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Ben Roth Takes Outdoor Showering to a Whole New Level

 

There’s nothing quite as glorious as an outdoor shower. You’re naked. You’re outside. The air is warm and the water is warmer. When you’re coming in from a long day spent in the sun, even rinsing off in a tiny space made with driftwood walls feels like luxury.

But this outdoor shower by local artist and designer Ben Roth takes the experience to a whole new level. Jackson couple Scott and Sandy approached Ben to design this shower as part of an addition to their private residence on North Gros Ventre Butte. The addition, designed by Carney Logan and Burke, was Sandy’s gift to Scott; as a lover of outdoor showering, the feature was his top requirement for the renovation.

Scott wanted an outdoor shower that would allow him to view the Tetons while he bathed. And while he didn’t want to offend his neighbors, he loved the idea of his head and feet being visible to passers-by. So Ben took measurements to tailor the shower specifically to Scott’s body, and came up with a chic elliptical design that provided privacy without compromising the Tetons. The carbon steel screen is also meant to rust over time, allowing the shower to blend into its surroundings while requiring zero upkeep – so Scott could shower nearly camouflaged by his surroundings (except for his head and feet of course!).

But when Sandy asked that her measurements be incorporated into the plans, the ellipse became much shallower and the design lost its original appeal. Realizing that she’d probably never use the shower, she asked that Ben return to the Scott-specific design. With that, the shower became Scott’s completely custom personal outdoor shower. Now that sounds pretty glorious to us!

 

Hotel Terra Gets Local

 

+ Story by Jennifer Dorsey

+ Photography by Latham Jenkins

 

With two national parks in the Jackson Hole area, wildlife and ranch animal themes naturally crop up in local art collections. Even so, the Nine Francois photos at Hotel Terra prompt a double take.

Wielding a wide-angle lens, the Texas-based photographer scoots in super-close to her subjects and snaps them from oddly intimate angles. Later, she strips surrounding details from the image until just the animal—be it deer, elk or bison—remains.

“For the viewer, there’s a sense of play, an intimacy in the photos,” says Francois, whose work can be found in Jackson at RARE Gallery. “The plain background lets you concentrate on how beautiful the forms are.”

It’s not surprising that animal photographs with a twist would hang at Hotel Terra. The property’s entire decorative scheme plays on the idea of the unexpected: Materials and shapes associated with Jackson Hole’s rustic side come together in a way that’s sophisticated and contemporary, an apt description of the valley as a whole.
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