Jackson Hole is quickly emerging as one of the preeminent creative destinations in the Rocky Mountain West. From it’s boutique galleries and downtown cultural institutions, to the award-winning interior design firms that shape the valley’s dwellings, Jackson Hole is a melting pot for trend setters.
We recently caught up with two of the valley’s most progressive style icons; Interior Designer Kristin Fay, and Gallerist Tayloe Piggott to discuss their design principals, and emerging trends in the local market.
Kristin Fay
Principal, Trauner Fay Designs
Style Start:“I always knew design was something I wanted to do,” says Kristin Fay, who with husband, Tom, welcomed their first children, twin girls, this month, and who has been a Principal at Trauner Fay Designs since 2015. Having grown up in Jackson Hole, and while in high school, she interned with Cabin Creek Design, a firm that is no longer in business. Fay witnessed firsthand the shift in the Jackson Hole aesthetic from Western to mountain modern. Still, she says of her firm, “We don’t have a ‘look.’ We really pride ourselves on listening to clients and designing in the direction they want to go.”
Personal Style: Fay says her style is “all over the board,” but “clean and sophisticated.” Several years ago, she and husband Tom spent six months doing a top-to-bottom remodel of their own 1,200 square-foot bungalow, built in downtown Jackson in 1925. In the kitchen there are Zodiaq, snow-white quartz countertops and chrome pendants by Possini; throughout the house are Canadian hickory floors; and near the front entrance, there’s a print from Andy Warhol’s Death and Disaster series. “My style is clean lines and not a lot of clutter,” she says.
Where to Shop: “Obviously, MADE and Mountain Dandy are great local sources for accessories and I love Pendleton for the same purpose,” Fay says. “I think Home Again is a good resource, because there are a lot of treasures to dig through.”
‘Mountain Modern’ Public Spaces: “Hotel Jackson did a great job interpreting ‘mountain modern,’ ” Fay says. “So did Caldera House, which just opened in Teton Village. The Old Yellowstone Garage [restaurant] within the space there, is beautiful. And The Spur, located within Teton Mountain Lodge, did a tremendous job with their remodel, especially as it encompasses so many different textures.”
Check out some of Trauner Fay’s work below:
Tayloe Piggott
Founder, Tayloe Piggott Gallery
Jackson Hole Homeowners: “Our gallery attracts people with a certain lifestyle, rather than a particular style; we see clients who are confident; they have decided who they are and what they want to be surrounded by,” Piggott says. “They are well-versed and well–traveled, and have been exposed to many different opportunities. They have an acceptance of pushing boundaries.”
Gallery Evolution: Piggott founded her gallery 19 years ago in a frame shop on West Broadway. Unusual for an art gallery, from the very beginning, artisan jewelers have been on the roster. About the painters she exhibited early on, Piggott says, “At the time, I understood there was a wonderful contingent of local artists that were doing work outside of the traditional western style. They just needed a place to show their work.” Since founding her gallery, Piggott has expanded from the representation of local artists, to representing world renowned artists. “Over the years, the influx of people moving to Jackson brought a shift in the type of collection people were after, and that allowed the gallery to make the shifts it needed, shifts necessary to keep myself and clients interested,” Piggott says.
The Benefits of Collecting (and Selling) Art in Jackson: “I feel so incredibly fortunate to do what I do, where I do it,” Piggott says. “Being in Jackson Hole allows me to keep a certain clarity about the direction I want to go, as well as to maintain my truth. Also, I’m not competing or waiting to sell a piece to the more important collector rather than to the client who loves a piece and wants it on their living room wall. I’m not selling art for investment purposes. If that happens to come along as a second piece to the story, great, but I feel like I have this wonderful opportunity to pass a work along to someone who loves it.”
Personal Taste: “My taste is always evolving,” Piggott says. “Art for everyone, I hope, is a constant growth; you grow in and out of new ideas and things you enjoy or don’t enjoy. Outside my own gallery, and in purchases for my own collection, I tend to push the envelope. I want art to alter me.”
