Influenced by Colorado’s scenic beauty, these visionaries design remarkable residences at the confluence of nature and the built environment.
To connect the interiors of this Aspen home to the outdoors, architecture firm Turkel Design employed retractable lift-and-slide glass walls on either side of the double-height great room. PHOTO BY DRAPER WHITE
Turkel Design created an elegant, modern home with the innovative use of prefabrication. PHOTO BY DRAPER WHITE
The primary bedroom opens to a poolside patio, connecting the space to nature. PHOTO BY DRAPER WHITE
WHEN PREFAB MEETS LUXURY
The efficiency synonymous with prefabrication appealed to Robert Bridger, a former Apple exec who tapped the architects at Turkel Design (turkeldesign.com) to imagine his modern Aspen home. With prefab, components are manufactured offsite, allowing construction methods to happen in tandem. “He was drawn to [our] process, particularly the idea of ‘assembling’ rather than ‘building’ a house on this precious piece of land,” says Meelena Oleksiuk, Turkel Design partner.
Positioned on three acres, Bridger’s 4,200-square-foot, four-bedroom house—assembled in partnership with Kaegebein Fine Homebuilding (kfhomebuilding.com)—was completed at least a year sooner than if it had been a traditional build. Yet the design leans into luxury. The exterior is crafted in a thermally modified ash with Western red cedar fascia; inside, European white-oak kitchen cabinets with custom solid maple drawers surround a sprawling island with waterfall countertop. Bridger can also take a dip in the heated pool or soak in a copper hot tub on the home’s snowmelt deck.
Perhaps most impressive is how the house effortlessly connects with nature. Panda dual-pane retractable glass windows in the double-height great room let in crisp mountain air and capture panoramic views. Alpine scenes are also visible from the primary bathroom’s threshold-free shower and free-standing tub. (Automated roller shades offer privacy when needed.) Bridger says he sees a fox sneak past his window almost every day. “Waking up in the primary bedroom is like no experience I’ve ever had,” he says. “Nature is so robust here.”
A double-height great room frames dramatic views. PHOTO BY DRAPER WHITE
The bar combines European stone and barnwood. PHOTO BY DAVID PATTERSON PHOTOGRAPHY
CONTEMPORARY COZY
A modern take on John Dutton’s enormous stone fireplace in Yellowstone was the main request from the original owners of this five-bedroom, 7,000-square-foot home in Steamboat Springs, which boasts sweeping views of the Yampa Valley and Steamboat Ski Resort. Interior design firm Rumor Designs (rumordesigns.com) granted their wish with floor-to-ceiling European stone, a rustic mantle and a hearth that rests just above the floor. “The owners’ hope was for us to create an inviting, comfortable house that was great for entertaining and hosting people of all ages,” says Katie Siegel, designer at Rumor.
Like the fireplace, the rest of the home balances a contemporary look with the warmth of a mountain chalet. Metal and glass play nicely with natural materials. Where there are glass accordion doors, a sleek stove hood and a 20-foot custom light fixture suspended through a three-story floating staircase, there are also wooden beams, barnwood walls and a stone-floored entryway. Raw furnishings, like a powder bath sink crafted from a 1,200-pound boulder, also guide the natural world indoors.
Though the owners have since sold the home, the new residents also love its indoor-outdoor vibe. The first-floor patio leads to a hot tub and fire pit; on the second-floor patio, family and friends can gather around the TV or sip cocktails at the bar, which leads to the kitchen via a garage-style window. In the primary bathroom, electric privacy glass tints the shower window from the outside while preserving the view from inside. “We told a story [that] read well and made a lot of sense,” Siegel says of the home’s aesthetic. “We were able to achieve a warm, balanced and lived-in space.”
The kitchen’s centerpiece is a custom stove hood from Raw Urth that extends past the windows and up through the ceiling. PHOTO BY DAVID PATTERSON PHOTOGRAPHY
A stone sink sits on a chamcha wood base. PHOTO BY DAVID PATTERSON PHOTOGRAPHY
Designers added warmth to the space with pops of color, like this artwork by Connor Liljestrom hanging in the entryway. PHOTO BY WITTEFINI
Design focal points include a floating staircase and the three-story chandelier, which seamlessly connects the home’s spaces. PHOTO BY WITTEFINI
Tom Stringer sought to preserve the intimate scale of the interiors of this 1800s Telluride Victorian. PHOTO BY WITTEFINI
THE ART OF HOME
What started as a temporary sanctuary during the COVID-19 pandemic became the primary residence for the homeowners of this Telluride property, a thoughtfully restored early 1900s Victorian in a National Historic Landmark District. “By the time it seemed practical to go back to Chicago, their desire to do so had evaporated,” says Tom Stringer of Tom Stringer Design Partners (tomstringer.com), which led the home’s transformation with TruLinea Architects (trulinea.com), Ceres Landscape (ceres-plus.com) and Koenig Construction.
The owners’ main goal was to expand the living spaces to showcase their art collection. To achieve this, Stringer’s design firm accomplished a head-to-toe interior renovation. It began with a mighty task—lifting the entire structure to build a subterranean level. This new underground floor nearly doubles the home’s original 2,420 square feet, adding a family room, two guest suites, laundry, sauna and a yoga studio with built-in bunk beds.
Throughout, artwork gives a complementary punch of color to neutral furniture, a mix of midcentury styles and vintage finds that echo a Scandinavian design aesthetic. On the main floor, a subtly powerful image by visual artist Trine Søndergaard anchors the dining space, while the living room features a piece from photographer Maria Svarbova’s “In the Swimming Pool” series. A large-scale painting by Brittney Leeanne Williams makes a bold statement in the tranquil second-floor primary suite.
As outdoor enthusiasts, the owners use one room more than the rest, and it’s not in the main house. Stringer also turned a detached 1800s miner’s cottage into a garage and gear space, complete with its own powder bath. Now that the couple calls Telluride home year-round, they have ample storage for skis, snowboards, bikes and more.
He describes the aesthetic as “restrained Scandinavian.” PHOTO BY WITTEFINI
The library nook sits just outside the primary bedroom. PHOTO BY SUSIE BRENNER
A PEAK RETREAT
Breaking ground on this Blue River project in the middle of winter proved tricky, especially when Pinnacle Mountain Homes (thepinnaclecompanies.com) discovered a large clay bed beneath the foundation that required over excavation. Preserving nearby wetlands was also a concern, but despite these challenges, Pinnacle completed the six-bedroom, 5,446-square-foot home in just over a year. “The lot had incredible views, which made working on-site easy,” says Zane Levin, Pinnacle’s principal architect. “The clients knew what they wanted and trusted the process.”
The clients, a couple native to Colorado but living in Texas, sought a retreat with a look and feel that reflected their love for the mountains. Pinnacle’s in-house Collective Design (thecollectivedesign.com), which served as both architect and interior designer, relied on unique decor to bring nature indoors. Primary bathroom pendants resemble dripping icicles and a Hubbardton Forge crystal drop chandelier hangs above the main staircase, beautifully sparkling as it reflects sun and snow.
An earthy color palette and innovative design touches create comfortable yet functional vignettes throughout. A multipiece coffee table in the great room can be arranged into different layouts for larger gatherings, while the barnwood-wrapped library nook features a singular chair for quiet moments. A sitting area with an agate cocktail table is framed by a black-and-white David Yarrow photo of Cara Delevingne in Leadville. At two kitchen islands, four custom Vanguard counter stools invite conversation over coffee.
One of the couple’s favorite parts about the property is a private backyard pond stocked with rainbow trout, with Quandary Peak soaring in the distance. “They plan to use this house for their own private getaways with their two rescue dogs—and to host their growing family,” says lead designer Lauren Richards. “Colorado has always had a special place in their hearts.”
Stained pine on the ceiling helps soften the impact of the space’s structural steel beams. PHOTO BY SUSIE BRENNER
The home is staged in an idyllic woodsy enclave. PHOTO BY SUSIE BRENNER
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