The cozy 19-by-19-foot tower room has a wraparound terrace, floating fireplace by Focus, rosewood coffee table, and Mrirt rug.
The cozy 19-by-19-foot tower room has a wraparound terrace, floating fireplace by Focus, rosewood coffee table, and Mrirt rug.

October 6, 2022

Words: Rebecca Dalzell

Photography: Kevin Scott

This Park City Property Boasts Stunning Views and Elevated Amenities

Gated communities are not usually known for their architecture. Houses are often dated and ostentatious, with little connection to their surroundings. The Iluminus Group wanted to prove the stereotype wrong at a private enclave in Park City, Utah. The development firm hired CLB Architects to design a timeless residence that was simpler and more elegant than its neighbors—though just as enormous—and would appeal to potential outdoors-oriented buyers. “Their goal was to establish a new standard for thoughtful design in this part of Utah,” CLB partner and architect Eric Logan explains. At the same time, the house would have over-the-top amenities like a climbing wall, sports court, bowling alley, and spa. CLB showed that these directives need not be contradictory.

The 4.9-acre site is on a steep slope in the Wasatch Mountains, thick with spruce, fir, and aspen trees. At 8,500 feet above sea level, the property has commanding views of the Park City Mountain resort and across a valley. CLB approached the landscape with respect. Based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Bozeman, Montana, the studio has decades of experience designing high-end mountain residences and strives to honor the natural beauty of each location. “We take the notion of connecting with place very seriously,” Logan says. “We’ve been lucky to work on some incredible properties in the West, and we try not to screw them up. Sometimes I think, You should do nothing here and make it a park. But something will be developed there, so we do the best work we can.” At the Park City site, CLB aimed to make the house as compact as possible given the extensive program and keep it from sprawling too far into the forest.

Bronze panels around the fireplace conceal speakers in the living room; the bouclé sofa is custom.
Bronze panels around the fireplace conceal speakers in the living room; the bouclé sofa is custom.

CLB built the home, dubbed Monitor’s Rest, into the hillside and designed an L-shape plan. Approaching from above, visitors enter a courtyard and see a structure that looks smaller than its 18,000 square feet. “The courtyard creates a quiet space where you can take in the sky and get oriented, and it also brings light into the home,” Logan says. The building’s exterior establishes the material palette used throughout: Croatian limestone, shou sugi ban cedar cladding, steel-framed windows, and a copper roof. Its simple form is designed to withstand the harsh winters; anything too expressive will leak or get scraped off in the snow.

The experience of the enclosed, serene courtyard deliberately contrasts with the openness of the interior. A limestone foyer, the nexus of the two-story house, leads in three directions. You can turn right to go to the primary bedroom suite and the office or left to the living and dining areas. Straight ahead is a dramatic atrium with windows facing the forest and stairs leading down to the guest bedrooms and bowling alley.

CLB oriented the common areas to the southwest, including a large patio with an indoor-outdoor pool, and you can ski in and out of a lower entrance that has a locker room. “The public part of the program explodes onto the hillside, and you connect with the slope and the environment,” Logan says. Adds Sarah Kennedy, CLB principal and interior design director, “You’re projected out onto the tree line and really sit with the forest.” Spa and sports rooms are tucked in the back.

CLB collaborated on the interiors with the client, Iluminus co-founder and creative director David Ostrander. Given the house’s size, a main challenge was editing the material selection to create a focused aesthetic. Hemlock ceilings, oak floors, and walls of oak or Croatian limestone unify the disparate rooms. Kennedy cites the Zenlike primary bathroom—composed simply of wood, stone, and black metal—as emblematic of her firm’s pared-down approach. Narrow mirrors hang in front of a window, so you can look out at the trees while brushing your teeth, and a freestanding wood tub creates a sense of calm. The limestone on the walls and floor appears seamless: “It’s cut along the vein, so you don’t read it panel to panel,” Kennedy notes. The adjacent bedroom is similarly restrained, with oak paneling, a custom reeded-oak bed frame, a hanging leather chair, and a Gio Ponti brass mirror.

A repurposed chairlift hangs at the foot of the oak staircase, which has a plaster surround.
A repurposed chairlift hangs at the foot of the oak staircase, which has a plaster surround.

At the back of the ground floor is a small tower. Since the house is built into the hillside, Ostrander wanted a pop-up perch where residents could take in 360-degree views. Measuring 19 by 19 feet, it has a wraparound balcony and references the forest-fire watchtowers found in national parks. “It’s a little retreat that’s whimsical and unexpected,” Ostrander says. Warm and intimate, it practically begs for a kids’ sleepover, though a floating fireplace, rosewood table, and Moroccan Mrirt rug make it plenty sophisticated for adults. Like the rest of the property, the tower is both fun and refined, and brings a whole new perspective to the neighborhood.

A mouth-blown glass chandelier by Semeurs d’Étoiles hangs in the Croatian limestone–clad foyer; a bridge by the window links two wings of the house.
A mouth-blown glass chandelier by Semeurs d’Étoiles hangs in the Croatian limestone–clad foyer; a bridge by the window links two wings of the house.
A fireside den, with a lacquer coffee table by Pierre Augustin Rose, abuts the dining area, with vintage brass Parsons chairs designed by John Stuart in 1968.
A fireside den, with a lacquer coffee table by Pierre Augustin Rose, abuts the dining area, with vintage brass Parsons chairs designed by John Stuart in 1968.
Newell Studio made the custom-dyed sheepskin wall panels in the office.
Newell Studio made the custom-dyed sheepskin wall panels in the office.
A Bourgeois Boheme Atelier chandelier, Stark silk-blend rug, and Charles Kalpakian armchairs fill the office.
A Bourgeois Boheme Atelier chandelier, Stark silk-blend rug, and Charles Kalpakian armchairs fill the office.
Vintage skis cover the ceiling of the locker room.
Vintage skis cover the ceiling of the locker room.
A collaged and handpainted Fromental wallcovering decorates the bowling alley.
A collaged and handpainted Fromental wallcovering decorates the bowling alley.
Clé tiles jazz up a guest bathroom, with marble floor and counters.
Clé tiles jazz up a guest bathroom, with marble floor and counters.
A Molteni cooking range and Wood Stone Home pizza oven appoint the kitchen.
A Molteni cooking range and Wood Stone Home pizza oven appoint the kitchen.
A bronze-and-wool sheep statue stands in a hallway with a copper ceiling; the storage bench is by Jake Whillans.
A bronze-and-wool sheep statue stands in a hallway with a copper ceiling; the storage bench is by Jake Whillans.
The sports court includes a climbing wall.
The sports court includes a climbing wall.
The cozy 19-by-19-foot tower room has a wraparound terrace, floating fireplace by Focus, rosewood coffee table, and Mrirt rug.
The cozy 19-by-19-foot tower room has a wraparound terrace, floating fireplace by Focus, rosewood coffee table, and Mrirt rug.
In the primary bedroom, a ceramic artwork by Jennifer Prichard hangs above the bed’s leather-and-limestone headboard.
In the primary bedroom, a ceramic artwork by Jennifer Prichard hangs above the bed’s leather-and-limestone headboard.
A freestanding wood tub anchors the adjacent bathroom, with Ocean travertine walls and floor.
A freestanding wood tub anchors the adjacent bathroom, with Ocean travertine walls and floor.
A Pod leather hanging chair from Blackman Cruz furnishes the primary bedroom.
A Pod leather hanging chair from Blackman Cruz furnishes the primary bedroom.
Each guest room opens onto a patio.
Each guest room opens onto a patio.
Shou sugi ban cedar and Croatian limestone clad the exterior of the house, which is entered via a courtyard.
Shou sugi ban cedar and Croatian limestone clad the exterior of the house, which is entered via a courtyard.
PROJECT TEAM
clb architects: andy ankeny, brent sikora, jake ostlind, cassidy stickney, jaye infanger, erica hawley
design workshop: landscape architect
magelby construction: contractor
sherwood design engineers: civil engineer
kl&a, inc.: structural engineer
energy 1: mechanical/electrical engineer
orsman design: lighting designer
PRODUCT SOURCES
FROM FRONT
jouffre: custom sofa (living room)
Eny Lee Parker: lamps
semeurs d’étoiles through invisible collection: custom chandelier (entry)
konekt: ottomans (hearth room)
pierre augustin rose through invisible collection: custom coffee table
place textiles: custom sectional fabric
daniel becker studio: custom chandelier
through tom robinson: vintage dining chairs
miksi through invisible collection: custom rug
christopher kreiling through blackman cruz: lamp (office)
ski lift designs: custom ski lift chair (stair)
bourgeois boheme: custom chandelier (den)
dornstab through kalmar: floor lamp
stark: rug
brunswick bowling: bowling alley
restoration hardware: side table
fromental: wallcovering
juniper lighting: lights (guest bath)
Duravit: sink
clé: tile
marrone: custom range hood (kitchen)
wood stone: pizza oven
Dornbracht: sink fittings
old plank collection: art sheep (hallway)
response hg: flooring (sports court)
the court company: wall panels
luxury mrirt rug through benisouk: rug (tower room)
grand splendid studio: rug
through two enlighten: vintage mirror
crump & kwash: custom desk (guest bedroom)
made goods: desk chair
sutherland furniture: lounge chair
THROUGHOUT
masterpiece millwork & door: custom millwork
craftsman upholstery: custom sofa fabrication (hearth room, bowling alley, tower room)
newell studio: custom coffee table (living room); custom dining table (hearth room); custom wall panels (office); custom shuffleboard table (bowling alley)
through 1stdibs: vintage chair (office); armchairs (den); bench (hallway); table, lamp (tower room)
blueprint lighting: custom pendants (primary bedroom, primary bathroom)
marset: reading lights (bedrooms)
watermark: sink fittings (bathrooms)

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