Sparano + Mooney Architecture, a firm based in Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, is delighted to announce the debut of Nest. Spanning 8,207sf across 8-acres, nestled among a grove of aspen trees, Nest is not only an elegant, ski-in/ski-out mountain dwelling, but also a highly-sustainable home employing industry-best passive design principles and systems. It is the latest residential example of the award-winning firm's commitment to sustainable, innovative, and beautiful architecture that is embedded harmoniously into a spectacular mountain landscape.

Designed for a California-based couple and their family, the home is nestled into a surrounding aspen grove amidst a sweeping meadow. Per the clients’ original vision, the concept for the home centered on “forest bathing” – the practice of taking in the sensory, rejuvenating aspects of a woodland setting. Rather than disrupting the forest, the design team sought to maintain existing vegetation on the sloped site, and stepped the home down organically with the hill: the architects worked thoughtfully to ensure that the home accommodated the site rather than imposing upon it. For instance, the landscape design includes sensitively integrated retaining walls along the slope that create pathways to lead the visitor gradually into the meadow.

The clients wanted to combine a sense of tranquility and privacy with the recreation potential of the site, which is located within a world-renowned ski resort and community. Inside, the home’s programming reflects this desire for privacy, with the primary suite functioning as a sanctuary separated by a bridge connector from the main living spaces, which in turn easily accommodate an abundance of guests. The interior layout includes three guest bedrooms, a bunk room, a guest suite, six full bathrooms, a powder room, a yoga/meditation room, a home office, a gym with a sauna located adjacent on a small deck, an in-ground hot tub, and a garage with a heated motor court that includes a regulation pickleball court space.

As avid cooks and entertainers, the clients required a kitchen that features a separate butler’s pantry that includes a wine fridge, small wall oven, extra prep space, and a coffee bar. The focal point of the main kitchen is the Lacanche Forneaux range and Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. Additional entertainment spaces include a combined billiards, library, and den space adjacent to the kitchen and main living room, as well as a lower-level family room with a kitchenette, games area, and custom wall mural.

Nest is not only an elegant mountain modern dwelling – it is also a highly-sustainable home that features high-performance glazing, spray foam insulation, radiant floor heating, skylights in the hallways to provide natural daylighting and abundant daylighting in every space, as well as floor- to-ceiling glass and aluminum doors by Reynaers in the living room that open to the meadow and a covered exterior deck. To the west, a significant hillside shades most of the afternoon sun, and the home primarily receives direct morning daylight for passive heating/ cooling. The home is as efficient as it is sophisticated, beautiful, and inviting.