Darby Creek Ranch

Perched above the Teton River with uninterrupted views of farmland, mountains, and migrating wildlife, Darby Creek Ranch began as a home built from instinct and love of place. In the 1980s, the homeowner—then a young man—designed and built the house himself, driven by a desire to watch birds along the river’s edge and to live closely with the rhythms of the landscape. Over the decades, the home became layered with memory: marriage, shared routines, five loyal dogs, and years of watching the light travel across the valley from season to season.

When we were invited into the project, the homeowners were ready for their beloved home to evolve alongside them. They envisioned a renovation and addition that would create more openness, more natural light, and spaces that felt softer and more reflective of both of their styles. The real request, as they joked on day one, was simply more space for dog beds in front of the fireplace—but embedded in that was something deeper: a desire for comfort, warmth, and the continuation of home as a place of companionship.

This multi-winged, three-level home was thoughtfully reimagined. Every room was opened to views or softened with new natural light. Interiors were reshaped with gentle curves and clean lines, honoring what came before while releasing any heaviness. Materials play a meaningful role here—timber, stone, warm finishes, and textures that feel collected over time rather than newly installed. The interior designer brought in pattern, fabric, and wallpaper to create depth and personality, ensuring each space carries its own spirit while remaining connected to the whole.

What makes Darby Creek Ranch so special is its balance: it’s rooted yet welcoming, familiar yet renewed. It doesn’t lean into the rugged masculinity so common in the valley; instead, it feels intentional, inviting, and deeply lived-in. It is a home made for lingering mornings, long conversations, and quiet moments spent watching the world outside—binoculars within reach, dogs asleep at your feet.

This is a home shaped by time, memory, and love of place.
A home that has grown with its people—and continues to hold them, just as they hold it.