In Montana’s densely forested Big Sky, Basecamp is a New York-based family’s secondary home that serves as a launchpad for outdoor recreation activities and a space to reconnect with nature and one another. CLB Architects, taking the family’s urban experience into consideration, created a series of transitional, covered spaces meant to draw them outside without making them feel completely out in the wild.
Standing at the edge of a gentle slope, Basecamp stretches as a long, linear volume that’s bookmarked by two wings that angle outwards and gaze down at a forest of pine and fir. Double-sided glass corridors, large windows, and a second-floor semi-sheltered outdoor deck open the house up to panoramic views and natural light.
“Ultimately, it was about nudging the family outside, but also creating something that would pull them in,” said design principal Kevin Burke of CLB Architects. “It was more than just bringing the outside in — we wanted to create the feeling of being outside while indoors.”
The interiors are a continuation of the architecture that takes its lead from the site’s natural context. An elemental material palette of quartzite stone, polished concrete floors, and white oak bring the colors and textures of nature inside, becoming an inspired backdrop to the contemporary furniture, modern lighting fixtures, and personal pieces from the client’s art collection, sourced locally and from New York.
Interior design director Sarah Kennedy used rich shades of deep reds and oranges to evoke an autumnal palette inspired by evergreens, rusty fall colors, and leather upholstery. “The goal was to bring a sense of warmth through the interior materiality, which emphasises a natural element to connect to the architecture and the site,” Kennedy says.
Photography © Kevin Scott