SETTLED IN THE EAST
By Anne Marie Ashley; Photography by John Bessler
This article appeared in the July/August 2025 issue of Home Design & Decor’s Triangle edition.
Inspired by the wide-open spaces of Jackson Hole, one couple relies on designer Heather Garrett to bring a piece of the West to their Raleigh home.
Designer Heather Garrett’s clients had just spent a week in Jackson Hole when they approached her with their project request. It’s no surprise, really, that the couple returned from the Montage Big Sky resort desperate to recreate their experience with a space that made them feel like they were perpetually on that vacation. Those familiar with the area know that there is a connection to nature and feeling of warmth and freedom that can be addictive.
Garrett eagerly took on their project and started poring over their vacation photos, asking with each one what it was that made them want to capture that scene or moment in time. Taking notes, Garrett then curated an aesthetic for their home to match. “I think it’s an important distinction to make between marketing photos and those taken from the guest’s point-of-view,” explains Garrett. “It’s a very personal take on a public space.”
After enlisting architectural designer Tony Frazier to draw the plans for the home, and Loyd Builders to construct it, Garrett was an easy choice to carry out the homeowner’s vision. “They were captivated by the aesthetic in Jackson,” says Garrett, “the modern rustic design using natural materials like wood, iron, and stone, and the merging of outdoor views with luxe interiors, the comforting feeling of firelight. They also wanted to recreate some of the spa experience they remembered from Montage, such as therapeutics, steam and sauna, deep cozy comforts, and the connection with nature.”
This getaway feeling extended to the outside too, with Loyd Builders workshopping a pool into the landscape. “One of the biggest hurdles in this project was the complexity of the site’s topography,” explains Tripp Loyd, founder of Loyd Builders. “Designing and constructing the tiered pool on such a sloped lot required careful planning and execution. The reward, however, was well worth the effort: the home fits beautifully into the landscape, with stunning views and a sense of privacy.”
The three-person team worked closely with the homeowners from the ground up to construct a home that spoke to their expressed aspirations, and the process, though fast-paced, was seamless. “Loyd is building a high level of quality at a remarkable speed, and this means you’re still iterating mid-air long after launching,” says Garrett. “Working with a firm that can literally build whatever you can dream up was very rewarding.”
The open floor plan is meant to highlight the living areas that include the kitchen and dining room, as well, and for direction, the homeowners and Garrett studied photos of the Montage resort lobby. Those discussions flowed easily into their lifestyle, comforts of home, and working kitchens. “One of the homeowners is a dedicated, skilled chef with deep roots in Southern cooking, and we all really wanted to be sure the layout and equipment was carefully considered,” explains Garrett.
With an overall feeling of warmth as the driving emotion in the palette, fueled by the evocative landscape of Jackson Hole, Garrett channeled seasonal colors throughout different pockets of the home. In the living and dining areas, she used soft sand colors with natural plaster. In the owner’s bedroom, a summer landscape of trees and rolling hills makes a cocoon of the room, and in the foyer, she employed a winter forest mural that gives dream-like, foggy morning vibes. The latter, Garrett says, might be her favorite, because of the “powerful two-story scale and dramatic silhouette.” In the end, this home is a study in the vast range of Garrett’s style and highlights her desire to always expand and contract to meet the client—especially when it’s the southeastern version of the wide-open west.
“With a clientele often drawn to Southern American architectural elements, but seeking more modern decor, I really see this modern South genre in full bloom,” says Garrett. “For me, that’s a steady dose of classic furniture styles, rug patterns mimicking antiques of a previous generation, modern fixtures, pattern in small doses, and loads of wall texture to create vertical interest. But I love, beyond all, a creative challenge.”