Sun Valley Residence

Standing on eleven acres along the Woods River in Idaho, the Sun Valley Residence embodies the ethos of timelessness, authenticity, serenity, simplicity, and indoor/outdoor connection.

Located on a heavily wooded site surrounded by mountains, we chose to break the large structure into empirically defined pavilions that accommodate different functions, a concept similar to a prototypical Idaho mill complex or to the Shaker village included in Delight. The pavilions are “gathered” around an ideal cardinal point square garden. As illustrated by Fred’s watercolors (one superimposed over the other), the design references an ancient archetypal response to “big nature”– creating an intimate, controlled, safe, and idealized “little nature” that resembles a Persian paradise garden or a Chinese courtyard garden.
The main residence lives large, encompassing seven bedrooms, seven baths, five powder rooms, a gourmet kitchen with walk-in refrigerator freezer and indoor spa. In addition, the residence also includes an art gallery, three guest houses, a gym, and pool.
The transparency of the art gallery creates a complete indoor/outdoor space. Awash in natural light, the cloistered gallery frames the formal garden and connects the separate uses.
Idaho’s indigenous mine and ranch architecture establishes the formal vocabulary and material palettes of the individual buildings. Recycled wood, native stone, and industrial metal clad the structures.