TRANSFORMATIVE BARN IN TEATON VALLEY
BUILDING REVERENCE
By Jennifer Walton
A RCHITECT CHRIS MOULDER, FOUNDING PARTNER AT DUBBE MOULDER ARCHITECTS IN JACKSON, WYOMING, AND DRIGGS, IDAHO, FINDS JOY IN COLLABORATION THE CORE OF HIS APPROACH TO ALL PROJECTS. THIS COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT WAS ESSENTIAL FOR DAVID AND KRISTEN WENDORFF’S HOME BARN IN INTERPRETING THEIR OBJECTIVE INTO A SHARED FAMILY VISION DEDICATED TO INTENTIONAL DESIGN AND EMOTIONAL LEGACY.
“The essence of architecture is in collaboration.”
–Chris Moulder, Founding Partner, Dubbe Moulder Architects
The journey began with an exchange of ideas. Kristen, an artist, shared images from various locations globally that had in common what she describes as a “clean, monolithic design aesthetic of farm vernacular”—a pure, stripped down form with a reverent feel that dovetailed with her love of great design. Both Wendorffs, deeply faithful and connected to their land, spoke with Moulder about the heart of the sanctuary they wanted to achieve—aspace that would welcome family, friends, and community to gather, connect, and create—an artistic retreat for creative exploration and quiet reflection.
“The essence of architecture is in collaboration,” Moulder explains. “We listen, understand, and translate the client’s ideas into a physical form. The Wendorffs’ desires for a sacred, enduring place guided each design aspect.”
As David described it, the barn would be a “living inheritance” to share with their children, where they could grow and learn as a family. Originally planned as a venue for their daughter’s wedding, the project evolved into something even more remarkable. Their ambitious mission resonated with Moulder, who saw the barn as an opportunity to create a structure and a place of peace imbued with meaning and purpose, not just a structure to store tractors, vehicles, or equipment.
“There are no dormers, heavy logs, or trusses. Steel knuckles and collar ties connect columns and beams, ensuring stability without disrupting the barn’s purity.”
–Chris Moulder, Founding Partner, Dubbe Moulder Architects
In refining the Wendorff concept, Moulder and his son, Ethan, who has a Master of Architecture degree and works for DMA, had recently visited Thorncrown Chapel, a celebrated architectural icon by E. Fay Jones deep in the woods of the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Both felt captivated by the chapel’s openness, transparency, and connection with nature. “The lacy, open structure of Thorncrown inspired us,” says Chris, “and we wanted to instill that delicate, airy atmosphere.” However, creating a building in Teton Valley that captures Thorncrown’s purity came with unique challenges. Initially, “Kristen came to me with a vision of a building without overhangs or eaves, but in this climate, we have to keep snow from piling up against the structure after it has slid off the roof,” he explains. The environment dictated a design that could withstand Teton Valley’s heavy snowfall, intense windstorms, and seismic activity.
The barn’s design is about more than beauty it’s about reverence and respect for nature. “There are no dormers, heavy logs, or trusses. Steel knuckles and collar ties connect columns and beams, ensuring stability without disrupting the barn’s purity,” Chris notes. Chris and Ethan’s elegant solution balances structural strength with the barn’s signature airiness to achieve its intricate look.
The architectural process, too, was transformative. Through meticulous drawings and 3D modeling, the father and son team refined the elements of Thorncrown Chapel to their essential forms. Massive windows and sliding doors allow light to shift and change throughout the day, mirroring the quiet drama and weather of the mountains outside. As Kristen describes it, southern exposure and mini split heating in winter keep the barn warm, a “bright, cozy space” in the cold. Exquisite and detailed amenities include a double sided steel fireplace within a glass wall and a commercial bar (no cooking, just serving). The interiors and lighting, helmed by Kristen, are sophisticated and glowing with neutrals to complement the light, texture, and transparent lattice like structure, redefining what it means to celebrate and find solace in architecture.
Siting the barn was as intentional as its design. With views of both the Teton Pass and the Tetons, the structure aligns with the landscape, while a recirculating pond situated adjacent to the barn creates a magical continuity between structure and land. Designed by Chris, it pulls double duty by acting as a serene reflection pool. He explains, “We always aim to integrate our buildings with their surroundings rather than dominate the land. How do we make a building sit with the property to merge rather than command the landscape? That’s what informs us.”
“We always aim to integrate our buildings with their surroundings rather than dominate the land. How do we make a building sit with the property to merge rather than command the landscape? That’s what informs us.”
–Chris Moulder, Founding Partner, Dubbe Moulder Architects
The barn invites intimate and grand gatherings, providing an expansive and connected environment. “We sat our kids down after we built the barn and asked them what they envisioned regarding its use,” David shares. “We encouraged them to brainstorm. Kristen and I believe in doing things as a family and bringing our kids into decisions instead of telling them what we will do. It is our way of what we call a “living inheritance,” a way of passing on values, business practices, and a shared legacy, “shoulder to shoulder, while we are still living, so they can learn from our experience.”
Their answer? “To create a space that encourages creativity, spiritual connection, a space for healing and restoration, a place that blends natural beauty with personal emotional growth; a place where, when one walks in, one is greeted with acceptance and safety, a requirement for personal and creative growth, and, of course, a place to have fun, dance, entertain, and share with others.”
Kristen expresses, “We hope people feel welcomed and inspired here, leaving with a sense of reconnecting with something bigger than themselves. This barn is something we’re merely caretakers of for now. The land here is special and timeless; you can’t possess it.”
Why does a space like this offer such profound grounding in a world of relentless distraction? Do the materials warm woods and glass—resonate with the natural environment, or does the design’s airiness bring a sense of openness and comfort?
“We hope people feel welcomed and inspired here, leaving with a sense of reconnecting with something bigger than themselves. This barn is something we’re merely caretakers of for now. The land here is special and timeless; you can’t possess it.”
–Kristen Wendorff, Artist, Home Owner
Architecture can be more than just a structure it can be an invitation to experience the natural world in a new way, to feel its beauty and power from within a precisely conceived space. For David and Kristen Wendorff, the barn was never about imposing a building on the land but more about strengthening a sacred connection to the earth and each other. In distilling the barn’s design to its essential forms, Dubbe Moulder honored the Idaho landscape’s vastness, creating a space that feels intimate and spacious, receptive to the surrounding light, air, and views. In this program, it is less a boundary and more a frame that holds nature’s shifting moods. The result is a signature of Moulder’s superb design, execution, and alignment with nature, not as a backdrop but as the majestic element woven into the structure’s experience while reinforcing the homeowner’s commitment to harmony, humility, and legacy.
In its speechless simplicity, the barn lets nature breathe through it.
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