31 Jul Round Up: Ethos: Rustic luxury with interior designer William Peace

Interior designer William Peace has left his mark on homes across the West. With a soulful and timeless approach, he creates spaces that tell a story and reflect a connection back to the land. The founder and principal of Peace Design based in Bozeman and Atlanta, Peace works collaboratively with clients and the larger design team to accomplish a shared vision.

In the newly released Peace in the West: The Rustic Luxury Interiors of William Peace, the designer’s work is showcased across seasons and landscapes to craft a narrative that reveals his understanding of light, land, and life and how to create intersections between the three.

Here, Peace discusses his approach to design, exploration of material, and source of inspiration.

Big Sky Journal: Your interior design career has spanned more than 30 years. During this time, how have you responded to varying stylistic preferences across the Rocky Mountain West?

William Peace: Our design is always informed by location, natural materials, and authenticity. Since early in my career, these design tenets were honed throughout our firm and are still applied today, whether a traditional cabin interior of hewn restacked walls or a ski property that has clean lines and refined finishes. We respond to current lifestyles but always stay classic in design principles and approach.

BSJ: Natural elements widely dictate how people live in the West, from light and views to trees and snow. How do you consider the landscape, light, and weather in your interior design of a home?

Peace: We always want our design to complement nature and not compete. We use local repurposed materials inside and out and capture view corridors that celebrate mountain ranges, ranchlands, and lakes as the light shifts throughout the day. Having a deep understanding of light, wind, and weather patterns is paramount when designing throughout the West to keep a copacetic relationship with the land.

Photo by WILLIAM ABRANOWICZ

BSJ: Your new book is titled Peace in the West: The Rustic Luxury Interiors of William Peace. What does rustic luxury mean to you, and how does this play out in your ethos?

Peace: Rustic luxury is a sensibility where substantive architecture and settings meet luxurious lifestyles and interior design materials, whether it be the mountains, the coast, a lake, or in town. Rustic luxury is about balance. It is places rooted in and inspired by the land, layered with materials that feel settled, and enriched with luxurious details reflective of the way people live. Rough and smooth, weathered and polished, grounded and elevated. These contrasts create spaces that feel like they have always belonged.

Our new book is about our design work in the American West over the last 30 years, where we celebrate the range of lifestyles that have evolved in the region and how our design work has helped inform style over time.

BSJ: A well-appointed home is achieved when a designer understands people and place. The homes featured in Peace in the West reflect qualities of the West. What draws you personally to the American West, and how does that personal passion assist you when designing a home?

Peace: From my first visit to the Rockies, I have felt the strong emotional attachment that many of our clients do. The dramatic view of mountains, quality of light, and beautiful rivers are the reasons we are here. We design homes that embrace and give an opportunity for everything from family gatherings to moments of solitude in a warm and rich environment.

BSJ: Many hands come together to bring about a fully realized home. How do you work with clients and industry partners to achieve a unified vision?

Peace: Collaboration is the foundation for any successful project. Ideally, the team of architect, interior designer, contractor, and landscape architect — and of course the client — come together with respect for one another, have open communication, and work together to realize a common vision. The sooner we are all engaged, the more successful we are at designing a seamless relationship and creating a beautiful home.

BSJ: You take a layered approach to your design process, outfitting functional spaces with useful, attractive items that are complemented by art. What is your favorite part of selecting these singular pieces for equally singular homes?

Peace: We start early in the design process with the architectural team making material selections throughout the interior and exterior of the property, which may have multiple buildings. These decisions are pivotal for selections for decorative lighting, hardware, and plumbing. Simultaneously, our team is selecting furnishings, fabrics, rugs, and case goods. Art and accessories finish the spaces and are instrumental in the success of a project that is comfortable and captures the personalities and goals of our clients for legacy properties in the West and beyond.