Alfredo Paredes is masterful at world-building and visual storytelling, a talent he honed for more than three decades as the former chief creative officer of Ralph Lauren Home—today, his celebrated interiors still contain the imaginative sense of Americana so associated with the brand. Yet, for his clients’ remote Colorado ranch, the designer’s inspiration was anything but fictional. “My clients are longtime ranchers and wanted their home to really embrace that—and the spirit of the West,” Paredes explains.
The property, set in the rugged San Juan Basin on land brimming with elk, wild turkeys and grouse, feels like a state park. “Baby bears were there when I first showed up, and seeing them was incredible,” the designer recalls. The many years he’s known his clients gave him insight into their values, hobbies and lifestyle—from ranching to rodeos. That knowledge, along with his own background in visual design, informed his approach to their abode’s layered, Old-West-made-modern design. “I learned from Ralph Lauren that every place has a context, whether it’s Jamaica or Colorado,” Paredes muses. “When I saw this home and my clients’ collection of Western art, I knew it was just the spot to create a sense of romance and an ode to the Western lifestyle.”
But first, the designer zeroed in on how to make their log cabin–style main house and adjacent hunting-trophy cabin, both constructed about 25 years ago, feel more current. Architect André DeJean, alongside firm principal Andrea Caicedo and associate Michael Roeder, worked in close collaboration with Paredes to update the interior architecture. The effort started small and quickly expanded to include freshening the kitchen’s layout and millwork and reconfiguring the primary suite’s bathroom and closet, as well as recasting the trophy cabin and garage area into a large, welcoming game room, guest quarters and bunk room.
Paredes focused on layering in textural furnishings and colorful fabrics as well as art, including vintage signage and family heirlooms. Vibrant fabrics and rugs set off antiques like the living area’s 19th-century rosewood roll-top desk, while the juxtaposition of Western oil paintings and black-and-white photography adds interest to the walls of the game room, guest bedroom and more. Standout pieces, like an existing vintage snowshoe-and-antler chandelier and a custom-crafted neon sign, create moments of surprise and delight. But striking a balance was key. “We didn’t want the decor to read as if you’re traveling back in time, and we were deliberate about making certain these rooms fit a young family,” he comments, referencing the homeowners’ three children. The wife concurs, affirming, “We wanted spaces that felt grounded and not too precious, and Alfredo understood that instinctively.”
Home Details
Architecture:
André DeJean, Reagan & André Architecture Studio
Interior Design:
Alfredo Paredes, Alfredo Paredes Studio
A Blatt Billiards pool table beckons below an RTO Lighting shop light in the game room. The armchair dons a Moore & Giles leather and a Ralph Lauren Home fabric. Photography by Richard Phibbs and Karen Sachar hangs alongside a custom neon sign.
Hickory Furniture Collective stools in a Zak+Fox fabric line the kitchen island. An RTO Lighting shop light, pine cabinetry and Viking appliances update the space. Outside the window, antlers form an arch around the guest cabin and game room entry.
The dining area is composed of a table and woven chairs, all from the Alfredo Paredes Furniture Collection. Overhead is an RTO Lighting chandelier.
In the game room, chairs of Ralph Lauren Home fabric ring an Old Hickory gaming table, playing off vintage fabric draped across an Alfredo Paredes Furniture Collection console. The photography is by Richard Phibbs and Karen Sachar; the painting is by Wayne Baize.
A Blatt Billiards pool table beckons below an RTO Lighting shop light in the game room. The armchair dons a Moore & Giles leather and a Ralph Lauren Home fabric. Photography by Richard Phibbs and Karen Sachar hangs alongside a custom neon sign.
The great room’s sofas, coffee table, studded armchair—wearing a Ralph Lauren Home textile—and ottoman are all from the Alfredo Paredes Furniture Collection.
Vintage pieces include a 19th-century desk and Pueblo drum, both via 1stdibs; a Beall & Bell-sourced rattan chair; and a Lavender Oriental Carpets rug.
A Richard Phibbs photograph oversees a chair and guest bed, upholstered in Zak+Fox fabric, both from the Alfredo Paredes Furniture Collection. The draperies and chair pillow feature Ralph Lauren Home fabrics.
Built-in beds are dressed in Pendleton blankets in the bunk room, where the designer topped an RH antler table lamp with a Roman shade in a Ralph Lauren Home fabric. The ceiling’s flush mount is from Shades of Light.
Surrounded by stunning views of the Navajo River Valley and San Juan Mountains, the terrace holds a faux bois concrete dining table by Studio Cortes and Log Cabin Rustics chairs. The hurricanes are Ralph Lauren Home; the cloth is Pendleton.
The living room and adjoining kitchen form the hub of the house, so Paredes took care to make those areas feel cheerful, casual, cozy and transitional with the changing seasons and views. “There’s nothing more exciting than American Indian patterns mixed together, as they make everything feel more energetic,” he says. The colorful upholstery, draperies, blankets and rugs—some vintage, some new—weave throughout the rooms, adding to its sense of place and evoking a relaxed, camp-like atmosphere. The designer also left many of the windows in the home’s public areas unadorned to highlight the picturesque Navajo River Valley views, with their ever-changing tableaux of seasonal color.
Some key furnishings even seem as if they’ve been crafted directly from the pine forest surroundings. A scattering of rustic carved-wood pieces—the kitchen barstools, the gaming table and chairs, a living area side table and others—echo the log-cabin build. The designer also worked in a bit of whimsy: The faux bois dining table that rests on the terrace is made of sturdy concrete, a nod to the realities of the area’s snowy winters and abundant wildlife. “We needed something the bears wouldn’t try to eat!” he jokes.
The homeowners, part of a family that has been proudly ranching since the 1850s, revel in the results. “Every element, from the furnishings to the art, feels intentional and deeply personal,” the wife shares. “There are pieces we’ve collected over time, memories of trips and moments with our kids, and Alfredo and his team were able to thread all of that into a cohesive story.” It’s a story that is authentic to who they are, which is why it resonates, Paredes believes. “This house reflects how they spend their time in Colorado, fitting both the context of the land and the way they like to live when they’re here,” he concludes.
Built-in beds are dressed in Pendleton blankets in the bunk room, where the designer topped an RH antler table lamp with a Roman shade in a Ralph Lauren Home fabric. The ceiling’s flush mount is from Shades of Light.