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A stunning modern lake house on Whitefish Lake steps down a forested hillside

By | Published on November 13, 2026

Filed Under: Architecture

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Dark siding, glass, and green stone on a steep lot below Big Mountain.

Dark modern lake house with glass walls among pine trees on a rocky shoreline, with a dock, a boat, and jet skis on the lake under a pink sunset sky

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Pearson Design Group has designed this stunning modern lake house on a forested hillside in Whitefish, Montana. Known as Bigfish House, it sits where Big Mountain meets Whitefish Lake. The lot is so steep that the architects planned the home as a series of stacked and stepped levels leading down to the water’s edge.

Dark-stained siding and expansive glass help the house blend into the trees. For the interiors, DeLeo Fletcher Hoa Design Studio chose natural stone and warm wood. Bear Mountain Builders built the home. Come along for a tour of the living area, the kitchen, and the bunk room below…

A Lake House Built into a Steep Hillside

Modern lake house at dusk seen from the water, with lit windows, dark siding, pine trees on the hillside, and a boat at the dock

The main living spaces are on the upper floor, with a covered terrace below. The builders left mature pines standing right next to the house.

Dark-stained upper level with a glass wall above a concrete base, an exterior steel staircase, a wood slat screen, and pine trunks on the rocky shore

Above: The upper level sits on a concrete base. An exterior steel staircase leads from the entry down to the terrace and the shoreline.

Aerial view at dusk of the lit house and its curved driveway surrounded by dense evergreen forest on a mountainside

An aerial view shows the thick forest around the house.

Arrival side of the house with dark horizontal siding, concrete retaining walls, a curved driveway, and the lake and forested hills at sunset

Above: The driveway curves down to the front door. Concrete retaining walls hold back the hillside, with grasses planted between them.

Open Living Area with a Linear Fireplace

Open kitchen and living room with an oak plank ceiling and floor, a green stone island, bell pendants, a linear fireplace, and glass walls facing the lake

The kitchen, living, and dining areas share one open room on the upper level. The floor and ceiling are both oak, and two walls of glass look out to the lake.

Linear gas fireplace in a blackened steel surround with a concrete hearth, oak wall panels, brass hexagonal light rings, and a window to the lake

A linear gas fireplace has a blackened steel surround and a concrete hearth. Above the seating area are three brass hexagonal light fixtures.

Living room with a beige sectional, round wood coffee tables, hexagonal light rings, and floor-to-ceiling windows facing a pine tree and the lake

Above: A beige sectional and three round wood coffee tables sit in front of the windows.

Design Tip

If your living room has a great view, try using the same wood on the ceiling and the floor, as the designers did here with oak. The fewer finishes in the room, the more you notice what’s outside.

Dining Area Beside the Glass

Wood dining table with six chairs set against floor-to-ceiling glass looking across the lake to forested hills under a blue sky

The dining table is right next to the windows, looking out over Whitefish Lake.

Dining table with gray velvet chairs in front of a concrete panel wall with a black and white photograph, two brass globe sconces, and a metal stair railing

Above: Behind the table is a concrete panel wall next to the staircase. Two brass sconces flank a black and white photograph.

Kitchen with a Green Stone Island

Kitchen with a green stone waterfall island, a live-edge wood bar, four upholstered stools, two large bell pendants, oak cabinets, and glossy black tile

In the kitchen, green stone with white veining covers the top and sides of the island. A live-edge wood bar provides seating for four.

Close view of the green stone island with a wood bar and white stools, a bell pendant, a blackened steel range hood, and glossy black backsplash tile

Above: Glossy black tile lines the wall behind the range, under a blackened steel hood. Windows above the oak cabinets look into the greenery on the uphill side of the house.

What We Love About This Home

We love how the architects designed this modern lake house in Whitefish around its steep lot, so that every level has a view of the water. The green stone island is our favorite detail in the kitchen, and the suspended fireplace in the owner’s bedroom is such a unique touch. Kids would have a blast in the bunk room. We could happily start every morning at that dining table, watching the boats go by.

Tell Us: Could you see yourself spending your summers in this lake house? Let us know in the Comments below!

Note: Montana is full of homes we can’t get enough of. Don’t miss this lakefront house that connects with its serene setting on Whitefish Lake and this lakeside guest cabin with a cozy forest setting.

Owner’s Bedroom with a Suspended Fireplace

Primary bedroom with an oak platform bed, a gray textured headboard wall, a black suspended fireplace, a ring chandelier of white globes, and a glass wall facing pine trees

In the owner’s bedroom, a black fireplace hangs from the ceiling beside floor-to-ceiling windows. The oak platform bed has a gray textured headboard wall behind it, and a ring of white globes lights the room.

Owner’s Bathroom

Primary bathroom with a freestanding tub, a wave-textured tile wall, a black stone floor, an oak vanity with a veined marble top, vessel sinks, and a brass and black light fixture

The owner’s bathroom has a freestanding tub in front of a wall of wave-textured tile. The vanity has a marble counter and two vessel sinks, with mirrors mounted from the ceiling.

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Guest Bedroom and Bathroom

Guest bedroom with a glass disc chandelier, a woven leather bench, a landscape painting, and a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the lake and distant mountains

This guest bedroom has one of the best lake views in the house. The chandelier is a cluster of glass discs, and a woven leather bench sits at the foot of the bed.

Guest bathroom with an oak vanity, a burgundy veined stone counter, two white oval vessel sinks, a black wall, and an open window with a boat on the lake

Above: A guest bathroom with an oak vanity, a burgundy stone counter, and a window that opens toward the water.

Bunk Room with a Painted Ceiling

Bunk room with an abstract painted ceiling, two white sculptural pendants, a gray sofa with yellow pillows, four framed prints, a guitar, and built-in bunks with steel frames

The bunk beds fit into the wall, with steel frames and oak rails. An abstract painting covers the ceiling, with two white pendants shaped like toy jacks above the sofa. How fun is this room?

Powder Room and Laundry Room

Powder room with a floating stone vanity in gray and gold veining, a black vessel sink, a ceiling-mounted faucet, a large mirror, and a vase of green branches

In the powder room, the floating vanity is a slab of stone with gray and gold streaks. The faucet drops from the ceiling to a black vessel sink.

Laundry and mudroom with round mosaic tile in brown and gray covering a wall above oak cabinets and a stone counter with a sink, with a window to green trees and a reclaimed wood door

Above: The laundry room doubles as a mudroom, behind a reclaimed wood door. Round mosaic tile in brown and gray runs from the counter to the ceiling, with oak cabinets and a sink below the window.

Private Dock on Whitefish Lake

Floating dock with a ski boat and two jet skis on a calm lake at sunset, with pine trees on the shore and mountains in the distance

Down at the water, the dock has room for a ski boat and two jet skis. What a spot to watch the sun set over the mountains!

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