Tenacious Design
written by Aaron Kampfe
photos by Gibeon Photography
Whatever the property’s use and wherever the location, each camp martini space feels curated, artful, and effortless, and the story behind each begins and ends with tenacity.
In interior design, the choices are nearly limitless. Like an artist who begins with a blank canvas, an interior designer begins with a shell, a structure that may be interesting in its own right but lacks the elements that make it comfortably habitable. Adding life to that space—from the flooring selections to the ceiling lighting and every detail in between—is an artistic, and very human, process. Working with the clients, architects, contractors, fabricators, and suppliers, the interior designer guides the process, shapes the vision, and leads the team to the final outcome—a cohesive composition that breathes life into the architecture.
As the designer contemplates, considers, and narrows down the selections, components begin to coalesce, and a comprehensive vision begins to take shape. Ideas are either solidified or discarded as the design is distilled. Questions are asked such as, “Does this belong? Does that detail enhance or distract? Do these go together?” Throughout the process, elements begin to stick.
Before a career in interior design, Colton Martini studied architecture at Montana State University. At MSU he was exposed to design principles, construction techniques, engineering, and art. While all these areas of study are applicable to interior design, Colton says, “Design is a great deal about psychology. My formal study of psychology certainly influences my approach to space and my approach to people, but often what I bring to the design field cannot be taught. At a certain point, interior design, like art, must come from within.”
Colton Martini grew up on a horse ranch in far eastern Montana, near the North Dakota border. A kid of the open spaces of the plains who gravitated to the mountains of western Montana, Colton named his design firm “Camp Martini.” When formulating the name of his design studio, the word “camp” stuck, a word with many meanings and layers. Camping is a communal activity where many members have roles and responsibilities and together create an experience. A camp is a type of dwelling compound with rituals around eating, celebrating, relaxing, and sleeping. A camp can be both rugged and harsh but also comforting and rejuvenating. Colton designs “camps” with the core values instilled from his upbringing in rural agriculture—everyone contributes, don’t be afraid to “get dirty,” talk problems out, and celebrate the natural environment and the physical space that is created around it.
Today, Camp Martini’s portfolio offers eclectic examples of thoughtfully executed projects—grand residences built for generations, quirky ski-in/ski-out treehouses, an A-frame cabin in the woods, riverside glamping retreats, a resort hotel lobby, an urban coffee shop, and lakeside homes. Whatever the property’s use and wherever the location, each space feels curated, artful, and effortless, and the story behind each Camp Martini space begins and ends with tenacity.
Cohesive Vision
Getting More from Less
Before a color palette is established, materials are considered, or furniture is selected, the vision for the project must be articulated. That design direction begins with the client’s desires and dreams, evolves as its players have input, and is followed by a plan to move forward and bring the concepts to fruition.
Branden and Kenny, a couple from Missoula, had a favorite camping site along the Clark’s Fork River, near Quinn Hot Springs. Near that campsite, they had noticed a small lot with a dilapidated cabin. After many visits, they had never seen the cabin being used. On a lark, they contacted the property owners about purchasing the property. Their timing was coincidental and fortuitous as the elderly couple who owned the lot happened to be discussing selling it.
Initially, Branden and Kenny envisioned fixing up the run-down cabin but realized that new construction was a better option. One evening they were out in Missoula with their friend Colton Martini and shared their idea. They saw the project as relatively modest and didn’t see the need for an interior designer.
Colton listened to their ideas, asked some probing questions, and assessed the possibilities. He says, “A home with less square footage and a smaller budget can be equally rewarding as some of our multi-million-dollar projects. It all begins with the relationship. While yes, working with friends is usually not a good idea, I felt that my relationship with Branden and Kenny was solid and they could really use my help… help to see a bigger vision for a smaller project.”
“A home with less square footage and a smaller budget can be equally rewarding as some of our multi-million-dollar projects. It all begins with the relationship.”
–Colton Martini, Camp Martini
For the project to be within Branden and Kenny’s budget, they needed additional income, and a vacation rental would make that possible. The key to its success was making the rental very desirable and attractive to guests, but still an adored second home for its owners. Colton says, “An A-frame is inherently unique and generates interest. For a family or small group of friends who are getting away from it all in the woods, an A-frame feels both natural to the environment and fun. Our selections of materials, furniture, and accents didn’t need to be super expensive to create a one-of-kind vacation experience.”
On the exterior, the A-frame’s dark-stained wood blends the structure into the forest. Its extended porch offers occupants easy and comfortable access to the outdoors. The ground floor has a clean, modern look complemented by the natural feel of leather furnishings, wool blankets, and smooth wood paneling. In the upstairs bedrooms, classic western patterns and textures create a cozy feel in the space.
The final design and build worked on many levels. Branden and Kenny were able to upgrade their property beyond their initial expectations, have a getaway close to their home in Missoula, and nurture an asset that provides income. Being close to recreation like hiking, fishing, off-roading, and hot springs paired with the charm of the design, the A-frame has become one of the most desired vacation rentals in the area, but, more importantly, a rejuvenating and relaxing space for its owners.
Adherence to Principles
Sparks of Creativity
With a portfolio of projects that range from the mountains of Montana to the beaches of California, Camp Martini has guided both residential and commercial clients from the initial vision to the final install. Throughout the design process, Colton Martini and his teams strive to balance established design conventions with innovation and creativity.
For a camp along a river in northwest Montana, Colton’s challenge was to balance the “down-to-earth” with the “over-the-top.” He drew inspiration from the camps of 100 years ago—heavy wool blankets; rough-hewn bedframes and dressers; bear skin rugs. The canvas wall tents were upgraded and re-enforced with platforms on foundations, heavy log beams for structural support, and trimmed doorframes. For an “over-the-top” addition, Colton designed a bath tent with a claw-foot bathtub, running water, vanity, outdoor shower, and flush toilet… hardly the camp of 100 years ago. He transformed the camp to glamp.
“I crave a variety of types of work. You design a home for a single family; you design a public space for the thousands who experience it.”
–Colton Martini, Camp Martini
For a commercial project in downtown Whitefish, Colton blended Montana vernacular, East Coast sophistication, and ski resort casualness into a one-of-a-kind hotel lobby. When entering the Firebrand Hotel, one’s instinctual thought is, “Wow, this is different! It feels hip… but Montana hip. This place has soul.”
While hotel chains strive to create uniformity in their brands, the Firebrand is unlike any other lodging in Whitefish or in the country. Retaining Colton Martini for the design, the hotel’s development team bridged the sophistication of their patrons with the down-to-earth, casual ethos of the location and the locals. The idea was to mix not just aesthetics, but people as well.
Colton says, “I really enjoy commercial projects because they pose a whole new set of challenges. I crave a variety of types of work. You design a home for a single family; you design a public space for the thousands who experience it.”
In the evening at the Firebrand, the thoughtful and creative integration of the lighting design with the interior design reveals itself. As one enters the lobby, what is immediately striking is the steel fireplace that extends into the atrium and is accented with a two-story wood pile on its sides. Along a wall, buffalo skulls are lit from above to create a shadowy reference to the Old West—Charlie Russell, Montana’s high plains, and native peoples. At the reception desk, reclaimed wood and native stone welcome guests to Whitefish. The lighting throughout the public space draws subtle attention to details that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Creativity in interior design, like with most art, only percolates once the foundations are established. A home (or camp or hotel lobby) needs the basics—structural integrity, practical utility, and functionality. Then design principles relating to topics such as composition, color palette, form, and texture are integrated. Aesthetics, which is the most noticeable and discussed aspect of interior design, often is introduced last. For success, all elements must be tenacious.
Persistence in Execution
Be rugged to be refined
A scroll through Camp Martini’s Instagram offers engaging and polished images of interior spaces and architecture. Breathtaking photographs of lakefront patios, ski-in/ski-out treehouses, powder rooms with wallpaper that pops, lavish bedrooms, and living rooms adorned with colorful art and inviting furnishings fill the social media feed. You may see the team sipping champagne with a Rocky Mountain backdrop or boarding a private jet for a site visit, but behind the glamour of interior design is the work of interior design and Camp Martini isn’t afraid to share that.
Colton Martini says, “Interior design is construction. Physical items need to be designed, built, delivered, and installed. Whether it’s a fabric, faucet, fixture, or fence, someone or a team of people made that item. In order for that home to look that beautiful, we all have had to get messy.” Occasionally, the Camp Martini Instagram feed allows its followers behind the scenes. Snapshots of the team unloading a truck, slugging materials across a muddy driveway, handling power tools, scrubbing surfaces, or assembling an install can be found amongst all the high-gloss photography.
“Interior design is construction. Physical items need to be designed, built, delivered, and installed. Whether it’s a fabric, faucet, fixture, or fence, someone or a team of people made that item. In order for that home to look that beautiful, we all have had to get messy.”
–Colton Martini, Camp Martini
With a rural, agricultural upbringing, Colton isn’t afraid to ‘get dirty’ and instills the same work ethic in his staff. At times, the team needs to literally roll up their shirtsleeves to do such tasks as power washing a deck, ironing draperies, cleaning toilets, or moving furniture. Colton says, “Even tasks that seem pretty fun and fancy like selecting tile or art are really work. So much has to be considered, from the most minute details to the big picture concepts. The work can be both physically and mentally gruelling.”
On the ranch growing up, Colton’s closest companion was his sister Chelsea. With few other kids around, they both played and worked together. As adults, their relationship remains tight, and they still play and work together. Chelsea, a jewelry artist and creative, contributes to Camp Martini as the media director and a “hired hand,” ready to pitch in for whatever is needed.
Starting one’s own business requires focus, ingenuity, and hard work, all traits embodied by Colton. He reflects, “At times I ask myself, ‘What is success?’ I’ll tour a project in a place like Big Sky or Sun Valley and think, ‘This is amazing, but what I am doing here?’ Then I remind myself, ‘Yeah, this ranch kid is capable of this too and the ranch is what gave me the drive, work ethic, and focus to be here. The ranch makes you grounded but also creatively resourceful.”
Enduring Legacies
Generational Connections
Early in the design process, Colton asks, “What do you want to endure? What do you want for the now and what do you want for the future?”
A Whitefish family owned a property adjacent to their primary home’s location. They held that parcel as the site to build their last house, a home that would be enjoyed by their three kids, grandkids, and generations to come. They enlisted Camp Martini to do the interior design.
While most of Camp Martini’s residential work is for second homeowners, Colton was excited to design a primary home for locals. Colton contrasts his approach, “Clients bring with them their native sensibilities—what they bring with them from New York, Florida, Texas, or LA. They want a Montana experience but to still be in touch with their roots. From a design perspective, that means bringing in elements from their primary home. Someone from New York may want something more urban. Someone from Florida might like more color. From LA, it might be modern art. This is their personal taste and style that doesn’t disappear when they get to Montana.
Early in the design process, Colton asks, “What do you want to endure? What do you want for the now and what do you want for the future?”
“For this project for a couple who are native Montanans, the opposite is the case. I ask them what they like about other places in the world that we could incorporate into their primary home. The wife loves elements of the Beverly Hills Hotel in LA, so we designed powder rooms with colorful, patterned wallpaper and fun tile and fixtures.”
Being a home that is lived in every day and hosts large gatherings of friends and family, durability was important in selecting materials. The open plan kitchen, dining, and living room offered ample space to gather and socialize. A butler’s kitchen was tucked away, off the main kitchen, to provide a workspace away from communal space. The lower-level rec and TV room offered a space to hang out, watch sports, play board games, and shoot pool. Bedrooms were tailored to individual family members and their interests and tastes. The one request from wife was a large, custom closet, a room in itself—a fashion and wardrobe staging location where clothes, jewelry, shoes, and accessories are easily assessable.
Colton says, “What I kept in mind for this property is the elements that will endure for decades and the elements that will need to evolve over time. For example, a kid’s bedroom should be designed for that kid’s age at the time, but easily reconfigured in a few years as the kid’s interests change. A five-year-old may be into dinosaurs, but at eight into cowboys, and thirteen skiing. I think about what can be relatively easily changed—wallpaper, bedding, curtains, artwork… A space should both stand the test of time but also evolve over time.”
Tenacious Design
Cohesive, Persistent, Adherent, & Enduring
Like launching a collective art project, a design team begins with a blank canvas—empty rooms and lifeless spaces. Through the creative process, the vision evolves, concepts solidify, and details are distilled.
Sophia Beaudoin, a lead interior designer on the team, says, “At Camp Martini each member of our team has to be pretty scrappy. Colton runs the studio like running a family ranch—everyone has a job and responsibilities; everyone contributes in significant ways to each project; new ideas are always welcomed but always vetted; when things get messy, we roll up our sleeves; and when it’s time to celebrate at the end of a work day, or when a project wraps, we find joy in our accomplishments and joy in each other.”
“That cabin was one of Colton’s first architecture and interior design projects. He has been building camps ever since.”
”–Chelsea Martini, Camp Martini
When Colton was thirteen, he and his father built a cabin on the family ranch. Colton’s sister Chelsea halfway jokes, “That cabin was one of Colton’s first architecture and interior design projects. He has been building camps ever since.”
A builder who has worked extensively with Camp Martini, Kelsey Bingham of Bear Mountain Builders, says, “Building a custom home takes a collaborative effort and the interior designer has a tough job on this team. They must help create high-level finish material choices that not only meet the expectations of the client, but also complement the architecture and conform to the budget. Communication is key. Colton is not only a focused and thoughtful communicator, but he also brings a level of calm professionalism, architectural understanding, and creativity to each project.”
After the project is installed, the space is polished, and the clients move in, what endures, what holds, what is tenacious? Colton says, “I give my clients a version of themselves. Sometimes that version is not a version they immediately see of themselves, but a better version of themselves. We help them discover a part of them they didn’t realize. We help them find what sticks, what resonates in both their space and their souls.”
Left to Right: Colton Martini, Owner + Lead Designer. Chelsea Martini, Media Director. Jason Abel, Project Manager. Claire Christensen, Lead Design Associate. Sophia Beaudoin, Lead Design Associate.
