Located in Emigration Canyon just above Salt Lake City, the Wabi Sabi Residence looks over unique canyon views from an elevated perch. Designed for a young family, Sparano + Mooney Architecture set out to establish a dialogue between building and landscape, focusing on indoor/outdoor connections and framed views of nature from every possible angle.
The home unfolds across two volumes. The sleeping quarters are tucked towards the rear of the property for more privacy, while the social areas of the home — living, dining, and kitchen — occupy the second volume, angled diagonally for a dramatic vista of the surrounding canyons melting into city views. Contemporary furnishings and artworks, including a custom mural art piece by local artist Dan Christofferson, sit against a clean white interior palette.
While views from the interiors are expansive and indulgent, the exterior’s relationship to the landscape is much more discreet. Care was taken to integrate building and terrain through vegetated roofs and cedar cladding, stained black in the tradition of wabi-sabi. A concrete patio appears underneath the cantilevered bedroom suite; a grander one, accessible from the living room and equipped with a blackened steel fire pit, becomes the residence’s designated outdoor entertaining space. Together with the fire-resistant cladding, the patios also serve as a fire break, addressing the issue of occasional fires in the area.
Over the past two decades, the studio has built an impressive portfolio of sustainable, contemporary architecture for clients from their offices in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Follow them on Instagram.
Photography © Matt Winquist (exteriors) / Lucy Call (interiors)