Rustic returns to the design table

Montana rustic making a comeback

MONTANA LIVING — The announcement that the television series “Yellowstone” will return for another season is no surprise to those entranced with the drama-filled life on the Dutton family’s Montana cattle ranch.

And attracting its own following is the Duttons’ historic ranch house, which set decorator Carla Curry says “has actually become a character in our show” – the setting for scenes that have viewers longing to wrap up in a blanket and get cozy before a crackling fire.

This Dutton-worthy Wyoming home interior was designed by Kibler & Kirch of Billings, Mont. (Photos by Audrey Hall)

For Jeremiah Young, owner and creative director of Kibler & Kirch interior design in Billings, Montana, who finds inspiration in his region’s rich history, the comfortably elegant “live like a Dutton” lodge look gaining popularity across the United States reflects an authentic and timeless Western style he’s been creating since long before “Yellowstone” first aired.

“It’s pretty gratifying to see people ‘think rustic’ again, which is something we’ve been doing all along at Kibler & Kirch, without following trends,” Young says. “Montana has always had a popular real-West mystique, and the national eye is certainly looking this way with the wild success of ‘Yellowstone.’

Young has an extensive history of designing Western legacy interiors for everything from real working ranch houses to vacation homes that thoroughly embrace their rugged settings. For one Big Horn, Wyoming, house where the homeowners wanted to capture a vintage Wild West nostalgia, Young painstakingly recreated the historical look, sourcing classic pieces from Old Hickory Furniture Company, Thomas Molesworth reproductions, Navajo rugs, Pendleton blankets, Western art, fringed and distressed leather, aged timber, and metalwork by a local blacksmith.

The impressive results earned the finished home a spot in the book Cabin Style. “Everything is made by hand,” Young says of the project, “Every screw, every light fixture, all the hardware. The approach was entirely original and handcrafted.”

“It’s fun to see clients building in authentic ways and we are having the best time helping them achieve something real, Western, and handmade,” Young adds. “We get to share in the dream."

— Photos by Audrey Hall. Copyright 2022