American architecture studio CLB Architects has completed a distinctive holiday residence near Jackson Hole Mountain Resort that embodies rustic minimalism through its innovative use of industrial materials. The Caju House, named after the Portuguese word for cashew, occupies one of the last undeveloped lots in Teton Village, Wyoming, and serves as a serene mountain retreat for a young Miami-based family with Brazilian roots. The 3,250-square-foot home's defining feature is its Corten steel cladding, whose orange-brown patina directly references the color of cashew fruit shells, creating an immediate visual connection to the clients' cultural heritage while responding to the rugged mountain landscape. CLB Architects designed the structure to prioritize essential living over excess, emphasizing practicality and natural materiality throughout every design decision.
The site's challenging topography—a heavily wooded, boulder-strewn slope with immersive views of the Teton Range and Snake River Valley—required a sensitive approach that minimized tree removal and environmental disruption. The architects responded with an L-shaped composition of two rectangular bars, one long and gabled, one short and flat-roofed, that appears to both embed itself in and hover above the terrain. The short bar extends toward the hillside on slender columns, creating a lightweight touch on the land while maximizing panoramic vistas. Carved-out sections of the weathering steel envelope reveal interior spaces lined with larch wood, highlighting the home's sculptural form and creating warmth against the industrial exterior. This strategic material juxtaposition defines the project's identity, restricting the palette to durable, humble materials chosen for their graceful aging and inherent beauty.
Inside, the material story continues with larch cladding walls and ceilings throughout, used even for custom built-in furniture to establish a holistic interior environment. The wood's golden tones pair with polished concrete floors and stainless steel accents, lending a refined edge to the earthy palette. A perforated stainless steel staircase structure connects the ground and main levels, allowing natural light to filter between floors while serving as a sculptural centerpiece. The ground floor accommodates functional spaces—a garage, mudroom, laundry, and gym—while the upper level positions communal areas and bedrooms to capture the best mountain views. The primary bedroom and three additional bedrooms share the gabled upper volume, creating intimate yet connected living quarters.
Outdoor spaces strengthen the dwelling's environmental connection through thoughtful integration with the existing landscape. A recessed balcony off the kitchen provides sheltered outdoor dining, while a rear deck constructed from metal grating features a dramatic cutout that allows two aspen trees to grow through from their roots below. This gesture exemplifies the design's respect for the site's natural character. The interior finishes balance industrial and organic elements, with concrete floors providing thermal mass and durability while larch surfaces add tactile warmth. The clients' brief emphasized simple living, and the architects delivered a home that feels both protective and transparent, offering refuge from harsh mountain weather while maintaining constant visual connection to the dramatic surroundings.
The Caju House represents CLB Architects' deepening portfolio in the Jackson Hole region, where they have completed several notable projects including a three-part wood-clad residence spanning a creek and a Swiss chalet-influenced mountain home. This latest project demonstrates a mature understanding of how architecture can mediate between cultural identity and regional context. By referencing Brazilian cashew fruit through weathering steel, the design creates a personal narrative within Wyoming's dramatic landscape. The emphasis on essentials over excess resonates with contemporary movements toward sustainable, intentional living, while the material choices ensure the home will evolve beautifully over time, its steel skin developing a richer patina with each passing season.
Photography by Matthew Millman captures the building's changing character across different light conditions, revealing how the Corten steel shifts from bright orange to deep burgundy. The project's success lies in its ability to feel simultaneously exotic and rooted, industrial and organic, foreign and familiar. For the Miami family, it provides a genuine mountain sanctuary that honors their Brazilian heritage while embracing Wyoming's rugged beauty. For the architecture community, it offers a compelling case study in how material selection and formal restraint can create deeply personal yet universally resonant design solutions in sensitive natural environments.
