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At Home on the Water
Despite considerable challenges, a couple realizes their dream for a fishing retreat on the river in Livingston, Montana

Beneath the big Montana sky on the banks of the Yellowstone River, a raw and picturesque tract of land beckoned Dr. Bennett and Nancy York of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. An avid angler, Bennett pictured a modest fishing cabin with sweeping views of the river. He wasn’t interested in a big, splashy second home. Instead, he wanted an unassuming space with character and dimension. But, like all well-laid plans, this one encountered a major obstacle that would quickly shape the parameters of the project.

After snapping up the 28-acre property, the couple learned that because of its proximity to the Yellowstone River—a body of water prone to sudden rises—the majority of the property lies in a designated flood plain, with more than half in the floodway. Because of this designation, much of the land was labeled a no-build zone, and Bennett’s plans for a fishing cabin on the river were nearly washed away.

Seeking a viable solution, the couple turned to studio.bna and studioryker, two architecture firms in Livingston, Montana.

“Although the flood way is a no-build zone, you can use the foundations of existing structures,” says Brett W. Nave, principal of studio.bna. “Several small buildings occupied the property, so we came up with a plan to use their existing footprints to design a fishing cabin, bunkhouse and farmhouse that would blend with the natural surroundings.”

Nave, along with Lori Ryker, founder of studioryker, worked with the existing foundations to create an 856-square-foot structure—smaller than the couple had originally envisioned—raised five feet above the floodway. Sleek and modern, the cabin is a fresh interpretation of a Western retreat, with soaring ceilings and a multitude of windows that capture the natural beauty of the landscape.

 

Adding Dimension to Small Spaces

Looking to add depth and a sense of spaciousness to otherwise cramped quarters? Designer Brett Nave offers this practical advice:

•    Combine medium to dark floors with bright walls and subtle ceilings to create an illusion of depth.

•    Finding the right balance of natural light is key for any interior. Try opposing a south-facing window, which allows yellow light to filter in, with an east-facing window, which allows white light to filter in after the morning sun has passed.

•    Use complementing colors or tones for cabinets and floors, but avoid exact matches.

•    A multitude of windows is not necessarily the right way to go when you’re trying to make a small space feel larger. Our minds read contrast quite well, so you can make a space feel open by paring down an adjacent space and making it more intimate. If done correctly, the result can be quite complementary.


For the full story, pick up the October 2008 issue of Mountain Living