Skip to main content

Teton Valley House is an Enviable Vacation Retreat Above the Trees

Eastern Idahoans are lucky. They get the benefit of viewing Wyoming’s famous Tetons without the hassle of dealing with crowds of hikers and Instagrammers. That was the thinking when an active family of four snatched up a piece of land in Teton County, Idaho, to build their dream vacation retreat.

The problem was that 13-acre property is a listed wetland, nearly impossible to build on without the right expertise. Luckily they had the Army Corp of Engineers on hand.

RO | Rockett Design

With the Army Corp of Engineers, the owners worked to ensure their new getaway would withstand the flooding of the area while remaining low impact on the environment. Once the site evaluations and a 90-square-foot concrete pad were finished, architectural firm RO | Rockett Design was brought in to design the home.

Recommended Videos

Built on an elevated part of the property, Teton Valley Residence is a true reflection of its surroundings, embracing an appreciation for nature that is seen in everything from the materials used to the efficiency of the structure. The elevated location of the home doesn’t just help to protect against seasonal flooding and springtime runoff, it also ensures that the family gets to enjoy enviable views of the Tetons, the wetlands, and the wildlife.

From the exterior, it’s easy to see how Rockett Design paid homage to the natural environment. The lower level is clad in stone veneer, a reflection of the mountains to the east of the home. The upper level is wrapped in stained cedar wood, the colorways reminiscent of the surrounding brush.

Inside, the home is outfitted is simplistic Scandinavian style. The first floor houses the children’s bedrooms, a bathroom, and a gym, along with the garage. While views are limited on this level, the bedrooms look east to the mountains which can be seen through the willow brush.

The upper level of the home is the true show stopper. Here the floor is level with the treetops, providing wide open views of the mountains from the spacious family room. Full-height sliding walls of glass allow the space, which includes the dining area, kitchen, and living room, to flow out onto the covered wrap-around deck. This main level of the home also includes the master suite with its own private deck and a tub in the bathroom carefully positioned to take in mountain views while relaxing for a soak.

RO | Rockett Design

The stunning views of the Tetons aren’t the only things that has us jealous of this vacation home. The property includes a private pond (complete with custom dock), access to a trout stream, and a special bonus few ever get to enjoy – a herd of moose that uses the land for feeding and migration. It truly is the ultimate mountain retreat for adventurous nature lovers.

Can’t afford to build your own, custom valley house? Why not just pull a pre-fab cabin to your plot of land instead with the Monocabin, the pre-built tiny-cabin you can actually afford.

Kelsey Machado
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kelsey is a professional interior designer with over a decade of experience in the design field. With a passion for…
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Read more
The best medical shows of all time to binge now
From ER to The Pitt, these are the best medical shows ever made
Noah Wyle in the Pitt

Throughout TV's long history, the medical drama has occupied a somewhat unique place in the landscape. Medical shows are often some of the most reliable on TV precisely because there's so much drama built in to working in a hospital.

Personally, I've found the medical drama to be deeply comforting for years, even if I have no desire to be a doctor myself. Understanding the stress of people in the healthcare profession is fascinating in and of itself.

Read more