09 Apr Style Fusion

Architecture | Faure Halvorsen Architects
Construction | Duncan Robb Construction
Interior Design | Elizabeth Robb Interiors
Landscape Architecture | Outdoor Design Studios

When her new home was finally complete, homeowner and real estate agent Bessie Hudgens leaned on a tradition she adopted from her time working for a New Zealand building company before moving to Bozeman. She threw her own version of a housewarming, inviting every contractor and subcontractor who worked to make her home a reality to an appreciation party in her backyard. “It occurred to me that most of these amazing people almost never get to see the finished product, which is so tragic!” she says. “So I threw a post-construction party to say thanks.”

A modern steel door and contemporary Four Hands bench mix effortlessly with a vintage rug, an antique console, and a mirror handed down by the homeowner’s great-grandmother.

Her home, located in the Manley Meadows community in Bozeman, is a labor of love — she participated in every decision, every drawing, and every design detail in the 5,500-square-foot forever home. It’s what she describes as “a project of a lifetime,” and she treated it as such, overseeing and collaborating extensively with every member of the team: architects Kipp Halvorsen and Kelsey Corti of Faure Halvorsen Architects, designer Liz Robb of Elizabeth Robb Interiors, and builder Joe Robb of Duncan Robb Construction.

Silver Macaubas quartzite countertops, Clé Tile’s iridescent zellige tile, and organically inspired McGee & Co. stools are California cool. They’re blended with Southern-inspired Shaker-front Futura cabinetry, traditional pendants, and classical sconces for a harmonious style fusion.

Hudgens’ planning started when she purchased the 1-acre lot in Manley Meadows years ago. She knew she wanted to live in the neighborhood from the moment she moved to the city — she loved that its spacious lots are located amid rolling farmland, include dedicated open spaces, and provide views of the Bridger Mountains. As an avid outdoor lover and golfer, it didn’t hurt that the community abuts Riverside Country Club’s golf course.

While other homeowners might label their projects as collaborative, Hudgens’ active participation in the process of building her home was on an entirely different level. She drew elevations and design elements to articulate to the architectural firm exactly what she wanted, undertook the interior design and landscape architecture herself, using Elizabeth Robb Interiors and landscape architect Outdoor Design Studios as consultants, and prepared a detailed 200-page design-specifications document that she handed to the builder before ever breaking ground.

Using strictly vertical siding in a single material keeps the exterior simple and clean, as requested by the homeowner.

“I’m a high-touch and very detail-oriented person,” says Hudgens, whose collegiate studies included the creative fields of art history and landscape architecture. “My detailed spreadsheets helped me stay on budget while achieving my unapologetically personal aesthetic.”

Hudgens interviewed a series of architects based on professional referrals before choosing Faure Halvorsen. “Although the architecture firm’s designs are more mountain-rustic than what I wanted, its process was appealing to me,” she says.

Distressed wooden beams and trim combine with soft arches and rounded wall corners to bring quiet luxury into the interiors.

The home’s architecture merges regional influences from the West and the South. “Bessie gravitates toward Southern architectural styles that are infused with a European influence, so we nodded to those by designing a home with a steeply pitched roof,” says Corti. “An exterior materials palette, expressed through the clean lines of vertical wooden siding, and interior rough-sawn timber posts and beams add a taste of Montana’s Western style. We intentionally simplified the exterior materials so they could take a backseat to the architectural forms.”

The blend of styles continues into the interiors, with materials and designs not typically found in the Mountain West. “The interiors are indicative of Texas Hill Country mixed with coastal California’s organic modernism, with a few elements of added rusticity,” Hudgens explains. “I don’t know the design ‘rules,’ and I don’t care. The confluence of ideas makes sense to me in this forever home.”

Hudgens drove consistency throughout the home with a soft, earthy color palette accented with brass detailing. In the primary bedroom, Carrier & Company bedside pendants, Kravet sheer drapes, Schumacher solid curtains, and a bench with brass legs play into the theme.

Designer Liz Robb served in a consulting role, while Hudgens took the primary reins in hand-selecting her furnishings and finishes and incorporating a few family heirlooms from her grandmother’s Houston home into the interiors.

“Bessie had the courage to do the design work,” says Robb. “My job was to help steer her, edit her vision, and source her ideas.”

The homeowner-turned-designer layered textures for depth, as seen in the bar, where limestone mingles with soapstone, fir, white oak, glass, brass, and steel. The bar art, Life on the Western Prairie by artist Brian Grimm, is an homage to the owner’s home state of Wyoming.

“Liz gave me the confidence to take risks while guiding me to trust my intuition,” says Hudgens. One of those bold choices is found throughout many of the rooms: wallpaper in colorful and patterned expressions that give the Southern vibe she wanted to impart. She added wall coverings throughout the home, from the dining room ceiling to the primary suite to bathrooms and her children’s playroom. “I didn’t hold back but took liberties with pattern, color, and texture,” she says.

Hudgens chose dramatic artwork, some from her own collection and some inherited from her grandmother, as the fearless pops of color to disrupt a neutral base palette of earth tones, including browns, creams, blues, and greens. The designer and homeowner collaborated to frame and light each piece of art. In the hallway, for instance, framed, inherited Hermès scarves brighten the creamy white walls. A Texas-sourced painting, Too Fast to Die #2 by artist Billy Schenck, hangs over the great room fireplace. “The painting is bold, kinetic, and unexpected,” Hudgens explains. “I wasn’t going to use purple tile, but I wasn’t afraid to add color via artwork. The textiles and art add contrast and surprise into the home.”

The primary bathroom window frames an outdoor view. “We pulled the landscape colors inside the home,” owner Bessie Hudgens says.

Unique materials not typically found in the local vernacular, such as limestone on the great room’s floor-to-ceiling fireplace, inject Hudgens’ personal style into the residence. Organic touches, like a potted ficus tree in the same room, serve as living art. These materials mix with architectural highlights, such as a double-height room with a stacked wall of windows anchoring one end that captures alpine views and plenty of natural light.

“There’s a two-story view out to the Bridger Mountains when you walk through the timeless steel-and-glass door into the foyer and look through to the great room,” says Corti. “We actually rotated the building envelope to maximize that view when you walk into the home.” An upper-level catwalk over the entryway provides an overlook of the foyer and the great room.

“There’s not one window in this home that has a lousy view,” says Hudgens.

“We put a lot of thought into the orientation of the home,” says Hudgens. “The transparency and expansiveness are intentional. I wanted a lot of natural light and dramatic views. There’s not one window in this home that has a lousy view.”

French white oak flooring and custom-stained Douglas fir ceiling beams warm the interiors. A sense of warmth pervades even the cool, contemporary kitchen anchored by clean, white quartzite countertops, handcrafted white zellige backsplash tile, and white Hubbardton Forge pendants, thanks to touches of brass hardware and fixtures and a custom plaster range hood. Mixing in organic tones, such as McGee & Co. leather counter stools, imparts a California coastal touch.

The kitchen is Hudgens’ favorite room. “It’s where I spend the most time with my kids,” she says. “Life happens here — it’s where most of the laughs, tears, and memories are made. I really wasn’t striving for fancy. I value function and practicality over flair and flourish.”

The powder bath is one example of Hudgens’ exuberant use of wallpaper, allowing her to add a splash of color while nodding to the traditional choices in her grandmother’s Texas home.

The overall feel Hudgens wanted in the interiors was warmth. “I see a lot of new construction in my career as a real estate agent,” she says. “Much of it is what I call ‘hospital chic.’ It has no soul or character. I was looking for the opposite of that.”

After completing the interior design, Hudgens shifted her focus outdoors, envisioning a landscape that would flow seamlessly from the covered outdoor living areas off the kitchen and dining room. A student of landscape design herself, she welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with Outdoor Design Studios. Working from the firm’s master plan and recommendations, she partnered closely with the outdoor living designer to layer in her own personal touches.

Once the initial installation was complete, however, Hudgens felt the garden needed more depth and dimension. “I ended up adding more irrigation and about 85 additional plants,” she says. “It’s a little Eden in the back garden now, and the fully implemented design elevates the property’s appeal.”

Hudgens was drawn to green, and her bold version of this hue in the library ties to the landscape and helps the space feel comforting.

A cascading water feature, fire pits, stone patio and walls, and plenty of trees and shrubs complete the bountiful look. “I’m really proud of how this garden turned out,” Hudgens says. “It was a lot of physical work, but I grew up on a ranch and am not afraid of hard work.”

Now that Hudgens has had time to reflect on the five-year process that brought her concept to completion, she is grateful for the team that helped her achieve her goals. “The home feels like a hug when you walk in,” she says. “You can feel that this is a home filled with love and warmth; great memories will happen here.”

Dana W. Todd is a professional writer specializing in interior design, real estate, luxury homebuilding, landscape design, architecture, and fine art.

Whitney Kamman is an architectural photographer based out of Bozeman. Her love for architecture came naturally growing up with an architect father and interior designer mother. Kamman’s work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, Robb Report, and Mountain Living, among others.