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Big Sky Journal HOME
written by Laura Zuckerman
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Discerning updates transform a charming craftsman home
in Bozeman, Montana’s historic district
construction
Yellowstone Traditions
interior Design
Story Street Studio
PhotograPhy by annie SchLechter
Remodel
The Cooper park
184
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Big Sky Journal HOME
FROM TOP:
Handmade
Moroccan mosaic tile inset
at the front door pairs with
board and batten walls
painted Benjamin Moore
Montpelier AF-555 and a
custom-made shade-on
pendant light by Shades From
the Midnight Sun and wall
sconces from Allied Maker.
•
Adjacent to the kitchen,
this space features a custom
Scandinavian wool rug from
Rug & Kilim, Roman shades in
fabric from Jobs Handtryck, a
tufted leather ottoman from
Hollywood at Home, and
spindle-back armchairs from
Nickey Kehoe, upholstered
in a wool fabric from Pollack.
The brass sconces at the fire-
place are from Ann-Morris,
the mirror above the mantel
is from RT Facts, and the
custom mantel — based on
an original craftsman design
— was designed by Stanley.
FROM TOP:
The kitchen is
anchored by a herringbone
oak floor, and includes
cabinets painted Farrow &
Ball Pigeon No. 25, walnut
barstools with leather strap
seats from Thomas Hayes
Studio, pendant lights from
Urban Electric, and a wall
sconce above the sink
from Ann Morris.
•
Tiger in
the Night wallpaper from
Jennifer Shorto adds warmth
and interest to the walls,
while a vintage French chan-
delier finished with custom
shades from Shades from
the Midnight Sun, brass
candlesticks from Aerin,
vintage mid-century chairs,
and a custom lacquered
dining table complete the
dining room.
rooms drenched in natural light, the house
had a gracious floor plan but was lacking the
charming details I associate with craftsman
houses of its era.”
Her clear-eyed aesthetics meshed with
Yellowstone Traditions’ desire to bring new life
to a building weathered by time but possess-
ing the quality of timelessness. The exchange of
ideas gave rise to a dynamic that propelled the
project in the right direction. The Yellowstone
Traditions team worked in harmony with the
house, drawing out its proportion and design
integrity so expressive of the Arts and Crafts
movement. “Laura was able to articulate her
vision with no intermediary, and we had quite
a bit of freedom between the guardrails of her
overall goal,” says Blazina.
a historic district in Bozeman,
Montana, a house that exudes
century-old charm paired with
tasteful updates makes a hearten-
ing statement: All things old can be
made new again through the art of
faith and the power of engineering.
The Cooper Park Remodel, named for its prox-
imity to the city’s 4-acre park, presented Tim Blazina,
partner at Yellowstone Traditions in Bozeman, with
what is commonly called “a unique opportunity.” But
that doesn’t adequately describe the design solution
that emerged from Yellowstone Traditions and home-
owner Laura Stanley, founder of Story Street Studio,
a boutique, full-service residential interior design firm
with offices in Bozeman and New York City.
Built in the early 20th century, the craftsman-style
house was composed of modestly sized, sectioned
rooms that conveyed coziness but were hard-pressed
to admit the sweep of light and space that so define the
current architectural era. In an act infused with respect
for the structure’s footprint, original community, and
current neighborhood, the remodel of the 4,500-square-
foot house is an archetype for balanced building.
IN
An observer would hardly posit that the Cooper Park Remodel
began with stripping the home nearly bare to address its structural
integrity, which was followed by adding a finished basement. It now
stands as it’s likely to stand for generations to come, and that is because
of the restorative and creative vision of Stanley, her Story Street Studio
partner Lizzie Bailey, and the Yellowstone Traditions team.
Stanley possessed a particular sense for what the house could
be — and what it deserved to become. “I had a feeling about the
house before I bought it,” she says. “With beautifully proportioned
186
187
Big Sky Journal HOME
The proof is in the house itself. Streetside, it presents a
cheerful mien: modern lap siding, staggered-edge painted
shakes on gable ends, and a porch of painted brick with
natural cedar decking. Asphalt shingles, black oak in color,
combine with dark bronze snap-lock metal roofing, while
bluestone steps lead to the front entry. An abbreviated avenue
of native plants separates the
main house from a 945-square-
foot guest house that, like the
building it mirrors, is an homage
to understated artistry. Much of
the primary home’s living space
does not interact with the street,
and retains an aura of privacy
despite its proximity to public
space — an arrangement that
translates to a peak achievement
in urban architecture.
Paradoxically, a structure
that has undergone a metamor-
phosis as major as the Cooper
Park Remodel exudes steadiness.
Its layered appeal, particularly in
a kitchen-side hearth area and in
the main bedroom suite, suggests
a sequence of sonnets. A living
room with a board-and-batten
wall finish is anchored by an
oak plank floor, and the features
add to the sense of welcome that
In the primary bedroom the walls
are covered in a Phillip Jeffries
grasscloth, complementing a
custom Moroccan wool rug from
Temple Studio, curtains and
roman shades in an olive green
Walter G. fabric, and a vintage
ceramic table lamp topped with
a custom lampshade in Carolina
Irving sunny yellow fabric. The
bench was custom designed
by Laura Stanley and is uphol-
stered in a Zak + Fox fabric. The
Indian wool bed cover is from
Hollywood at Home.
imbues the space. Liberal use of smoky blue paint is broken
up by dashes of color that echo. Barrel-back swivel chairs
upholstered in bold mustard mohair find their color match
in abstract art, which possess terracotta shades similar to
the custom Oushak rug and pillows perched on a built-in
window seat.
Stanley created corners of color and areas of interest throughout the house with
wallpaper, antique furniture of varying periods, spare but exquisite tile, and handcrafted
lampshades equivalent to objects of art.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
The mudroom
features patterned cement tiles from
Mosaic House, cabinets painted Benjamin
Moore Bella Blue 720, burnished brass
pendant lights from Visual Comfort, and
wallpaper on the ceiling from Lee Jofa.
•
In the powder room, a custom brass
washstand and Carrara marble countertop
offsets wallpaper from Pierre Frey and a
vintage sculptural bamboo mirror flanked
by a pair of vintage Murano glass sconces.
•
The guest bedroom walls are covered in
Zak + Fox wallpaper; the trim is painted
Donald Kaufman DKC-104. The vintage wool
kilim rug is from Eliko. The chartreuse linen
curtains are from Nicola Taylorson, the pair
of nightstands is from Chelsea Editions, the
brass sconces are by Visual Comfort, and
the iron loop stools, upholstered in Pierre
Frey fabric, are from Panoplie.
188
Stanley created corners of color and areas of interest
throughout the house with wallpaper, antique furniture of
varying periods, spare but exquisite tile, and handcrafted
lampshades equivalent to objects of art.
The kitchen flows from a formal dining area highlighted
by mid-century modern chairs and wallpaper framed by wain-
scoting in a gesture of bonhomie. Neutral colors in the kitchen
invite the eye to land in a soothing spot amid a multitude of
patterns in an adjacent room. Warmth and texture are exuded
by the herringbone oak floors, an island topped by a walnut
slab, and a reverse board-and-batten ceiling. Brick-shaped wall
tiles present horizontal strength, while custom, marble-topped
cabinets, flush to the ceiling, provide vertical relief.
The kitchen is a working space that speaks of simplicity yet
exhibits elegance, where a breakfast nook throws a saucy look
at a nearby fireplace-side seating area. The arrangement avoids
isolating the chef from guests or, more commonly, producing
the standing-room-only crowd that clutters a kitchen.
A central element of the nearby room that Stanley refers
to as “the keeping room” is a wood-framed gas fireplace with
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:
The breakfast nook includes
herringbone oak floor, grass-
cloth wallpaper, a vintage
Italian chandelier, and a
custom table by Yellowstone
Traditions. The banquette is
upholstered in block printed
fabric from Lisa Fine. The
walnut and rush dining
chairs are from Serena &
Lily, and the artwork is by
Isca Greenfield Sanders.
•
In the entry, a vintage gilt
oval mirror sits above a
walnut BDDW cabinet, upon
which are rattan and brass
candlestick lamps with coral
lamp shades from Oka. The
walls are painted Benjamin
Moore Montpelier AF-555.
•
In the bar, cabinetry
concealing the fridge draw-
ers is painted Farrow & Ball
Tanner’s Brown No. 255. A
vintage runner from Rug &
Kilim, tortoise ceramic tile
backsplash from Balineum,
a pendant light from Visual
Comfort, marbleized
wallpaper on the ceiling
from Schumacher, and a
red lacquer tray from The
Lacquer Company complete
the space.
craftsman details and graphite marble mosaic tile. The rug
was custom loomed in Turkey with a geometric design that
finds an answering call in the angles of the fireplace. A custom
sectional sofa in aubergine mohair is flanked by a tufted
leather coffee table that doubles as an ottoman, providing
additional seating when Stanley entertains. “The leather otto-
man is meant to gain patina through use,” Stanley says. “The
more it ages, the better it looks.”
That could serve as the motto for the Cooper Park Remodel.
Stanley’s design approach stamps rooms with specific traits
that, ultimately, gather into a single, vibrant personality. The
intention of the builder and desire of the homeowner gave rise
to a house whose merit and appeal seem effortless.
This finds further expression in the dedicated primary
bedroom, where airiness is achieved by the vaulted ceiling,
exposed rafters, blush pink grass wallpaper, and a chandelier
in the shape of a dandelion preparing to send forth its seeds.
If the eternal search for truth, beauty, and goodness finds
material expression in a house, that house just might be near
Cooper Park in Bozeman, where Laura Stanley lives.
h
