Casita: Compact Western Guest House Crafted for Deep Winter Stays
Casita stands just off the Rendezvous Main House in Jackson, WY, United States, conceived by Prospect Studio as a compact yet complete guest dwelling. The house answers Teton County’s strict 1,000-square-foot guest limit with boatlike efficiency, wrapping warm cedar and stone around a tight program for visiting family and ski friends. Inside, calm rooms and careful built-ins make winter stays feel generous despite the modest footprint.
Snow piles high against solid stone walls while cedar soffits cut a sharp line under the sky. From the path, light glows through tall windows, hinting at a compact world of warm wood and quiet views. Inside, every surface feels tuned to winter days and long evenings.
This small house in Jackson, WY, functions as a secondary residence to the Rendezvous Main House, set within Teton County’s strict 1,000-square-foot guest cap. Prospect Studio responds with a tightly organized guest home where interiors carry much of the project’s character. The team treats each room like a well-detailed cabin, using material continuity and built-in elements to stretch comfort within the legal limit.
Warm Volume Above Snow
The primary living level sits above a garage bay, lifting guests into the treetops and out of the drifts. A cedar-clad ceiling runs unbroken along the pitched roof, drawing the eye across the room and toward wide openings to the deck. Large windows on two sides capture soft winter light and steady views of neighboring roofs and distant trees. Darker wood flooring and trim ground the room, so the white walls stay bright without feeling cold.
Compact Living Level
A single open volume holds kitchen, dining table, and upholstered seating, with furnishings scaled to keep circulation clear. A linear white kitchen tucks against one wall, upper cabinets in wood aligning with the ceiling boards to reduce visual clutter. The dining table sits close to the sliding glass doors, letting meals spill easily onto the balcony when weather allows. Built-in sofa seating, low tables, and simple objects keep the room flexible for gathering, reading, or drying out after a ski run.
Bedroom Calm And Storage
In the bedroom, a large horizontal window frames snow-covered trees at pillow height, turning the landscape into artwork. Warm-toned cabinetry fills one wall from floor to ceiling, combining wardrobe, drawers, and open niches for books and ceramics. The bed sits low and light against soft textiles, so the millwork reads as the organizing element in the room. Lighting stays minimal, with a sculptural pendant drawing height from the peaked ceiling without overwhelming the quiet palette.
Tactile Bath Enclosure
The bathroom leans into texture, wrapping walls in small hexagonal tiles that catch light and shadow across their raised pattern. A compact window punches through the tiled surface, framing a snow-laden branch and bringing in cool daylight. Wood cabinetry and floating shelves echo the rest of the interior, softening the otherwise gray envelope and giving towels and toiletries a precise home. A clear glass shower wall keeps the room open, with simple fixtures reinforcing the clean, edited feel.
Outside, the house repeats the stone, cedar, and patinated copper of its neighbor, so the pair read as one ensemble against the white landscape. The extra garage bay below holds ski gear and muddy boots, protecting the upper rooms from clutter while keeping arrivals easy. As snow continues to rise around its base, Casita stays bright and ordered, a compact guest house carefully tuned to mountain life.
Photography by Tom Harris
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