Color, texture, wonder, joy: the entryway installation by artist Juan Carlos Collada stirs these qualities and more amid Elisa’s clean design for Fairway Transformation. A happy moment amid serene sophistication.

Elisa’s total reimagining of the scenic home introduced luxurious layers, subtle juxtapositions and lush materiality. As well as flights of fun—gestures indicative of her design approach and epitomized by the Collada piece, which she sourced locally at Diehl Gallery. “The butterflies are so pretty,” Elisa says. “They are colorful yet light and subtle in their presence. They feel soft and feminine.”

Abundantly talented, Collada fuels his creative practice by sourcing ideas from disparate sources around him—nature, books, humanity. “I think the beauty of being an artist is that you have the capacity to find inspiration in many, many places,” he says. After studying painting and printmaking at Miami Dade College, Collada traveled the globe, following his many Muses: designing textiles in Milan, furniture in San Francisco, decorative lighting in North Carolina and fashion styling in Miami, before returning to his fine art roots. Having worked in so many modes and lived in so many places, Collada considers his “home” the place where art, nature and family meet—a confluence reflective of his presence in Jackson, at Mariam Diehl’s gallery, who recently featured his new work in an exhibition aptly titled, “The Language of Color.”

Now working from studios in Toronto, Canada and Naples, Florida, Collada blends mediums—painting, sculpture, assemblage. His signature butterflies capture the ethereal presence of the insects through his reverent labor of hand-cutting and -painting feathers into winged compositions. “[My art] feels like the culmination of all the things I’ve done and all the places I’ve been.”

When considering his favorite place to see art, Collada offered his tandem focus on nature and design: “Any outside space where many people can enjoy [the art], although I do love seeing personal collections of people who truly enjoy art. It gives you special insight into what they are all about.”

Within Elisa’s designs, his work offers such human insight, conferring the joyful connection her clients feel to the place in which they live, and the exquisite beauty in which they surround themselves.

When a client dreams of simplicity, Elisa immediately responds by outlining the layered reality of such ambition: counterintuitively, the process of achieving a serene aesthetic quickly becomes complex with coordinated decisions. “Simple is not simple. Quite the opposite: it’s the hardest thing in the world to achieve as a designer,” Elisa says. “Minimalist design is very hard to do well. It’s not just about painting everything white.”

A study in careful contrast: the exterior logs have been stained black while white coats the interior, a seemingly-straightforward dichotomy made difficult with the vast array of black and white iterations. Many tests of stain and paint were conducted in order to achieve the perfect pairing.

Case in point: the underway transformation of a cluster of log cabins along the Snake River into a contemporary refuge for guests. Inspired by the client’s own exquisite aesthetic—honed across an international portfolio of properties—Elisa is carefully deconstructing each space into its most essential parts, and then puzzling those pieces back together into a modern, minimalist compound. The coordination required to achieve this mission of simplicity has been staggering: for instance, adding panoramic windows of the same proportions in each room means disassembling the walls, cataloging each timber, installing the panes, and then reassembling the logs. This meticulous work, expertly executed by a team of log-cabin specialists from the Wind River Reservation, results in a seamless final product: expansive windows slotted perfectly into striated walls. “Everything must meld together,” Elisa says. “Isolated elements are not highlighted. The serene whole is the goal.”

Let there be light: Elisa stands before the wall of windows she and the architect will reconfigure. This process requires precise dimensions and meticulous reconstruction of the surrounding logs.

Amid such nuance, major renovations have ensued, with whole floors removed and interior configurations completely reworked. “This has been an incredibly fun, incredibly complex remodel,” Elisa says. “I’m learning so much from my client. I love the intensity of pushing my brain to think about all these various components.”

Material girl: Every moment matters in a minimalist interior, particularly when it comes to decisions of materials. Stay tuned for how Elisa will reimagine this monumental fireplace.

Designing a home can be a daunting task when it comes to budget and decision making. In such moments—when the seriousness of it all sets in—Elisa reminds her clients to see the fun in the process, and to remember that working with a creative team encourages cohesive decision-making.To lighten the mood, she directs focus to core concerns, outlined below:

Where will you live?

Concentrate your energy and resources on the rooms where you intend to spend most of your time. Once identified, excitement will ensue with an eye to sourcing special pieces reflective of personality and place, like a character-rich antique basin sink for a prime-location powder room, a custom underlit bar for a tequila-collecting client, or a young family’s bustling mudroom replete with custom shoe cubbies and closets. Kitchens and primary suites often top the list of importance, thereby receiving close aesthetic consideration that can carry through into other spaces. “You may want it all, but it’s hard to do it all,” Elisa says. “Pick the rooms that matter most to you.”

What conditions shape your site and your lifestyle?

Thoughtful evaluations of your property and lifestyle can greatly simplify budget discussions. A work-from-home profession requires a resolute workspace, replete with window treatments to desaturate Zoom meetings. In contrast, a remote, forested property may allow for skipping draperies in select spaces—although kids’ rooms should always have curtains for privacy. Children should also be considered when custom sourcing; an investment rug in the living room may not stand up to the barrage of little ones whereas a custom slipcovered sofa will. And staircases need some sort of tread for tiny feet. “I always go back to functionality,” Elisa says. “What will allow for your peace of mind?”

What elements deliver the most impact?

Oftentimes, the interior architecture sets the tone for a home: the foundational decisions that define the overall aesthetic of the space. When recruited early in the building process, Elisa guides clients to make investments that matter—in structural materials and finishes. For instance, in her own home, she splurged on panoramic windows, which meant she waited to source key pieces of furniture until her budget replenished. Everyday, she affirms the wisdom of that decision as she takes in the valley views so beautifully framed by the towering panes. Be patient, she advises. Resist the desire to want everything “done” the moment you move in; instead, “focus on the things you are going to love living with for 25 years,” she says. “Furniture and accessories can be layered in over time.”

Above all, Elisa advises her clients to take an evolutionary approach to designing their home. Making wise, core decisions at the onset allows for future fine-tuning with furnishings and accessories. “Let your house evolve with you,” Elisa says.