Overlooking the magnificent Wasatch Range, a new Park City home combines bold modern architecture with high-style livability and sustainability.
By Natalie Taylor | Photography by Scot Zimmerman
The back deck opens to the great room, expanding living space during temperate weather. A lift-and-slide glass wall system opens the interior to panoramic views. The sustainable landscaping features drought-tolerant, native plants throughout the site.
Modern is not a term normally associated with the architecture of Park City’s Glenwilde community, but Ken and Julie Chahines’ progressive new home in the gated golf course enclave may change that. Overlooking picturesque views of the mountains and town below, their dynamic dwelling marries bold, clean-lined design with the dynamic style and easy livability that modernism provides.
With 16-foot-high walls, this dramatic glass entry keeps living areas private from the front and adds to the “wow” moment guests experience as they step inside and first see the high-style great room. Chris Hayman’s Edge of Blue painting hangs above an antique buffet.
The Chahines’ must-haves were clear from the get-go: simplicity, harmony and functionality. “We wanted a relatively quiet house with no duplicate spaces,” says Julie, a principal designer at J Squared Interiors. “It was critical that the house feels like it belongs on the land and that it fits peacefully into its environment without feeling forced.” And although they wanted an unmistakably modern home, it had to feel warm and inviting—a peaceful sanctuary.
Antiques paired with chic B&B Italia sofas create a space that feels collected over time. The living room’s AV projector hides in the ceiling and a wet bar resides behind a rolling wall that opens for parties and closes for daily life.
The couple signed on architect Anne Mooney, principal at Sparano + Mooney Architecture—a firm that specializes in creating innovative and modern design-—to fuse the concepts. Experts in sustainability and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified architecture, Anne, partner John Sparano and project architect Seth Striefel created a home that is energy-efficient, environmentally responsible and strikingly beautiful.
The dining room seats up to 12 at two walnut tables by Ligne Roset. Mid-century TV chairs provide modern forms and comfort while Moooi lights suspended above the table resemble stars at night. A ceiling cloud lends comfortable scale to the open kitchen. Rug from Regency Royale.
“Julie is a very talented designer with a great eye, so it was a wonderful, collaborative experience from the beginning,” says Mooney. “We were all focused on making sure the architecture, interior design and landscape work in harmony.”
Side by Each painting by Chris Gwaltney hangs in the dining area.
Steep topography made the 3 1/2-acre site a challenge, but rather than cutting deeply into the mountain, Mooney stacked the 5,500-square-foot house up the property so it was ideally positioned and integrated gracefully into the existing landscape. “The strategy was to create a path of good solar orientation and work with the incredible views of the mountains and the Utah Olympic Park,” she explains.
The steel-and-glass staircase, designed with walnut treads, is strong, elegant and notably raw. The two-story board-formed concrete wall adds texture, weight and mass to the space.
The design team also overcame the challenge of scale and proportion. “Utah has incredible environmental scale and you want spaces that refer to the mountains, the sky and the horizon,” says Mooney. “But in a home, you want more personal, human spaces.”
The team designed the home to maximize mountain views. Expansive glass walls oriented to the natural light capture passive solar energy that helps maintain warmth within the home. A Crestron system controls lighting throughout, reducing the need for unsightly light switches.
With this in mind, the home’s design prioritizes comfort, function and use-specific spaces. Each of the four bedrooms incorporate a sleeping area, large walk-in closet and en-suite bathroom—no excess, no fuss. Similarly, the streamlined kitchen features a hard-working butler’s pantry located behind a cooktop wall. It’s equipped with a wine refrigerator, appliances, microwave and extra dishwasher.
The exterior features board-formed concrete and clear cedar siding accented by powder-coated black aluminum and a green roof. A gabion retaining wall complements the natural landscape.
As a result, the cooking and cleaning occurs behind the scenes, and the exposed modern kitchen remains clean and uncluttered. Similarly, the living room’s wet bar remains hidden behind a rolling wall that opens for parties and closes for daily life. A gym, storage space, and a ski and bike prep room (daughter Julia races for the Park City Ski Team) occupy the lower level
White oak kitchen cabinets feature hidden door pulls and distinct kerf lines. The quartz counter’s knife-edge detail makes the surface appear to slightly float above the base cabinets. The floor’s polished concrete with aggregate adds contemporary flair.
“Nothing feels too big or overdone,” says Julie. “I didn’t want any wasted space.” Custom built-ins reduce clutter and improve organization for storage and work spaces that maximize functionality. “The house fits our lifestyle,” she explains.
Julie and her design partner, Jenny Samuelson, chat on the home’s unique staircase.
Julie and her design partner, Jenny Samuelson, created an indoor color palette of crisp white walls and deep cobalt blue accents. “I was so tired of neutrals,” says Julie. “I wanted a pop and I never get tired of blue.” Refined walnut floors paired with highly textured board-formed concrete walls deliver intriguing contrast.
A floor-to-ceiling mirror accentuates the powder room’s modern edge and visually expands the space.
A mix of inherited antiques, mid-century pieces and Italian furnishings creates interest and prevents the home from appearing to have been furnished from one place at one time. The main level’s floor-to-ceiling doors, spectacular 14-foot windows opening to a view-laden deck and a sleek glass staircase help define the modern home’s distinctive design, as do its Earth-friendly features.
JJ Chairs by B&B Italia foster the living room’s hip modern style.
The LEED-certified Gold-level home features triple-paned windows, geothermal radiant heat and radiant cooling, high-amp chargers for electric cars, a flat green roof with grass for extra insulation, internal drains that divert excess water back into the land and a heat recovery ventilation (HVR) system.
The LEED-certified, Gold-level home features triple-paned windows, geothermal radiant heat and cooling, and passive-solar energy.
“Geothermal energy really works. This house holds its temperature year-round—even in minus-20-degree mornings,” says Ken, who worked with energy expert Troy Harvey.
The master suite steps up from the main floor to create a sense of privacy on the multi-level site. A Saarinen leather womb chair furnishes the sanctuary.
Thanks to its talented team’s thoughtful design and clear vision, this mountain house is not only beautiful inside and out, but it also serves as a showcase for sustainability with very modern, very livable style.
WEB EXCLUSIVE GALLERY:
Architect Anne Mooney stacked the 5,500-square-foot house up the property so it was ideally positioned and integrated gracefully into the existing landscape.
The master bedroom’s en-suite bathroom features compelling mountain views.
The living room’s wet bar remains hidden behind a rolling wall that opens for parties and closes for daily life.
Refined walnut floors paired with with highly textured board-formed concrete walls deliver intriguing contrast.
The main level’s floor-to-ceiling doors, spectacular 14-foot windows connect the patio to the striking interior living spaces.
The LEED-certified Gold level home features triple-paned windows, geothermal radiant heat and radiant cooling, high-amp chargers for electric cars, a flat green roof with grass for extra insulation, internal drains that divert excess water back into the land and a heat recovery ventilation (HVR) system.
