There is nothing like a twilight walk around sagebrush and oak in a foot of new snow to let you know that another breathtaking Utah winter in the high country has arrived. This particular stroll was around The Preserve, a Summit County development on the former Bitner Ranch that conserves the open space of the ranchland and wildlife habitat with views to Park City and the resorts.
A new home with a ranch house profile to the front and a deep sheltered porch brought me to The Preserve. Architect Lori Schneider of Studio Blue in Boulder, Colorado, designed the home for an active family who loves the outdoors, and Scott Ellerbeck, Ellerbeck Construction, built it. Schneider has done considerable work in the Park City area.
The rear of the home, sloping down the lot, reveals the full three levels. From this view, one can better appreciate the amount of glass that provides the home’s transparency.
Coming in through the pivot door of the entry introduces the open floor plan. The flooring for the entry and the stair landing is durable stone for the foot traffic the central location creates. The view from the front door continues to outside the opposite direction, which offers an immediate sense of place I find beneficial to mountain home design.
At the far end of the open plan, a fireplace with a metal enclosure and hearth anchors a sitting area with oversized comfortable furniture. The modern note struck by the polished metal mixes with the natural feel of the wood of the squared beams. Glass window and door panels separate this sitting area from the broad porch outside for summertime outdoor living.
The furniture placement defines the uses in the open floor plan. Here it creates a broad walkway between the dining table and the console and sofa that leads to the kitchen and the mullioned glass window that looks to the rear of the home.
To get a sense of how the furnishings define the space, this photo looks across the dining table to the seating in the living space by the fireplace.
Both ends of the kitchen are open. This view looks back to the open area with window behind the camera. It essentially creates a galley kitchen with storage and workspace along both walls with a broad island between. A family dining area is adjacent to the big mullioned window that looks out to the back.
This home called for daytime photographs to show its cheer and transparency. It is designed for people who truly take joy from their surroundings. The evening photos of the exterior reinforced these same transparent qualities of the home.
