Rather than starting from scratch, Vicky Charles stepped into a client’s world fully formed. To begin decorating his new family compound at the Yellowstone Club ski resort in Big Sky, Montana, the founder of New York–based studio Charles & Co. visited his personal furniture warehouse—a trove of European midcentury treasures he has collected for years. Inside, a rare pair of Easy chairs by Swedish designer Gösta Jonsson was sequestered alongside a brass floor lamp by Finnish talent Maria Lindeman, both from the 1940s; while a charming duo of 1970s Swedish pine sconces by Leif Wikner stood with a 1955 Arne Jacobsen steel-and-rosewood office chair—an early prototype of the Model 3117 piece later produced by Fritz Hansen in Denmark. All found a new home in the high-design retreat.
“He truly loves design and the design process,” says Charles of the homeowner. “He’s a bit of an industry unicorn—and a real dream.” That rare level of engagement turned a single commission into an ongoing collaboration; this residence is their fifth. At this point, they have a shared language. “We talk it through, and we shop from his warehouse for furniture,” she says. Charles wields her creativity freely, layering in custom pieces, fabrics, and finishes that fit each home’s location, mood, and requirements for luxurious everyday living. This Yellowstone Club project, however, did mark a first—they started with the guest house.
On a multi-acre mountainous site, dotted with lodgepole pine trees, Miller-Roodell Architects designed a 9,000-square-foot guest barn and separate 4,500-square-foot guest cabin to host the homeowners’ friends and family year-round. While the architecture is sensitive to the surrounding nature and planned landscape by Field Studio, the entire design team was careful not to fall into a stereotypical cabin look. Instead, Charles describes these two pitched-roof guest houses as “jewel boxes.” Each one is self-sufficient with full-sized kitchens, fireplace-warmed living rooms, sporting-equipment storage, and hot tubs, but easily accessible from the future main house. Together, they house five bedrooms—some suites, some bunks—all with built-in flexibility.
To keep the interiors refined, rather than going for full-on chalet vibes, North Fork Builders installed exposed beams and cabinetry made of French and American oak, respectively. Operable doors and clerestory windows flood every room with natural light. Charles’s palette tends toward rich tones—ochre in a bedroom with a built-in desk, shades of rose in a cabin suite, deep blue and leafy green in the guest barn’s living room—and a variety of textures atypical of a mountain abode. Bathrooms are tiled in statement zellige or upholstered in traditional-style patterned wallpapers. The cabin’s bespoke kitchen features a copper backsplash and countertop. Dark stone floors are covered in jute rugs. This material mix helps make a seamless transition between the contemporary and vintage furniture pieces that anchor each cozy room.
“Nothing is too precious and the finishes are meant to look better with age,” explains Charles. However, because these guest buildings are intended for temporary stays, she took design leaps (like wallpaper in the bathroom) that she wouldn’t necessarily advise for everyday use. For now, the homeowner and his family are enjoying them personally while Charles and the team begin to work on the main house.
With time, Charles expects the guest houses’ interiors will evolve—it’s in her collector client’s nature. “He believes that furniture should be used and not kept in warehouses, so we may move things around as we keep building the [main] house,” she explains. “When you work with collectors, there’s always more to come.”
