When homeowners have a vision for a new space, they turn to these talented architects and interior designers to create timeless properties that reflect their unique personalities.
The wood-burning fireplace with guillotine glass door is surrounded by matte-finish painted metal and reclaimed white oak. “The goal was to mix the design styles of the husband and wife,” says Forum Phi’s Rebecca Olson. PHOTO BY DALLAS & HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY
The husband and wife who own this modern rustic barn in Eagle County had different goals when they came to Forum Phi (forumphi.com) to build their dream property. He has aspirations for being a tractor-driving ranch owner—and a beekeeper, brewmaster, and welder. A thousand acres in the middle of nowhere sounded divine. She wanted blue skies and abundant sunshine while still having a lifeline to civilization. He leans toward a contemporary, modern aesthetic. She embraces rustic. The one thing they could agree on: They both wanted more sunsets in their life.
The barn has two bedrooms for living but also space to house horses seasonally and store hay. On one end, a porte cochere will serve as an entryway once the main house is built. PHOTO BY DALLAS & HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY
Built on 35 acres in the Missouri Heights neighborhood, not far from El Jebel, Longshot Ranch was the common ground. The 3,763-square-foot, two-bedroom barn, completed in 2021, blends residential living space with agricultural space. (They use the land to grow hay for the community.) The separate garage, built in barnwood and tucked away in a grove of trees, features a homebrewing station, home gym and golf simulator.
A built-in bench in reclaimed barnwood. PHOTO BY DALLAS & HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY
The long-range plan is to build a large ground-up residential home on the property. This modern barn feels secluded yet firmly grounded in the surrounding prairie. “We took a minimalistic approach to a rustic modern ranch, balancing the simplicity of design with an environmentally engaged home,” says Rebecca Olson, interior project manager at Forum Phi, which served as both architect and interior designer. The home embraces passive design strategies, including a massive Pac Mill lift and slide door that mitigates the need for AC, and a southeast orientation with steel solar shades capitalizes on passive solar gain without impeding the floor-to-ceiling views of the Snowmass wilderness. “We have set these buildings to receive a lot of sun in the winter and shade themselves in the summer,” she says. The property has a 12 kW photovoltaic system that produces enough power to light the home and return power back to the grid.
Throughout, light and airy interiors utilize clean, simple materials like oil-rubbed bronze, natural stone and stainless steel. Floors are crafted from 8- to 12-inch-wide white oak reclaimed from barns in Ohio, and the exterior uses reclaimed barnwood siding and wire-brushed standard Douglas Fir for the trim. The roof is a rusted metal that took a year of weathering to reach its rich red hue.
By embracing simplicity in this single-roof barn, Forum Phi created a timeless property that the couple can pass on to their three kids.
A wholehome remodel in Littleton’s Bowmar neighborhood turns a midcentury-modern ranch into an eclectic yet sophisticated space. PHOTO BY KYLIE FITTS
With three small kids in their brood, Julia and Sam Wilder wanted a home that would be fun and functional, colorful and funky—yet still beautiful and sophisticated. Above all, they wanted their personality to be reflected in the interior design. The original home was built in the 1970s, and with a choppy floor plan and dated decor, it needed a topto- bottom overhaul. The Wilders tapped Kimberly Timmons Interiors (ktinteriors.com) to reinvent the home.
Warm wood planking on the vaulted ceilings juxtaposes the white brick fireplace. PHOTO BY KYLIE FITTS
“We began by completely opening up the main living space, reconfiguring the stairs, and lofting the ceilings for an open, airy feel,” says Nikki Holt, luxury residential studio director. “The goal was to modernize the home while staying true to its midcentury-modern architecture.” KT Interiors worked with Gruber Construction (gogruber.com) and Red Pencil Architecture (redpencil.house) on the project, which they dubbed “Funk It Up.” At 4,000 square feet and five bedrooms, the modified ranch house wasn’t overly large, so the team re-imagined the existing space with an open floorplan layout, vaulted the ceilings, rerouted the staircase and installed unique functional builtins. Throughout, the color palette features bold pairings: brushed gold accents in sconces and pendants, a moody matte black in wall coverings and cabinets, and pops of burnt orange and cool blue peppered in.
The primary suite features an artisanal handpainted black wallcovering from Surfaces by David Bonk. PHOTO BY KYLIE FITTS
Art deco-inspired tile on the backsplash and vinyl record art add a retro touch to the upstairs bar. PHOTO BY KYLIE FITTS
This 7,500-square-foot Aspen home is one of nine contemporary homes featured in The Meaningful Modern Home: Soulful Architecture and Interiors, a monograph by Chicago-based architect Celeste Robbins of Robbins Architecture (robbins-architecture.com). Guided by the intrinsic beauty of the 89-acre site, Robbins used modern design principles to bring warmth, liveability and a connection to the outdoors into the home’s design.
A glass-centric first floor appears to support the predominantly concrete-clad second floor, creating what Robbins calls a “beautiful tension.” PHOTO BY ROGER DAVIES
The goal was to create a home with scale, strength and permanence to match the mountainous landscape while evoking the quiet elegance of the valley’s wild grasses. Robbins was inspired by the architecture of Denver’s Clyfford Still Museum when she designed the facade of this home in vertical board-formed concrete. “It created a beautiful textured pattern that harmonizes with the snowy peaks,” Robbins writes in her book. “In contrast to the strong concrete facades, walls of glass appear impossibly thin and light, seeming to gracefully disregard the weight of the masses above.” The front door is a five-foot-wide sliding pane of glass—a “transparent plane” that invites entry. “The effect is reversed in the great room, which features an expansive 32-foot-wide glass wall,” Robbins says. This motorized glass wall disappears, opening the room to carefully considered views.
The home’s furnishings, curated by interior designer Shawn Henderson (shawnhenderson.com), are a mix of custom, vintage and contemporary pieces. The goal was to create sophisticated yet comfortable interiors that reflect the warmth and creativity of the homeowners.
Handcut and finished ceiling beams lend a rustic vibe. PHOTO BY RYAN GARVIN PHOTOGRAPHY
When interior designer Susie Ver Alvino of Blank Slate & Co. (blankslateandco.com) learned her friends were building a home in Crested Butte’s Buckhorn Ranch—a private neighborhood with its own exclusive fly-in/fly-out airstrip—she jumped at their request to design its luxurious, modern-meets-rustic interiors. The Hunters, a family of six from Texas, have vacationed in Crested Butte for years but recently desired more space and privacy in a property closer to the backcountry, with access to hunting.
A soaring refrigerated wine wall holds over 100 bottles; nearby, the natural cowhide barstools were sourced from Global Views. PHOTO BY RYAN GARVIN PHOTOGRAPHY
A hexagonal backsplash from Ann Sacks adds interest in the downstairs bar. PHOTO BY RYAN GARVIN PHOTOGRAPHY
Completed in 2022, the 4,000-square-foot 5-bedroom, 5.5-bath home by architect Daniel J. Murphy (djmarchitect.com) and builder Ian Mason is a beautiful blend of contemporary furnishings and comfortable accents. Sherwin-Williams’ Snowbound paint gives a cozy hug to every room, including an open-concept living space. In the kitchen, Bianco Montcarte marble countertops, backsplash and a waterfall island are a bright contrast to the custom steel hood and Wolf gas range. Both the kitchen and adjacent living room feature thick wooden beams of locally handcut, raw-knifed and burned Douglas fir. All rugs, upholstery and furniture are custom, and each window is painted matte black on the interior. “This really makes the windows pop, especially in the winter,” Ver Alvino says. Design details elevate the primary suite oasis, with handcrafted marble mosaic bathroom tile, plush Overland sheepskin rugs and a sleek, 550-pound concrete bathtub that took reinforcing the floor to install.
Hand-worked reclaimed wood warms up the bedroom. PHOTO BY RYAN GARVIN PHOTOGRAPHY
The bathtub was fashioned in concrete. PHOTO BY RYAN GARVIN PHOTOGRAPHY
A modern yet serene aesthetic continues throughout the home, where Phillip Jeffries wallcoverings add a subtle touch of dimension, natural stone echoes the Colorado landscape, and upstairs and downstairs bars shine with handmade glass subway tile and a hexagonal backsplash from Ann Sacks. Ver Alvino also tapped Crested Butte’s Monte Blinds & Design for custom motorized window coverings. For final touches, the Hunters displayed art by David Yarrow and David Geiman, mounted personal taxidermy and installed a vintage chairlift seat from Crested Butte’s Teocalli lift on the front porch. “I wanted to bring the outdoors in and make sure everything has a cohesive look,” Ver Alvino says. “Their mountain home is their getaway.”
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