Altalux Studio, led by principal John Eyring, creates a generational gathering place in the hills of Bountiful, showcasing a portfolio of local artisanship and world-class talent

INTERIOR PHOTOS BY LINDSAY SALAZAR

LANDSCAPE PHOTOS BY MIKKI PLATT

PHOTO STYLING BY NOELLE WRIGHT

It’s no secret that Utah punches above its weight when it comes to talented designers and show-stopping homes, but I’m always amazed by the quantity and quality of Utah’s own world-class craftspeople who make the dreams of designers and their clients a reality. The Beehive State is aptly named, given the hard work, ingenuity and artistry of its talented makers. 

When my team at Altalux Studio and I were faced with the update of a 45-year-old tract home in Bountiful, I knew Utah craftspeople would be the key to our transforming the old house into a haven where our clients could gracefully age in place and invite generations of family to comfortably gather and stay. We assembled artisans who understood our vision of all that was possible, and in spite of the home’s compact footprint, chopped up rooms and aging structure, they didn’t rest until the vision became a reality. 

The challenges began inside the front door. The entry was cramped and anchored by a dominant stairwell that needed a significant update. Beyond it, many rooms needed to be combined and reconfigured to allow as much natural light into the home as possible.

I’ve long admired the work of JLR Architectural Woodwork, celebrated for their exquisite finish work at Grand America Hotel and other prominent buildings, so I knew they could architecturally elevate this core area with millwork while maintaining distinct transitions between its elements. Their installers worked like rock climbers, dotting the double-height stairway and other spaces with hundreds of multi-colored shims until each raised panel, column and coffer was perfectly plumb. To draw clean lines across complicated transition points in the stairway millwork, we designed solid brass handrails and had them fabricated by Historical Arts and Casting—a Utah company trusted with cast metal ornamentation projects from the U.S. Capitol dome to New York’s Grand Central Terminal. Their masterful work continued in the kitchen, where brass strapping beautifully protects the bases of kitchen cabinets, showcasing a unique method of miter scoring the brass at each corner to avoid visible joints. 

Lighting is a fundamental part of our projects’ designs, and this home was no exception. To accentuate its architectural detail and strong focal points, we integrated a series of in-ceiling projectors to precisely illuminate wall art. Designed by Troy and Sandra Seaton, of Optiks Fine Lighting, the projectors have only a silver-dollar-sized aperture visible on the ceiling. Troy hand-files a copper die and places it between the bulb and lens to focus light only on the canvas, creating nearly an illusion of backlighting. Although his work typically takes him to far flung locations, he’s quick to say, “I love the chance to come home and work on the interesting and challenging projects going on here in Utah.” 

We also set the primary bedroom aglow with an opalescent Venetian plaster that softens the tall walls crowned by a high, vaulted ceiling. Artist Alycin Wright loosely troweled together a custom blend of minerals and lime, and applied it as if painting a fresco. The result is an ethereal, cloud-like effect that slowly shifts throughout the day as windows and skylights flood the room with light.

To accommodate our clients’ guests, we needed to conceive places for up to 50 people to sit simultaneously at proper tables and chairs. We designed a complete set of convertible living room furniture pieces, and turned to Aaron Carter of AWCarter Furnitureworks in Mount Pleasant to fabricate them. Aaron’s team brainstormed and experimented before developing the hinges, springs and latches that allow individual occasional tables to be grouped and transformed into an 18-person dining table in less than seven minutes. Michael Trent Coates, one of the best kept secrets of celebrity designers across the country, perfectly scaled the upholstered benches and chairs to sit at dining height and to comfortably surround the large table in multiple configurations. He also built a crowd-pleasing banquette for the kitchen. With its brass-wrapped stretchers and a counter-height table featuring multiple footrests, it fosters long conversations and relaxed game nights. 

The artistry doesn’t stop inside the home. Garden designer Emily Brooks Wayment brilliantly channeled our clients’ love of Filoli House in Northern California and miraculously adapted it for a Utah climate. Emily designed a garden view from every window and redeveloped each porch to provide sitting areas and private access to serene spaces throughout the yard. She also hand-selected each plant on scouting trips to dozens of nurseries across the West, using many specimens cultivated specifically for her.

The final result is not just a beautifully orchestrated retreat that generations of our clients’ family can call home, but also an ode to the master craftsmen who brought it back to life.

When a view lot in Alpine beckoned, fashionista Emily Jackson and her family turned to Tom and Cara Fox to design a new home with timeless style and lux livability. Inspired by manors of the English countryside, its shingle-clad exterior is complemented by copper gutters as well as chimneys and a porte-cochere formed from stone. Front landscaping (above) by Posies & Co.

Exuberant maximalism has its place, but it isn’t in Emily Jackson’s new house. The same goes for distilled modernism. “I have four kids and run a multi-million dollar business, so I needed our house to be calm and comforting,” says Emily, fashion and fitness influencer and the founder/creative director of IVL Collective, a premium activewear brand. 

Five years ago, Emily tired of the house where she and husband Taylor were raising their young family, so she searched for a lot in Alpine where the couple could build a new home. “I love the area and wanted to be in the mountains,” she explains. Emily struck gold when she found a hillside double lot overlooking the valley and surrounding peaks. Initially, Taylor resisted the idea of moving, but Emily knew this site would be a game changer. “He’s a sucker for a beautiful view,” she laughs. A nearby trailhead also seduced the couple, who are avid trail runners. “Nothing is better than being able to cross the street and be in the mountains,” she says.

The Jacksons tapped Tom and Cara Fox to design their family’s new home, a decision that came easily. “I love their East Coast, Connecticut vibe. And when we met, it was a perfect fit,” says Emily, who hired Drew Parcell to build the house.

The Fox Group, known for creating timeless heritage homes, is a simpatico choice for clients craving fresh, classic style. Count Emily among them. “I wanted a traditional home that’s timeless with nothing too trendy,” she explains. But, interior designer Cara adds, Emily also fancied a sense of sophisticated glamor and modern luxury. “Think Ralph Lauren, Victoria Hagen and the grand manors of the English countryside,” Cara says.

Bringing this fresh traditional style to the Alpine setting with a large, shingle-clad home could have been tricky, but The Fox Group made all the right moves. Tom fashioned timeless architecture defined by calming symmetry and classically proportioned features, including windows, gables and overhangs. To foster the dwelling’s refined-yet-relaxed style, he incorporated white-painted railings, copper gutters and local stone that forms multiple chimneys and a large porte-cochère. Even the landscape’s curved lines and a lack of stately stairs leading to the front door fend off a sense of buttoned-up formality or drama. “We used classic proportions and elements on the outside and saved the more dramatic moments for inside the home,” Cara says. 

The interior, like the facade, reflects a sense of classic elegance and showcases masterful architectural elements including coffered ceilings, custom paneling and oversized elements befitting the home’s generous scale. The massive three-story foyer, a must-have for Emily, features elegantly paneled walls, a wrap-around staircase and a black-and-white checkered marble floor. “It’s an amazing walk-in moment,” Cara observes. It also provides a striking backdrop for photos of Emily’s activewear and product campaigns. 

The grand foyer opens to the equally astounding living room, defined by an enormous window wall, soaring barrel ceiling and exquisite Gracie wallpaper. “I knew that I wanted the flow of a huge entry that leads to the living room with doors opening to the backyard,” Emily says. “And Tom nailed it.” The configuration allows the Jacksons to entertain on a large scale while being able to close off their family’s more private rooms and spaces, which can’t be seen from the entry. Emily explains, “Our old house had an open floor plan that let people see much of the house from the front door, and I didn’t want that here.” 

Down the hall and out of sight from the entry is the family hub gifted with generous, 12-foot ceilings and loads of natural light. The open space combines a chic kitchen, a relaxed family room and a casual dining spot hugged by a bay of floor-to-ceiling windows. “I didn’t want a formal dining room that we’d never use,” Emily explains. 

Throughout the house, you’d be hard-pressed to find a plain surface. “I hate drywall because it feels cold,” Emily explains. Cara and Tom responded with walls and ceilings masterfully detailed in everything from classic moldings and tongue-and-groove paneling to coffers and jaw-dropping wallcoverings. The interior’s harmonious palette primarily leans to warm whites and neutral tones that satisfy Emily’s desire for serenity, yet Cara punctuated it with shots of color—mostly blues—“for added interest.” The powder room, for example, gleams with vivid teal trim that the designer color-matched to Gucci wallpaper. Taylor’s two-story office flaunts moody blue walls and the butler’s pantry is a celebration of head-to-toe navy built-ins that nod to the dark-blue front door painted in Benjamin Moore’s Raccoon Fur. “A thread of blue weaves throughout the home,” Cara says. 

Truth is, there are so many things to obsess over in the home. There’s the exaggerated scale that contributes to its sense of glamor and luxury. There’s the hillside location that affords breathtaking views from nearly every window strategically positioned in the time-honored architecture. There’s the mix of lux materials—elegant marble, herringbone-patterned hardwood, cast limestone and hand-painted wallpapers—that elevate the decor. And there’s the abundance of fixtures, furnishings and unexpected details that foster the fresh take on tradition for which The Fox Group is known. For Emily, the house is much greater than the sum of its parts. “I love this house,” she says. “It’s everything I hoped that it would be—and more.”  

Photos by Lindsay Salazar

SOURCES

Photography by Lindsay Salazar, lindsaysalazar.com

Interior Design and Architecture: Tom and Cara Fox, The Fox Group, thefoxgroup.com

Contractor: Drew Parcell, @drewparcell

Landscaping: Posies & Co., @posiesandco

Cabinetry: C.S. Cabinetry and Design, christopherscottcabinetry.com

Draperies: Uptown Drapes, uptowndrapes.com