The house that architects Rich Carr and Matthew Smith recently designed for the Aspen landscape looks a lot like a modernist hilltop castle. The arrangement of minimalist forms–perched among towering trees and the Elk Mountains–serves as a multi-generational retreat for a couple, their son and his husband. “Our focus was for the design to embrace the site and the views,” says Carr.
The architects tied the house to its mountain topography using form and texture. “The gabled roofs and the dry-stacked quartzite ledgestone siding are a nod to the building tradition and heritage of the region,” says Smith. The main house is sided with dry-stacked limestone that offsets horizontal cedar siding. Glass walls and a glass rail that defines a large terrace on the front facade lend a contemporary note. “We also added very thin plate steel awnings that cantilever at some of the main outdoor spaces, adding sun protection and depth and shadow,” Smith says.
Designers Noelle Hernandez and Nicole Stewart outfitted the rooms with a bold palette, simple silhouettes and layers of rich texture. “The clients like fine things and they love Christian Liaigre,” Hernandez says. “Liaigre’s designs were the foundation for our scheme. These clients were drawn to refined furniture, but they’re unpretentious–comfort was as important to them.”
