09 Apr From the Editor: A Dwelling Place

Creating a home is a deeply personal journey, one that reflects the individuality and lifestyle of each unique person who will dwell within it. The structure becomes a facilitator of memories that come to define a life. And for those who abide in the Northern Rockies, it serves as a means to experience the region’s profoundly distinct seasons, landscapes, flora, and wildlife.

Through the intentional placement of a picture window that frames views from a perfectly situated dining table in a home specifically sited to fit into the land, for example, one may glimpse the humbling magnitude of an elk herd, the stirring grandeur of purple mountain majesties as the night falls, or the dazzling brilliance of sunshine glancing off a blanket of new snow. Within those very walls, life is lived in ways that a well-built home supports and encourages. Routines are created from floor plans, feelings are experienced from textures and tones.

Knowing the potential of each decision in a residential construction project, architects, contractors, and designers work intimately with their clients to achieve a result that satisfies that distinctive need.

“From the start, the client was clear that these interiors were meant to be lived in,” says Katara Cade, Pearson Design Group’s lead interior designer who oversaw the completion of a new Montana ranch home (page 196). She goes on to say that the home needed to be beautiful while gracefully weathering the realities of life. This aim informs many design-build teams and is personalized based on the kind of life each homeowner endeavors to live.

In this year’s edition of Big Sky Journal’s HOME issue, an enduring theme is intentionality. There’s a consciousness that principals have adopted and homeowners seek. It’s one that celebrates the region’s extraordinary landscapes and outdoor pursuits, pays homage to traditional lifeways in the area, and reflects a deliberate change of pace.

“We all moved here for the freedom to explore and find opportunity while not diluting the authenticity that’s here,” says Peter Costanti, founder of Bozeman design firm MFGR (page 78). “We want to add to the beauty, embrace the individuality, and support the people that make it wonderful. … We make beautiful things with our hands; we tell a story. Those stories become a part of our community, continuing the narrative.”

In this way, and through this approach, a home becomes a project larger than itself, allowing all of the people involved to connect with something greater than themselves. The result is a home, a community, a dwelling place.