawtooth Mountains as its backdrop, while the Big Wood River is in its foreground. The home is the first project the designer’s had worked on together, a mother and two daughters. Acting as their own clients, they designed this dream retreat in a place they have admired and been visiting for over a quarter of a century. The goal was to create a home that appeared as if it had been there all along.

The design is inspired by Old World barns that dot the countryside of France and the stone farmhouses of Provence. Together, the mother and daughter team took their travel inspirations to create a design scheme that has timeworn quality with a timeless aesthetic. They began with adopting a compound approach, reminiscent of rural farms, where several structures have different uses. Working with Laguna Beach-based architects ForestStudio, a collection of five buildings were designed, each clad with a different rough-hewn material. The assemblage began with a real barn, a 1,000 square foot structure that you see pictured above. This houses the great room, clad with reclaimed wood and positioned in the center of the family compound.

The beautiful architecture is punctuated with textural elements of reclaimed wood, steel and glass walls, mortar washed limestone, and fumed oak flooring. The designers goal was to create a home that would effortlessly transition form winter to summer living. The did this through the incorporation of washed Belgian linens, vintage kilimn rugs, soft drapery and a soothing color palette. The great room features soaring ceilings, exposed wood ceiling trusses and structural supports. The re-purposed wood was hand-selected from an old Wisconsin dairy barn. A beautiful floor-to-ceiling textured limestone casing fireplace creates a nice visual impact to the space, counterbalanced by wood logs. Tastefully selected furnishings and decor adds personality and warmth into the space.

What We Love: This stunning rustic retreat offers a family a stylish getaway from sunny California where they can enjoy winter and summer activities. Surrounded by natural beauty, the home feels as though it has always been here with the use of reclaimed wood and stone… Readers, what are your thoughts, do you love a good mountain retreat or do you prefer a beach getaway? Please tell us in the Comments below!

The rustic styled kitchen is part of the two-story limestone structure on the compound, which also hosts the family room and master bedroom.

A super chic bunk room and the mudroom are located in a white clapboard farmhouse, which branches off from the main house. While a game room and guest quarters can be found in a dormer windowed cottage.

Pictured above are the designers of M. Elle Design founded in 2008. Consisting of a mother-daughter team, two of which are designers and the other is the studio’s business director. On the designer’s website, they state that they strive to “combine understated elegance and comfort, while staying mindful of patina, provenance, and texture of all the materials involved.” The design company is based in Santa Monica, California.