We couldn’t count all the things we love about Utah on all the fingers and toes in the world, but one of those things is absolutely, unequivocally, without-a-doubt the stunning structures that call her home. From Bountiful to Bluff, mountainside cabins to modern retreats, we think the diversity of our structures is a thing of beauty (and a legacy that would be a shame to lose), and who better to name a few architectural spaces of notes than the folks who work to create them? That said, we recently asked a few local architects for some of their favorite spots in the Beehive.

Got a favorite of your own? This year marks AIA Utah’s 100th anniversary, and to celebrate, they’ve created an open-to-the-public poll of Utah’s greatest created spaces. Head to “Utah’s 100 Best Buildings Poll” to cast your vote! Results will be posted in September.


Franklin Ferguson (FAIA, retired, one of FFKR Architects founding partners)

State Capitol Building, built 1912-1916, designed by Richard K.A. Kletting
“The consistency of the elements used throughout – from the classical ornamental details to the marble construction materials — are truly remarkable,” Ferguson says. “It’s a clear, purposeful, simple idea made in a time when architects were a one-man-show, long before architecture became a corporate practice.”

 

ANNE MOONEY (SPARANO + MOONEY ARCHITECTURE)

The US Courthouse, completed 2014, designed by Thomas Phifer & Partners
“The courthouse is a great example of a building with its program expressed powerfully in the façade as well as the interior spaces. The form embodies the ideals of a civic building: transparency, strength, equity, and also the intensity of the experience of appearing in a federal courtroom with its extreme scale, entry, and deep spaces on the interiors.” (Photo courtesy rci.com)

Snowbird Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon, completed early 1970s, designed by a myriad of incredible Utah architects, including Jack Smith, Robert Bliss, James Christopher, Martin Brixen, and Enteleki
“It’s a timeless example of modern architecture in a mountain setting. The materiality of the brutalist building, concrete and wood, continue to inspire modern buildings we design.

John Sugden House in Summit County, built 1984, designed by John Sugden
“It’s one of the best examples of John Sugden’s work, and his lineage working under the master Mies Van der Rohe. The steel and glass cube sits on a forested mountainside, an object placed within its landscape context.” (Photo courtesy of utahcfa.org)

The Cathedral of the Madeleine, completed 1909, designed by Carl M. Neuhausen and Bernard O. Mecklenburg
With its predominately Romanesque exterior and Gothic interior, [this church, restored in the 1990s], has been a cornerstone of downtown Salt Lake City for over a century, and is an important part of Utah’s history.

Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, completed 2015, designed by Sparano + Mooney Architects 
This is one of our favorite public buildings that we designed. Its use of board form concrete, wood, and copper panels is inspired by the community it serves in West Jorden, Utah. The materials reference the parish’s mining and construction history, and the use of these elements expresses how ordinary materials can be extraordinary. (Photo courtesy sparanomooney.com)

 

Warren Lloyd (Lloyd Architects)

Capitol Hill ward building, built 1928, designed by Ashton and Evans
“The Gothic Revival style from the ‘20s was beautifully sited in the shadows of this Capitol Hill building. I grew up in the neighborhood and my great grandfather was the contractor on the building, which was sensitively restored by CRSA within the last twenty years.” (Photo courtesy jacobbarlow.com)

Utah Museum of Natural History, built 2011, designed by Ennead Architects and GSBS Architects
“Great work done by Ennead and GSBS. It’s a large building to site in a foothill area, but their use of materials (copper, etc) create a beautiful border between the city and the foothills.”

John Sugden Summit Park house (or “Cube House”), built 1984, designed by John Sugden
“Such a clear design diagram and one of the few modernist glass and steel buildings from Miesian modernist roots (Chicago school) in Utah. This is one very important building in Utah’s architectural history!” (Photo courtesy utahcfa.org)

 

Chris Price (KLIMA Architecture)

Amangiri, built 2009, designed by Marwan Al-Sayed, Wendell Burnette, and Rick Joy
You know why, but in case your readers don’t: Because this project is inspired by the site it sits in, from the materials to the forms to the details. I also love everything Rick Joy. 

Unbuilt Kimball Arts Center, designed by Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG)
I love this because it shows what happens when we try to bring forward-thinking, site-driven, inspired architecture into a community that is stuck in the past. It makes no sense to build all cars in the same shape and size as the Model-T in today’s world; technological improvements have been made and therefore cars look different from 100 years ago. To me, this is the same issue we see in architecture. We build things differently today than in any other time in history, and therefore we should be true and honest to our modern means and methods in both form and function. (Image courtesy BIG)

 

When Monte Verde’s current inhabitants stumbled across this spot, they immediately had a vision for what it could become. The home’s bones were plenty solid—spectacular views, stellar architecture, and the perfect amount of square footage—but the structure needed a bit of TLC to bring out its inherent charm. As such, after snapping it up a decade ago, the owners have spent the duration of their stewardship meticulously renovating the home in order to fully highlight the characteristics that compelled them to purchase it all those years ago. They moved walls, added a bathroom, opened up the kitchen, and created a layout that breads a sense of connectivity and warmth. Stylistically, they added bold wallpaper and reclaimed wood, while preserving the original triangular fireplace, all in hopes of lending intrigue and depth to the space. 

While adapting the inside of the home to better suit their needs was a priority in the renovation, making use of the home’s incredible outdoor living areas was of equal importance. The owner’s worked with Land Form Design Group to create terraces, planter boxes, and different levels that would shape their various outdoor spaces. The result is plenty enviable. French doors lead to a wraparound patio that, in turn, flows into a saline pool with incredible valley views. A built-in fire pit, meanwhile, ensures that the yard gets plenty of use even when the weather begins to cool. 

When it comes to the task of turning a house into a home, Monte Verde’s current occupants have certainly excelled. These digs are open, generous, loving, and cool—just like the fine folks who shaped them. And, while this spot’s visionaries are looking towards new horizons and future projects, we think it’s plenty worth reminiscing on all the fine work they’ve done here. 

For more information on this property please contact Camilla Granasen at 310.890.2211

If you could spin the globe and pick any place on Earth to put down roots, where would it be? For proprietor of Gradient, Dimitri Allouch, and his wife Gwendolyn it’s Salt Lake City. After spending time in Singapore, Gwendolyn and French-born Dimitri decided it was time for their next adventure, and—longing for a spot with a drastic change of scenery and all four seasons—they aptly selected the distinguished grid of SLC. The pair each have family here, as well as an affinity for the “dynamism of people here…and how [that] reflects on the community as a whole,” which, frankly, we couldn’t have said better ourselves.

Luckily for us all, Dimitri brought with him both a knowledge and passion about skincare, and, together with his business partner Erica Bruin, decided to open up a brick and mortar spot near Downtown. As Gradient is all about inclusivity, we were recently invited to step inside this boutique of serums and dreams to peruse the goods and take in a bit of epidermal wisdom while mixing our own face masks, sipping tea, making tonics, and inhaling heavenly candles (with scents created by Dimitri himself).

Ahhh…this stuff is good for what ails you.

First things first—what’s in the name? The name Gradient came out of an early discussion on all the variations in skin types (and challenges) and how to provide for their individualized needs. We all have different skin and it changes over time. By customizing your skincare, we can answer the specific needs of your skin today and adapt it to evolve with the needs of your skin. This system also allows us to offer products using little to no preservatives, and stick to the most natural and safe ones.

How did this salve-y operation get started? Gradient is a concept store in customized skincare opened in early 2020. We wanted to introduce our respective brands (HEXEH and Yellow Yarrow Apothecary) as well as the work of some local artisans and artists. Erica is trained in botanics and passionate about natural skincare, and I’ve been working in skincare for years, seeing the good and not so good of the industry. We thought that we could go beyond our own brands and implement some of our ideas in a joint project. We wanted to create a more natural and simple approach to skincare with customized products—some of which you could even make yourself in-store. This idea of customization is really at the core of Gradient.

Skincare is everywhere, and it seems like there was a rise specifically in 2020. What makes Gradient products so unique? I’ve been working in the skincare industry for several years now, and have come to a deeper understanding of its mechanisms. How products are made by most skincare companies is quite simple: a lot of cheap ingredients, mostly synthetic, a small amount of “star ingredients” for marketing and claims purpose, and all of this loaded with strong preservatives to keep the product stable on shelves for years. It’s all wrapped in shiny (generally non-recyclable) packaging that often cost more than the actual raw ingredients used. On top of that, most of the formulas are made to work on most skins, which makes sense business-wise for those companies, but not necessarily for the users who need to navigate a very complex market to hopefully find products adapted to their specific skin. 
The solution I wanted to implement was to go back to some basics: offering more natural ingredients in a less-is-more approach, adapting our formulas to each individual, and compounding the products fresh on demand.

How did you learn about scents and lotions (and how did you know they were going to be so damn good for this climate)? One of our best sellers at Gradient is the HEXEH brand hand lotion. When I arrived in Utah from humid Singapore my skin went through a radical change and I needed to find a way to repair and protect it. I am extremely picky when it comes to the quality of a hand lotion, and I needed one that would moisturize and protect my skin in this (very) dry climate without leaving the greasy feel generally associated with heavier moisturizers. I think here we have struck the right balance. When it comes to the scents and perfumes for HEXEH, I grew up near the city of Grasse in the south of France. It’s a small city but the world’s historical center of high perfumery. That’s where I developed the love for fragrances and the art that surrounds their making.

What have you got in store (both literally and figuratively)? We offer a wide range of products in our store, from herbal tea blends and CBD products to artisanal incense and perfumes. But the main things we are getting to be known for are our customized, DIY skincare products. Our custom facial oils, toners, and clay masks are getting a lot of attention recently. The two main brands we carry are: 


HEXEH: the perfume and skincare company I started a few years ago. We offer home fragrances (incenses, room sprays, candles), perfumes, and skincare (body lotion, hand lotions, dry shampoo).

Yellow Yarrow Apothecary: Erica works with botanical ingredients that she grows herself here in Utah, for the most part. She also offers a wide range of CBD products, including her amazing Cayenne & CBD Salve for pain relief and bath salts for relaxation. 

All our products are handmade, most of them here in SLC. To reflect this attachment to handmade, we built most of the store out of raw lumber that we processed in the traditional Japanese technique, Shou sugi ban. 
We have a lot of new products that will be launched by the end of the year: micellar water, cleansing oil, lip masks and lip scrubs, deodorant, serums and more.

Gradient | 50 S Rio Grande St

While the Bloody Mary has well-deserved status for brunch top billing, we’d argue that Mexico’s refreshing Michelada is undoubtedly an equally compelling contender for the savory cocktail marquee any time of day. The satisfying cerveza preparada concoction makes for a bright and zippy sipper on hot summer days. And it’s a delightful departure from the expected drinks offered at a Cinco de Mayo celebration (not that we don’t love a good margarita).

for a savory cinco de mayo, we recommend you mix up a michelada.

The distinct culinary regions of Mexico have generated endless iterations of this beer-based beverage. Variations galore call for straight tomato juice or Clamato (a proprietary mix of tomato and clam juices), lime or lemon juice, hot sauces of infinite denomination, fresh or pickled peppers, and regional spice blends. Usually served over ice with a spiced or salted rim, the ABV is sometimes bumped a bit with the addition of a glug of tequila blanco or mezcal.

The recipe below is reminiscent of a Michelada once enjoyed by this booze writer at a beachside bar after a long, challenging, and ultimately productive morning of mackerel fishing off the coast of Cabo San Lucas. The server delivered the fortifying drink in a spice-rimmed goblet with a half-dozen shrimp still steaming from the grill. He tipped an entire mini-bottle of Corona right into the middle of the glass and set down a couple of tequila shot chasers, to boot…

a highly recommended way to catch a second wind.

Michelada (makes one)

Method: On a small shallow plate, mix together Tejín spice and salt. Rub rim of goblet (or oversized martini or margarita glass) with lime, and dip into spice mixture to coat. To a mixing glass, add lime juice, hot sauce, Maggi sauce, and Clamato or tomato juice. Stir well to combine. Add a handful of ice to the goblet, the Clamato mixture, and carefully pour beer into the glass to the rim. Give it a little stir to combine. Garnish with grilled shrimp and a celery stalk. On the side: the remaining beer in bottle and a couple of tequila shots. ¡Salud!

SLC’s proximity to all things “outdoors” is just one of the many reasons we’re smitten with our city. With that in mind, we’ve no doubt that the location of this Avenues perch played a serious part in sealing the deal when a COLLECTIVE pal of ours scooped it up a few years back. We recently stopped by to catch up and take in some of those sunsets we’ve been hearing about…

Perched on the top floor and catching killer views of the Wasatch Mountains and Downtown, the perks of this place are crystal clear.

And the kitchen is the perfect place to take them in: open, inviting, and indicative of lovely, loft-style living, we gathered here before heading upstairs. See, just one floor up is this building’s community rooftop deck, available to just 15 units. From here we sipped Sundowners, chatted, and counted turrets on the Governor’s mansion.

City life looks pretty good from here…

The importance of Lloyd Architects to this city’s design community is difficult to overstate, as many of SLC’s finest spaces—both residential and commercial—are the product of this fine firm. Whether designing coffee shops, sustainable farms, or modern homes, Warren Lloyd and his team approach each project with laudable levels of honesty and enthusiasm. Simply put, these folks have a firm-as-can-be grasp on everything from the finer points of kitchen island placement to the socioeconomic implications of built environments…and our state’s landscape is made infinitely better by their expertise. 

Basic Style/Ideology: Lloyd’s mantra is “building from here,” and it’s evident in the way he pulls from his structures’ environments when designing. Time spent early in his career as a Monshubo Scholar at the Kobe University in Japan helped mold his style, including the incorporation of spatial patterns found in traditional Japanese architecture. Lloyd prides himself on having helped to build a “design-oriented practice with a diverse staff of young architects,” and the group makes sure that each of their designs is site-specific.

Notable Structures: Snuck Farm, Hillsden House (aka “The White House”), the Timp House, Campos Coffee, Publik Coffee, Powder Mountain Cabins, Park City Mid-Mountain Lodge

Good To Know: As a graduate student, Lloyd interned at The Miller-Hull Partnership and NBBJ in Seattle before working for a few years with residential architect Tom Bosworth, FAIA. He has served as director of AIA Utah, is currently on the board of directors for the Utah Center for Architecture, and serves as a member of the National Advisory Group for AIA CRAN. Lloyd is a licensed architect in Utah and Washington.

Last year held surprises aplenty, so we called on a few of our most-experienced real estate team members to hash out their predictions for 2021’s market in a good, old-fashioned Zoom roundtable discussion. Open to the public, our agents accepted questions from viewers and discussed potential real estate highs and lows in the coming months. Our advice? Listen in…

 

For the first First Fridays of 2021 we welcomed Jordan Menzel of Maple Grove Hot Springs + Retreat Center (to our Zoom lounge) to chat about community and the welcome embrace wild places. After the centuries-old soaking spot had fallen into disrepair, Jordan, along with some SLC-based partners, revived and reimagined the fully off-grid experience, tackling the rebranding, relaunch, and revival of the 45-acre riverfront hot springs. It’s an intentional collection of rental yurts, cabins, tent/van camping spots, and group experiential congregation spots that allow for community connection in an environment fostering physical and mental well-being centered around experiencing natural hot springs. Watch the video below for a tour of the grounds and more about Maple Grove’s mission…

 

We’ve long been grateful for the immense artistic talent to be found among SLC locals and, with our city’s museums and galleries continually upping their already incredible game, there’s rarely been a better time to peruse (safely, of course) bright, vibrant, soul-stirring works that, a decade ago, would have required a coast-bound plane ticket to see. A visit to any one of these exhibits is a surefire way to pass a sunny spring day…

1) Fragile Animals (440 W 900 S): Fragile Animals—the latest exhibit by local artist (and one of our very own COLLECTIVE agents) Mark Seely—is slated to debut on March 13th and is sure to include no shortage of emotionally complex, visually challenging pieces. As an artist, Seely is committed to finding “true purity through the suffering and degradation of both mind and material,” and we’re excited to see how he has made sense of the rampant upheaval of the past year. Click here for more information. 

2) A Gallery (1321 S. 2100 East): Allen and Alan always curate a striking line-up, and this year’s Spring Salon featuring over forty artists is no exception. With a wide variety of mediums and disciplines represented, this curation is rife with color, intrigue, and all manner of compelling pieces. The exhibition will be on display until April 30th. Click here for more information. 

3) Modern West Fine Art (412 S. 700 West): One of our favorite spots in which to peruse the works of both established artists and fiercely gifted up-and-comers, Modern West’s current assemblage is not to be missed. Represented among the talent is COLLECTIVE pal and remarkable painter Matthew Sketch whose work is equal parts intellectually compelling and visually immersive. For more information, click here. 

4) Phillips Gallery (444 E. 200 South): Since 1965, Phillips Gallery has been a stalwart supporter of local artists and their exhibitions slated for this spring illustrate as much. Through March 12th, the works of Steve Dayton and Tom Bettin will be displayed alongside the encaustic pieces of Elena Lawrence, and March 19th marks the opening of an exhibit featuring artists Sandy Freckleton, Emily Fox King, and Patrick McGean. For more information, click here. 

5) The Leonardo (209 E 500 S): An exhibition put on in collaboration with the Utah Black Chamber, Sorting Out Race is intended to engage the general public in conversations regarding social justice and economic equality throughout our state. Comprised of antique and vintage items containing racial imagery that have been taken out of thrift stores and placed in a setting where they can prompt dialogue, the exhibit is designed to inspire candid contemplation of past and present racial stereotypes. For more information, click here. 

6) Urban Arts Gallery (116 S Rio Grande St): According to the Urban Arts Gallery Facebook page, their March exhibit “showcases Utah artists working on the fringes of the creative spirit, whose expressions push boundaries and challenge expectations.” The pieces on display are markedly “bold, bizarre, or downright weird” and will hang between March 2nd and April 4th. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, click here. 

7) Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (20 S West Temple): As proud sponsors of the exhibit, if you haven’t already had your mind blown by the current installation of “Material Issues: Strategies in Twenty-first Century Craft,” we highly suggest you pay UMOCA a visit. The exhibit runs through June and focuses on artists whose work explores the intersection of privilege, power, and the democratized landscape of craft-based techniques. Click here for more information. 

8) Utah Museum of Fine Arts (410 Campus Center Dr): Now through April 10th, UMFA is featuring the acclaimed Black Refractions: Highlights from the Studio Museum in Harlem. The exhibit includes more than one hundred works by nearly eighty artists from the 1920s to the present, covering a century of work from artists of African descent. Tickets must be purchased in advance. For more information, click here. 

This last winter season (and the fall, summer, and spring, before it…), we’ve been cooped up like never before. The last year has been a wild ride for myriad reasons, and it’s left us jonesing to get away from it all in a whole new way. So many of us have been eating/sleeping/living/working from home the last 365, and to say we’re “stir-crazy” would be putting it quite mildly. Lately, any day that’s 50°+ sends us into a dizzy daydream about sun-soaked summer road trips, so we’ve been scouring our archives for ideas on where we’ll head just as soon as we’re able. Our requirements are simple: good food, good tunes, good views, and solitude…

Without further ado, here are a few of our
favorite rural retreats.

1) EMIGRATION CANYON

Nestled up Emigration Canyon, and seated squarely on eight acres of Utah’s most gorgeous mountain landscape, this listing on Pinecrest Canyon Road had us fully swooning last summer. With the then-new Covid picking up steam, it was no surprise to us that this cozy cabin (listed by Camilla) went under contract in next to no time. A few of this place’s perks: a charming cedar interior, a flood of natural light, a short commute to Downtown (on those rare occasions you’d like to get back into it all), and multiple decks for morning coffee/‘ahhs’ and ‘oohs’ over them views. Full story here.

 

2) CANYON GATE RD.

A slightly different speed but still surrounded by acres of lush Utah countryside, this Park City home was listed in 2017 by Corigan. Distinctly modern in silhouette and outfitted with plenty of eco-friendly features, this Promontory beauty was composed of steel, glass, stone, and cedar. The space was situated on its 1.5 acres to take full advantage of those views, and we think the results speak entirely for themselves. In short: there’s no “wrong side of the bed” to wake up on, here. Full story here. 

 

3) PINECREST CANYON RD.

Long-time followers of our COLLECTIVE will remember this truly tranquil Emigration cabin, listed in 2015 by CHCEO, Cody. What this peaceful place boasted in greenery and views for miles was matched entirely by its remoteness. Just how remote? For the Life in Your Space shoot, our crew had to abandon vehicles at the foot of the hill and embark on a quarter-mile hike to the property, which is only reachable via snowmobile or snowshoe in winter. Our consensus: absolutely, unquestionably, “good lord, look at those mountains” worth it. Full story here. 

 

4) MEXICAN HAT CABINS

To quote the 2015 Place of Worship story of which these two were subject, “The term ‘cabin’ is used very loosely, here.” Inspired by and oriented intentionally upon their landscape, the sisters—dubbed Sunrise and Sunset—were designed and built by the University of Utah’s DesignBuildBLUFF program in collaboration with the Navajo Nation’s Mexican Water Chapter, with the idea in mind that “tourism dollars otherwise lost outside the boundaries of the reservation could rather stay and help encourage the local economy.” The cabins are striking, but afford center stage to the miles and miles of breathtaking landscape that surround them, and the result is sublime. Full story here. 

 

5) LINCOLN’S ALTA CABIN

The first in our Cabin Fervor series, this cozy Alta cabin was built in the 1950s and more closely resembles something from a Tolkien novel than from the Swiss Alps (to achieve the mystic exterior, wood shingles were covered in hand-pounded copper). Perks of this place include a fireworks-display-level of wildflowers in the summer, being awakened by avalanche control explosives in the winter, and an unimpeded look at peaks in all directions. Lincoln, take us away! Full story here. 

 

6) MOAB MODERN

One of the most recent additions to our cityhomeDESIGN portfolio, this space is about as stunning as they come. Perched on the out-of-this-world terrain of southern Utah, the sharp angles of this steel exterior contrast the jagged, organic land that surrounds it, but the abundance of glass ensures that the interior and exterior seamlessly blend in a truly jaw-dropping display of nature meeting nurture. With an interior design this dreamy and views this incredible, we imagine the only trouble here is determining where to take one’s morning coffee. Full story here. 


7) TREEHAUS

The work of our pal Chris Price and his partners Park City Design + Build, this Summit Park home had us mood-boarding our lives here when Corigan listed it in 2018. From the outside, the stacked segments of Treehaus cut some pretty clean, industrial angles, but despite this, the structure remains visually congruent with its surroundings thanks to a dark cedar exterior that mimics the tones and vertical lines of the pines that encircle it. Chris Price does it again! Full story here. 

 

8) AMANGIRI

Just a stone’s throw from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Lake Powell, a DIY mile-marker signals the turnoff for Amangiri, a luxury resort comprised of just 34 rooms, a stunning dining hall, and one show-stopping swimming pool. It’s a relatively simple design, muted in its brilliance, and it’s perhaps one of the most crazy-pretty places we’ve ever had the good fortune of visiting. One of our favorite features: the sheer boundlessness of it all. Beyond each room’s private patio, you won’t find any fences or borders to speak of. Just…outside. Full story here. 

 

9) HELL’S BACKBONE GRILL & FARM

This Boulder, Utah eatery is damn-near legendary…and for good reason. Not only is its location completely serene (and like something out of the Practical Magic set design), but the food here will have you daydreaming about your next road trip for months to come—in fact, this place is home to one of the state’s highest Zagat ratings, and is awarded nearly yearly for its excellent fare. Open seasonally, Hell’s Backbone will begin accepting guests again in May…and we’re packing our bags already. Full story here.