What is a home in the Montana mountains without a view? That is the question Stephanie Wirth, founder of Leo Designs in Chicago, and her client asked themselves when they began this project. Wirth explains that the couple, both from the Midwest, found the Montana property during the pandemic and promptly fell in love. “They are passionate about the outdoors; he is an avid golfer, and she sometimes joins him on the course. This community in Hamilton, Montana spoke to them both.” So instead of using the property as a second home, they decided to uproot themselves from the Chicago area and relocate to the mountains.
The couple – longtime clients of Wirth – tapped her to take the modern farmhouse-style home from traditional to wow. One thing they immediately agreed on: The home didn’t capitalize on the view. Wirth worked with an architect to reconfigure the floor plan, essentially performing a gut rehab on the property. She describes, “It was very choppy, very much an old-school farmhouse with posts that disrupted the flow. We added lots of large windows because that’s really what you want there – to see the outside.”
Once the floor plan was fixed, Wirth tied the rooms together by enveloping them in white oak paneling, disguising storage in the hallway behind hidden doors and breaking up the wood with plaster to add texture and depth, such as on the kitchen ceiling. Wirth explains, “The paneling is a nod to the rustic, but we did it in a contemporary way. It’s warm but also very sleek and modern.” Rode Brothers did all the millwork in Chicago and then transported it to the site for installation. And although some of the stone used in the project was sourced in Montana, much of it was from Calia Stone in Chicago.
Wirth called in her kitchen designer, Sarah Miller, to create a kitchen for the wife, who loves to cook and entertain. The resulting space is replete with efficient storage, including linen drawers built into the massive Calia Stone island. Adjacent to the kitchen, a seating area with a giant picture window overlooks the backyard and an herb and vegetable garden. Wirth shares that those chairs are “probably the most used in the house,” and are a great place to hang out with a glass of wine while the meal is being prepared.
The original low ceilings felt claustrophobic, so as part of the remodel, the team raised the roof. Wirth recalls, “That really changed the interiors, especially in the primary bedroom and the office, where we were able to open the space and create high ceilings.” In the bedroom, the paneled, sloping ceiling contrasts with the textures of the rug and furnishings.
Overall, Wirth kept the color palette neutral and added some drama in select rooms, like the office, and notably, on the deep-green, screened porch. She shares, “The porch was really the shining glory for me. We sourced furniture from California and some vintage pieces from Italy. And that deep green is reflective of the natural surroundings but adds lots of impact.” The brick floor is painted an almost-black dark green that Wirth also used in the mudroom. The deep colors prevent the porch, which is adjacent to the dining room and kitchen, from getting in the way of the view.
The property has several outbuildings, including a recreation barn and an actual barn where, eventually, horses will take residence. The couple is also working on a home in Mexico, but Montana has become their home base. Wirth describes it as serene and adds, “He grew up going to Montana and had a love of the mountains, and she loves animals and being in nature. You see animals running through the yard. You’re really in nature when you’re there.”
Photography by Heather Talbert.
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