SHOP TALK | “WHEN TALENTED PROFESSIONALS TALK, WE LISTEN.”
ADMIT IT, YOU HAVE AN INQUIRING MIND, AND YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE TEAM DESIGNING YOUR DREAM HOME. WE UNDERSTAND THE INCLINATION. SO WE DECIDED TO BRING YOU SHOP TALK CONVERSATIONS WITH THE TALENTED PROS DESIGNING, BUILDING, AND OUTFITTING YOUR HOMES.
Rowen Architecture
JASON CHERRY, OWNER / ARCHITECT
Rowen Architecture is a boutique architecture firm specializing in the design of luxury, custom homes in the Flathead Valley. Their passion is to design homes that enrich the lives of their clients, viewing each project as an opportunity to forge a meaningful connection between people, place, and purpose. As owner and lead architect, Jason Cherry serves his clients by thoughtfully understanding their unique stories to ensure the design genuinely represents their visions, values, and lifestyles.
WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER?
We offer a comprehensive, hands on approach to architecture. We start by thoroughly analyzing your property, considering local codes and restrictions to inform the design process. We work closely with you to clarify your vision and refine the details of what you truly need. Our team then crafts a conceptual design that brings your ideas to life. We prepare precise construction documents and collaborate with talented consultants for engineering and interior design. To help visualize your space, we create immersive 3D renderings and walk throughs. Throughout construction, we remain engaged, ensuring that the finished home meets your expectations with the highest quality.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL CERTIFICATIONS OR SPECIALTIES?
We specialize in architecture that upholds the natural beauty that surrounds us. Each design is carefully crafted to engage with the land, thoughtfully incorporating the site’s unique features to enrich both its visual appeal and the experience it offers. We bring these values to life by using sustainable design practices and responsibly sourced materials, always considering what aligns with our clients’ values.
WHAT PROJECT(S) ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW?
We recently began the conceptual design of two complementary, ultra modern “cabins” where we are blending the inspirational qualities of expansive glass with the cozy warmth of local timbers and stone. For their aesthetic and sustainable qualities, we intend to integrate several unique features like vegetated flat roofs and Trombe wall systems.
DESCRIBE YOUR PROCESS – HOW DO YOU WORK WITH CLIENTS, CONTRACTORS, AND INTERIOR DESIGNERS?
Our approach is highly collaborative, guided by the belief that true innovation arises from listening carefully and working together. Every individual on the project team has something valuable to offer. When we come to the table with humility, our unique perspectives and expertise can be woven into a much more holistic, integrated, and beautiful design solution.
DO YOU HAVE FAVORITE MATERIALS OR ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS TO USE OR A STYLE YOU PREFER OR ARE KNOWN FOR?
We love designing homes that blend the simple massing, clean lines, and generous views of modern architecture with the steadfast, authentic materials of the Mountain West. With that said, we enjoy variety and can find beauty and inspiration in a number of different architectural styles.
WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GOOD HOUSE AND A GREAT HOUSE?
The difference at every level is intentionality. At the largest scale, a good house might fit the site and maximize views. A great house goes further to ensure that the entry procession is logical and appropriate, that the design celebrates the distinctive features of the site, and engages with the sun, bringing natural light into each space. At the human scale, a good house meets the needs of most people. A great house enhances the functionality of each space for its specific owner and curates the experience based on their definition of comfort. At the micro scale, a good house may have nice finishes, but a great house accounts for how well details are composed and their level of craftsmanship, how materials are experienced by the eyes and feel to the hand, and the scientific qualities that make each material the right material. We believe great homes have intentional craftsmanship that delivers experientially, functionally, and relationally. By weaving these elements together, we create homes that are timeless, inspiring, and deeply personal, where form and function come together to elevate the everyday experience of living.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT DESIGNING BUILDINGS / HOUSES?
I love the relational and creative aspects of my work. I get to build a friendship with each client and then support them by crafting a distinct home that is catered to their location, values, and lifestyle. It’s a unique opportunity to improve the life of every client.
WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO WHEN YOU WORK?
My wife teases me because when I’m in the zone, I don’t really hear anything – the world falls away and it’s just me and my work. Occasionally I’ll listen to Bon Iver or similar coffee shop vibes, but typically I embrace the silence.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE SPORT OR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY?
I enjoy basically anything outside. I love the acceleration of a motorcycle, the weightlessness of a snowboard through freshly fallen snow, the solitude and pursuit of stalking a bull elk in rut, the winding downhills on a mountain bike, and the easy cruise of a summer evening behind a surf boat. When life forces me indoors, reading and eating ice cream are at the top of my list.
FAVORITE SEASON?
Definitely fall. I grew up in the Midwest so I’ve always been engrossed by the colors of autumn and the demarcation of seasons that they signify. The days are still warm but the crisp evening air invokes bonfires with friends, tailgating and football, bow hunting season, excitement for the nearing holidays, camping, and a general slowing of life towards the beautiful dormancy of winter.
Our approach is highly collaborative, guided by the belief that true innovation arises from lis-tening carefully and working together. Every individual on the project team has something valuable to offer.
– Jason Cherry, Rowen Architecture
LAST BOOK YOU READ THAT YOU WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND?
I have a weird affinity for reading and learning so I’ll offer several. Fiction: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak because it transforms the tragic into something distinctly beautiful. Business: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki because it challenges normative thinking. Personal Growth: Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley because it reminds me to be intentional in the everyday.
whj SHOP TALK
