Louis Habeck
The interior of Kate Morris’ grain bin house.
In June, I wrote about the grain bin house being built outside Vaughan, north of Great Falls. The owner of the house, as you may recall, is Kate Morris, an artist and teacher who has lived in Billings for many years and will continue to spend some time here.
And the architect is Nich Pancheau of Collaborative Design Architects, of Billings. Kate was Nick’s art teacher in Lockwood many years ago, which gave an already interesting story an even better twist.
Louis Habeck
The little grain bin house on the prairie, at sunset.
When I posted the story, the exterior of the grain bin house was mostly finished, and it was already spectacular, a great concept brilliantly achieved. Now the house is done and it is even more beautiful than I could have imagined.
The interior is as impressive as the exterior, and the superb views are made even better by what Morris and Pancheau have done with the living space. You can look at lots more photos, taken by Louis Habeck, of Billings, a talented photographer and artist who is featured in the latest issue of Noise & Color magazine, at HOUZZ.com.
An article accompanying the photos includes this quote from Pancheau: “I’d never been inside an empty grain bin before. It was quite remarkable. Incredibly simple and utilitarian. It’s a magical space inside. You could just put a cot on the lower level, and it’d be a beautiful space as is. We really wanted to preserve the knowledge that you’re inside a grain bin.”
That they did. And though I don’t want to make anyone jealous, I have to include this description from the story: “A typical day for Morris has her waking up to the sunrise seen from her bedroom, making a cup of coffee and sitting at the kitchen island. She then takes her two poodles for a walk around the prairie and heads to her studio to make art. She takes another walk with her dogs in the afternoon and then goes to her balcony to sip a martini and watch the sun set.”
Congratulations to Kate and Nick.
