Ranch House | WOW atelier

CLIENT

Diane and Sam Stewart

SERVICES

Planning | Architecture

TYPOLOGY

Residential, Site Planning

LOCATION | STATUS

Mount Pleasant, Utah | Completed 2017

one word… family

The Stewarts are as rooted to their land as they are to each other. Sam, with his deep ties to Mount Pleasant, Utah, raises his cattle on ground that’s part of his very soul. Diane, a fixture in the Utah art scene, has championed authentic Western artists, elevating their work to national prominence. Their Ranch House is a testament to this love of family and land, a place where they gather the clan every July 24th—a nod to their Utah roots.

“This house is about family, and we’re tied to this part of the state,” Stewart explains. “Our grandchildren call it their favorite home. The art here is precious, but outside, it’s kid heaven; it’s nothing like city life.” The Ranch House isn’t just a home; it’s a sanctuary, a place where art, family, and the rugged Utah landscape come together in harmony, building memories that feel as timeless as the land itself.

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deep connections

This home is woven into the fabric of Sam and Diane Stewart’s lives. Sam’s family has owned the 1,000-acre ranch—complete with 200 head of cattle, a cluster of guest cabins, and a barn—since his birth. He grew up roaming this land. So, when it flooded, destroying the original 130-year-old ranch house, it felt like a part of him washed away too. “My husband was in mourning,” Diane recalls. Rebuilding wasn’t just a project; it was a mission to honor the ranch’s rich past.

“We wanted the home to be contemporary, but we didn’t want it to look like a spaceship had landed,” Diane explains. They envisioned a space that blended history with modern life—a place with both public areas for hosting family gatherings and art exhibits and private spaces where they could retreat from the world. And, of course, it would be a gallery in itself, showcasing their impressive art collection and honoring their commitment to Utah’s artistic legacy.

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24th of July

To honor the property’s past while embracing the present, we built the home using materials from the land’s history, the same ones used in the 100-year-old cabins still standing. The roof, clad in corten steel, was left to rust and blend with the landscape, while the log walls, complete with traditional chinking, were crafted just as they were in the cabin Sam grew up in. We wanted the home to feel like it belonged here, deeply rooted in the land’s story, not some foreign addition. Materiality was everything in this project.

The real magic lies in the split roofline. Each year, on July 24th at noon, the sunlight streams down between the two Jun Kaneko sculptures, marking a moment of celebration that will carry forward for generations. This home isn’t just about structure; it’s about continuity, honoring the family’s past while anchoring the future in a shared, enduring light.

public-private

The design of this home highlights a contemporary structure with a distinctive split roofline, allowing for a thoughtful division between public and private spaces. One section contains the great room, kitchen, and dining area—perfect for gatherings and shared moments—while the other side is reserved for bedrooms and an office/sitting room, providing a more secluded, personal retreat. This layout encourages a natural flow, balancing openness with intimacy.

The transition from indoors to outdoors is seamless, thanks to the carefully designed outdoor living area and pool, which extend the home’s footprint into the surrounding landscape. This fluid connection creates a welcoming space that embraces both the comfort of home and the beauty of the outdoors. “The home is not large, but it’s meaningfully designed and perfectly accommodates how we want to use it,” Stewart notes, highlighting how every aspect of the design aligns with their vision for functional, intentional living spaces.