Lauren Santo Domingo Fashions a Sophisticated Ski Retreat in Jackson Hole

In 2022, Andrés came across some minimalist, half-moon-shaped stools by Green River Project that had been simply stained and topped with a cushion. “The deep, rich stain became the inspiration,” Lauren says, adding that a later road trip through Belgium and Holland, which included a stop at Morentz, a workshop that specializes in 20th-century design, made a lasting impression too. Another key moment was meeting AD100 designer Andre Mellone through mutual friend Wes Gordon, the creative director of Carolina Herrera, at a cocktail party after Mellone designed the brand’s Madison Avenue store. With his record of creating luxurious, cozy lairs using natural elements (note his handsome reimagining of the lobby at 50 Rockefeller Plaza), Lauren thought he’d be perfect to collaborate on a modernist version of a log cabin. “I wanted to hand-sand and hand-paint every piece of wood paneling,” Lauren smiles. “And we did. Every door, every stair, all of the ceilings.”

Mellone had admired Lauren’s aesthetic from afar but was curious what it would be like to work together. He found out she has a robust visual library after their first meeting. “She shared a Pinterest board that was broken into three topics: 1920s and ’30s Viennese Secession and Adolf Loos; midcentury modern from France, Brazil, and Scandinavia; and female designers of Italy in the 1970s, like Cini Boeri and Gae Aulenti,” he says. “She knew her references, she knew her history, and she knew exactly what she wanted.”

For her part, Lauren says she was relieved he didn’t balk at her preference for communicating extensively via imagery: “Can Pinterest be a love language?” she says laughing.

Both Santo Domingos grew up skiing in Colorado (he in Vail, she in Beaver Creek) but started coming to Wyoming about 20 years ago for harder courses and lighter socializing. “The first time I came here, I wore a cute little outfit that I would have worn in St. Moritz,” Lauren remembers. “And I quickly realized this is a real skier’s mountain. Patagonia is considered a little flashy.” The mountain that this house abuts is known for its unparalleled terrain, legendary powder, and untracked trails. Jackson Hole turns into a real live cowboy haunt in the summers. “We’re not spraying champagne bottles and hosting après-ski parties!”

Built in 2012 by Portland, Oregon–based architect Michael Howells, who had worked for Alan Wanzenberg in New York, the house’s centerpiece is a large double-height living room. Andrés had the idea to use simple, utilitarian bricks to create a modernist chimney and mantle in the style of Wright on which to center the space, which Lauren softened with a tree planted into a custom millwork bench and using a graphic textile on the daybed. Mellone credits Lauren’s career in the fashion world (before starting Moda Operandi she was an editor at Vogue) for her knack of choosing unexpected color and texture combinations. “I’d sit there and think, I would have never done that but, yeah, it looks amazing when she did it.” The family room overlooks the living room and features a vintage sofa, custom ottoman, and a Bluetooth-enabled egg chair selected by the couple’s 12-year-old daughter (they also have a 13-year-old son)—all covered in the same Merlot-colored fabric.