A Modern Rustic Vermont Ski House Renovation at Spruce Peak

The design team kept furniture profiles low in the great room to emphasize the views. “You can actually see a chairlift right out the window,” says principal Jayme Kennerknecht. Project manager Courtney Dana custom designed the hair-on-hide ottoman, which is topped with a sliding wood table.

The design team didn’t do much to change the exterior of the condo, which is attached to an adjacent unit, but they did add a vestibule on the other side of the front door to create a weather barrier.

An alabaster-and-leather light fixture casts a welcoming warmth in the mudroom.

The dining table’s manufactured-stone top is durable—and heavy. “Because there’s wood everywhere, this top added some weight, both in terms of how hard it was to get up the stairs and in gravitas,” says Kennerknecht.

The burned-and-stained pine paneling and riveted steel on the great room’s fireplace are echoed in the kitchen cabinetry and range hood.

A sheepskin-wrapped armchair from Audo Copenhagen beckons after a few runs.

The homeowners relax around a firepit and spa located right outside the cozy den, where wallpaper adds interest opposite the TV wall. The ceiling is clad in reclaimed barn board.

A native stone soaking tub brings an industrial feel to the primary bath.

he artwork by Heather Blanton in the primary bedroom depicts skiers in heart formations, while the O’Lampia Studio light fixture branches out to fill up the vaulted ceiling space.

An angled ladder connects the lower queen-size bed with the upper twin-size bunk and saves space in tight quarters.

Bringing a Dated Vermont Ski House into the Modern Rustic Era

When the team at Kennerknecht Design Group first got their hands on their longtime clients’ new three-story ski house at Spruce Peak in Stowe, Vermont, it looked a little like the woodland home of the Berenstain Bears. “It was really dated—a very expected Vermont ski house,” recalls project manager Courtney Dana. “It had rustic moose-themed buttery-yellow light fixtures, heavy pine beams, and a massive fireplace made of boulders.” The design team’s goal was to bring the condo into the modern rustic era without skimping on coziness. “It turned into a full gut renovation: every single finish in the house ended up being touched,” Dana says. “They were looking for something that reflected the setting, which has this warm and kind of moody feel.”

Industrial Touches and Dark-Toned Modern Materials

The original stairway, which Dana describes as chunky and clunky, was replaced with a floating steel structure. The resulting airy-yet-industrial central corridor allowed the design team to lean unexpectedly dark in other areas, like on walls clad in pine and stained shades of gray. “The builders worked really closely with us to find the right material and tone—a rough-cut pine that they burned and then stained,” says Dana. “You can still see the knots through it. It hearkens back to the pine that you would see in a more traditional Vermont cabin but in a very new way.”

A Statement Fireplace with Modern Industrial Flair

In the great room, which is located at the top of a landing and boasts panoramic peak views, the aforementioned stone fireplace provided its own unique challenge, especially when it came to choosing materials. The design team and homeowners opted for a riveted, burnished-steel surround that towers fifteen feet high. “Because the steel is machine rolled, it has a mottled coloring—there’s this wave to the coloring but not to the texture,” says the firm’s founder, Jayme Kennerknecht. “The homeowners were really excited to use a more industrial, unexpected material in a beautiful way.” In other words, it’s just the right amount of gnar.

Project Team
Architecture and Interior Design: Kennerknecht Design Group
Builder: Gristmill Builders