Discover A Showstopping Denver Penthouse With Bold Hues

The jaw-dropping sight of downtown Denver backed by the mountains from Pikes Peak all the way to Longs Peak is unmistakably what first commands attention in Mark and Maria Pearson’s penthouse near City Park. A very close second? Their home’s daring use of vibrant colors. Citrus hues drench the living area’s lounge chairs and ottomans, a primary palette joyfully ping-pongs through a family room and pink stools pop beside a rich walnut table and cabinetry in the kitchen. The saturated hues feel fun and fresh, but also read as elevated and mature against the quieter beauty of white walls, warm woods, natural stone and an array of neutral furnishings. The homeowners themselves drove the color-rich interior scheme—“We love strong hues like orange, red and yellow,” confirms Mark—but designer Anne Marie Ostmeyer determined the just-right balance throughout the residence. “The shades sing so much more because they’re in the furnishings and not in all the finishes,” Ostmeyer explains of her strategy.

But to make certain those hues—and that view—could properly shine, Ostmeyer and the Pearsons, joined by general contractor William VonFeldt, first tackled a couple design pain points. The residence had a massive stone fireplace and beautiful-yet-heavy wood paneling that conspired to pull attention from the stunning vistas. “We all felt like, my gosh, there was so much potential for celebrating and capturing these views even more,” recalls Ostmeyer. Out came the traditional paneling and the fireplace’s stone, swapped for a modern white surround that stretches to the ceiling. It emphasizes the room’s height without calling attention to itself, save for an angled detail “that’s subtle and still so elegant,” muses Ostmeyer.

“There are so many classic elements given a modern application here —which felt like the perfect fit for what we were trying to achieve.”

–Anne Marie Ostmeyer

More difficult to determine was the total rethink of the residence’s layout. Formerly designed primarily for entertaining, the floor plan didn’t make sense as a family residence, so the Pearsons knew a remodel was inevitable from day one. The kitchen, for example, used to be tucked back on the south side of the home, “where it felt like more of a catering kitchen,” comments Ostmeyer, and what would have typically been the kitchen area housed a large office space instead. The primary bedroom was also set behind a wall of the library, which blocked the view. Not only did the Pearsons desire the reassignment and revamp of key spaces, they also wanted to carve out separate bedrooms and bathrooms for their two children and find space to accommodate guests too. The limiting factors were, of course, the penthouse’s large but static footprint and the need to tie into the existing plumbing of the high-rise building.

The couple opted to essentially start from scratch, stripping the space to its studs (or “turning it back to a box,” says Mark). They were intimately involved in the renovation, having lived in the space for more than a year before embarking on the project. “It was a great team effort of creating together and going back and forth on architectural solutions,” comments Maria. That effort definitely required some sweat: The design team and clients worked through more than a dozen revisions before settling on a new layout.

A breakthrough came when Ostmeyer moved the kids’ bedrooms into the interior—versus against the perimeter windows—giving them glass walls kitted out with privacy shades so they could keep the view. “That totally opened up one side of the residence,” Ostmeyer points out. The designer also got creative by making spaces like the family room more flexible, fitting in a Murphy bed and partitions that allow it and an attached bath to moonlight as temporary guest quarters. And in the primary suite—which now enjoys great sight lines—Ostmeyer cleverly employed sliding doors to give the Pearsons the ability to seal off their space entirely or to solely close away their sleeping area but leave the seating section open when they entertain.

The designer and her clients had fun, too, especially when setting up a large climbing gym and a built-in double desk for the kids (cleverly painted half red and half blue to delineate each child’s zone) within the extended family room. With all the pieces in place, the home’s new design not only reinforces the goal of maximizing the views, but achieves something truly difficult: It works for everyone. “This is a comfortable family space, but still so sophisticated and great for entertaining adults,” concludes Ostmeyer. “There are so many classic elements given a modern application here—which felt like the perfect fit for what we were trying to achieve.”