Officially the office’s longest-running design project, this house was originally intended for a hilltop/riverfront site on the Wenatchee River, in Washington’s apple-growing country. That was before the owners fell in love with Sun Valley Idaho. Working with us over a three year period to find a site that would fit the design, the clients found a similar steeply-sloping 7 acre site with a 360 degree territorial view of the mountains in a new development above Sun Valley, and decided to make their permanent home there. The entire design was then refined to fit the newly chosen site. Castanes Architects carefully sited the home to blend into the natural topography, and to respect the restrictive covenants imposed by the homeowners’ association. The “village” collection of volumes is realized in southern Mediterranean tones of stucco and sacked concrete. The interior spaces are scaled to evoke the grandeur of country living, but without the slavish replication of detail one might expect. Instead, the restrained vocabulary enhances the appreciation of the natural environment through the use of extensive glazing, and the trellis system, which pushes the interior spaces out into the landscape. A freestanding guesthouse is now being designed for the site.