Mountain Inspired

Minnesota couple builds their Montana dream home at Triple B ranch

PHOTOS BY ROGER WADE

In 2007 a Minnesota couple wanted to create their Montana retreat near Red Lodge, Montana.

Set on 25 acres with stunning Beartooth Mountain views, the 5,200-square-foot, four-bedroom Triple B Ranch pairs timeless interiors by Kibler & Kirch of Billings, Montana, with architecture by Andrew Porth of Porth Architects.

The architects found inspiration in McKim, Mead & White’s historic shingle-style Low House, known for its distinctive 140-foot-long gable. “The architect’s use of reclaimed wood and timbers and stone columns and fireplaces set the tone for our approach to the interiors,” Kibler & Kirch owner and creative director Jeremiah Young said. “We prioritized elegant comfort and found updated ways to reference the West with sumptuous fabrics like mohair and strong forms that stand up to the architecture.”

The dramatic great room with its peaking 26-foot-tall windows is able to maintain a sense of intimacy thanks to multiple seating areas that ground the room and create different ways to gather. “Nothing draws you into a room more than seeing many different ways to relax, have conversations or find a place of one’s own,” Young said. “We try to create rooms that make people immediately want to sit."

Montana’s Triple B Ranch house, with interiors by Kibler & Kirch, takes architectural inspiration from the long gable of the McKim, Mead & White-designed Low House.

The kitchen features locally made sage-green cabinets, black granite countertops and Viking appliances against rustic timber columns. Flooring is American chestnut sawn from old timbers, while for the ceiling, Kibler & Kirch selected the historical flavor of stamped and painted tin. In the dining area adjacent to the kitchen, Young and team added wainscoting to warm and define the space in the open-plan layout.

All materials for the structure were sourced locally from salvaged wood and regional stone. The timbers were probably handmade by a craftsman in the 1850s to 1880s, according to Mike Halverson, president of Montana Reclaimed Lumber, which supplied the various types of wood used, including antique barnwood, corral boards, and joists from an Idaho pea-canning factory.