Photos by Cara Lemmage || Interior Design by Gemhaus Design || Architecture by Faustini Art || Build by Bear Mountain Builders
When Minnesota native Alissa Ochs, founder and principal designer at luxury real estate development and interior design firm Gemhaus Design in Edina, first sought to build a home in the quiet Montana town of Whitefish, she found inspiration in her earliest childhood memories.
Between exploring luxury dwellings on the Parade of Homes and taking month-long summer road trips to national parks across the country with her family, Ochs developed a deep appreciation for beautiful interior design and the natural wonders of Mother Nature. Her family visited famed Glacier National Park often over the years, and Ochs found that nearby Whitefish embraced the traffic of travelers to the park while maintaining a sincere sense of place.
“The local community is really unbeatable,” she says. “It still has that very authentic, friendly, Western vibe that is often lost as places commercialize.” So, when the opportunity arose to put her roots down in the area, the answer was an obvious and resounding ‘yes,’ and thus Sapphire Summit was born—a luxury vacation home that thoughtfully embodies Big Sky Country, managed by rental company Stay Montana.
“I was really inspired to explore a different expression of mountain living, one that honors the surroundings without defaulting to the traditional log-and-antler formula, if you will,” Ochs says. “That style has its own timeless beauty—I know it well and I have a nostalgia for it—but I wanted to show that a home can be deeply rooted in the landscape with organic textures, layered materials, and subtle design gestures that result in a softer, more modern interpretation of a mountain retreat.”
Sapphire Summit’s proximity to Whitefish Mountain Resort and the slopes it resides on means access to outdoor recreation comes in spades year-round, whether it’s skiing in winter or hiking in summer. The home even has its own private ski-in, ski-out accommodations from which guests can head to the resort’s ski trails. This proximity also means stunning mountain vistas aren’t in short supply, and nearly every element of the home is rooted in maximizing those views and incorporating the feel of nature into the color palettes and chosen materials.
In the dining room, a chunky wood table that seats 18 is complemented by 150-year-old rustic barn doors flanking tall windows that let natural light pour in. Hand-troweled Roman clay walls “create warmth, depth, and movement,” Ochs notes, and these earthy tones are juxtaposed by a 96-inch modern, hammered-brass chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
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Multifamily living was another primary objective, as seen in the inclusion of four bedrooms. One features sturdy bunkbeds that sleep eight, and another two serve as primary suites. The latter mitigates the need for guests to flip a coin over who gets to claim the principal sleeping quarters. The main-floor suite is meant “to feel like a big hug,” Ochs describes, with its dark-colored walls and cozy bedding.
Meanwhile, “The upper-level primary suite has the best view in the house with this oversize picture window,” she adds. “You can sit on this comfy, oversize sofa and watch the skiers go down the mountain.” These slopeside panoramas are on full display in the great room through towering floor-to-ceiling windows. Here, families can lounge as the fireplace crackles in a space where worries dissipate, tranquility exudes, and mountain living is embraced with ease.
Like what you see? Find product information and resources for design elements seen in this home in this comprehensive buyers’ guide.
