Inside A Mountain Home As Stellar As Its Views

Details

contemporary neutral exterior entry brown...

A redesign allows an empty nester couple to host the whole family for Castle Rock summers.

contemporary neutral living room

Jonathan Browning Studios' Le Pentagone chandelier from Town Studio crowns the living room of this Castle Rock home, where the existing stone wall and paneled ceilings dictate a neutral palette. A pair of Newman sofas by Troscan have seats covered in indoor-outdoor fabric by Perennials and sides clad in leather by Moore & Giles. The Madrid swivel chairs by Anees Furniture & Design wear a Zimmer + Rohde fabric, and a custom coffee table covered in leather by Edelman Leather was fabricated by Seaton Frank Wood Studio.

contemporary brown and white dining...

A dramatic Shimon Peleg chandelier from Light in Art in Los Angeles defines the dining area. The custom live-edge walnut table by Altura Furniture is surrounded with Artistic Frame chairs, whose seats and backs are covered in a spill-tolerant vinyl by Kravet. The wine cabinet was fabricated by Exquisite Kitchen Design with racks by VintageView.

contemporary neutral bar

Designers Susan Schwab and Kristi Dinner designed a floating bar between the living and dining areas to engage two load-bearing columns. The fumed, figured-eucalyptus cabinetry is by Cottonwood and the counter is by Caesarstone. The Kubus prep sink is by Franke and the Fulton faucet is by Waterstone Faucets through DSKB Plumbing & Tile.

contemporary study gray

A cozy study accommodates the two owners with deep Charleston armchairs by RJones & Associates in a Donghia fabric on a rug from Floor Coverings by CPA. The leather-topped desk by Thomas O'Brien for Century and the desk chair by Hancock & Moore are from Hoff Miller. The curvaceous pendant is by Artemide.

contemporary living room gray chairs

Pops of color animate the kitchen's seating area and breakfast nook. The Emmitt ottoman--covered in the same Casamance fabric as the banquette--and lounge chairs are by Charleston Forge, the wrapped nesting tables by are by Lee Jofa through Kravet and the Almeria lamp is by Mr. Brown London. The hardwood flooring, which flows across the main level, is by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors.

contemporary breakfast nook sitting area...

A custom blue tabletop, fabricated by Seaton Frank Wood Studio, tops a polished-nickel base by Julian Chichester. The orange cushions on the banquette are by Casamance, and the painting is by Ben Strawn through Walker Fine Art. The Mill pendant is by Visual Comfort.

contemporary exterior sitting area orange...

Just as they did inside, the designers used shots of orange across the new lower patio. Woven Kannoa Maui Leisure chairs--purchased through Chuck Wells--in orange and silver face the Flo fire table and Crossings sectional, both by Brown Jordan. The Lucy counter stools are by Bend, and the white Kwadra dining table and chairs are by Sifas--all through Hoff Miller.

contemporary gray bathroom white tub

Schwab and Dinner chose tile and pattern as a "playful riff" on the master bathroom's tall, geometric volumes. The chevron field tile is from Decorative Materials, and the Chelsea Small Silk tub and Sigma Designer Faucetry fittings are from DSKB Plumbing & Tile. The fanciful Veli Couture Suspension pendant lights are by Slamp from Fusion Light and Design.

contemporary neutral bedroom

Layers of drapery help tame the scale of the master bedroom, while an organic Moooi Heracleum pendant and Anemones 12 painting by Lourdes Sanchez--from Ann Benson Reidy + Associates--soften the room's angular features. The dresser is by Seaton Frank Wood Studio, and the Bond Street Coupe club chair and ottoman, dressed in fabric by Rubelli, are by Donghia.

In many ways, this was the perfect vacation home for an extended family. Built near a golf course in Castle Rock, the expansive Colorado retreat boasts enormous windows with lush views, native-stone walls and multiple guest rooms for children and grandchildren. However, the circa 1980s interiors were less than ideal, so the owners sought direction from designers Susan Schwab and Kristi Dinner to recast the abode as a contemporary and comfortable retreat. “They wanted a modern feel, but they wanted it to be warm and inviting,” says Schwab.

First, the designers addressed the choppy layout by opening the space on the main level, removing two walls: one between the dining room and great room and another cutting the kitchen off from the dining area. They replaced the dated carpet and tile flooring in this space with gray-toned hardwood, which brings out the gray notes in the stone fireplace wall. Next came a new coat of paint for the interior and exterior walls. “Painting the walls white and accenting the trim with a warm, taupe gray changed the look of everything,” Schwab says. “Now, the space feels very current.”

In addition to those gestures, introducing metal and concrete into the architectural mix of glass, wood and stone further steered the project in a contemporary direction. They chose bronze, for example, to accent the custom entry doors, and married the metal with concrete in the master bedroom’s fireplace. They also used bronze to wrap structural columns and fill in spaces in the ceiling beams that were left when they removed the old track lighting.

In similar fashion, landscape designer Scott Kleski demolished the traditional slate-and-stone patio to make way for more modern porcelain pavers across a larger open space that was once bound by perimeter walls. “I wanted to take those walls out and let the patio flow all the way to the golf course,” he says. And as general contractor George Trusz executed the construction, he overhauled the home’s infrastructure in the process–a huge undertaking that included building new wind-shear protection after structural walls came down, removing an elevator and relocating heating and cooling systems. “I don’t think that we left any part of the house untouched,” he says.

When Schwab and Dinner were ready to furnish the home, part of their mandate was to infuse it with vibrant pops of color. “Our other homes have been done in neutral tones. I was ready for some color,” the wife explains. Shades of red and orange punctuate the lower-level media room and the patio just outside, and they also enliven the kitchen’s breakfast nook and sitting area. “We like to move colors around the interiors, so they repeat and act as accents in a neutral palette,” Dinner says. They also incorporated curvy shapes and organic patterns to offset the home’s angular volumes. “Each space has a counterpoint to those angles,” Dinner explains, pointing to elements such as a globe pendant over the breakfast table, a rug in the study that’s woven with oversize flowers and the wallpaper imprinted with leaves that fully envelops the powder room.

The designers worked with consultants at Ann Benson Reidy & Associates and Walker Fine Arts to fill each space with art, opting for sculptural objects to hang as groupings on the wall–another tactic to give linear planes more dimension. “This is how we ended up with some really fantastic pieces,” Schwab says. “Art can be all different kinds of media.” The designers also treated the lighting as artwork, choosing fixtures as varied as tissue-paper-like pendants hanging from red cords, a chandelier made of Shabbat candles by Israeli glass artist Shimon Peleg and light fixtures with gold-leaf interiors. “We’ve never had such iconic lighting,” the wife says. “The pieces add so much personality.”

Finally, Schwab and Dinner transformed the lower level into a media and games hub for the owners’ three children and their families, a tactic designed to keep them coming back every summer. “We wanted it to be sophisticated enough for adults with a little touch of whimsy for the kids,” Schwab says. The five guest rooms, Dinner adds, cater to the different ages–each one with its own signature wallpaper. “They really feel like destinations, not like sterile hotel rooms, and each of the rooms have a sense of fun,” she says. After their first summer there, the wife confirms the design has had its intended effect. She happily notes, “Now, the entire family wants to come here!”