Photo Friday: Hillside Home

Photos by Scot Zimmerman

A big change with the pandemic is the number people who are making Park City their full-time home. I’m trying to put my finger on the differences between how full-timers live in their mountain homes versus those who are here just part of the year. There’s the obvious like pets and kids, but also a deeper quality of making it personal and meeting the family’s standards of being homey.

This home in Promontory, a design by Van Sickle Design and Drafting (Bill Van Sickle) built by Landmarks West of Park City, radiates the family’s love of the mountain setting. Built into the hillside, the home has maximum windows for appreciating the views, and outdoor living that stretches the breadth of the home both upstairs and down. 

As we all get more attuned to the drought, I am seeing more thoughtful low-water landscaping. This large hillside lot retained much of the natural sage, rabbit brush and juniper landscape, and closer to the home there are plants among the gravel served by a drip system. The fence surrounds a turf area for the dogs that keeps them from chasing after the wildlife. Another current trend is for on-site storm water retention, and this lot has a naturally landscaped recessed area that blends with the design. 

I have it on good authority, the local delivery driver, that this is the most inviting entry in Promontory. The deep overhang steps over the covered porch to shield it from afternoon sun and the rain. The wood, steel, and stacked stone fit in with the mountain setting, and the stacked roof echoes the varying grades of the hillside. 

Stepping inside, modern elements like the black railings and trim meet reclaimed timber and wooden floors in a warm hue. One of the homeowners is a frequently exhibited fine art photographer and a collector of others’ works. You sense this interest in the arts immediately. The homeowners were their own interior designers. 

Moving into the living area, defined by the checked carpet, the matching sofas flank the asymmetrical stacked stone and reclaimed timber fireplace. The band of terraces are visible through the glass.

At the opposite end of the open plan is the kitchen. The cabinets mix wood with white, and the same stone in the backsplash repeats in the kitchen island with waterfall edges. The dining area is to the left, with long bench seating. Doors to the outside patio lead to more outdoor dining.

In the primary suite, the high ceilings create a perfect height for the draped bedframe. In the left corner is a piece of organic fabric art. 

The bath is spacious and bright with ample windows and white stone. It features a long double vanity, a walk-in glass shower, and a soaking tub. 

Downstairs, the family room doubles as an art gallery. There is an inviting sectional with down-filled cushions, a bar, and a ping-pong table for tournaments with the kids along with bedrooms and an exercise room. 

We’ve had some days with less smoke from the Western fires, and this clear day allowed me to make daytime shots. The daylit home shows very well, and it was a nice change to work with the midday light. The daytime also showed the native and low-water landscaping and the preservation of the site contours, which is an interesting aspect of the home. 

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