It’s as if the house belonged to a New England ship captain who sailed the world and picked up treasures along the way,” says Chicago-based interior designer John Cialone when describing the collected and worldly aesthetic of a vacation retreat he designed for longtime friends and clients in Beaver Creek. “It’s a ski chalet with global influences,” he adds. “You could pick it up and put it in the Swiss Alps and it would feel right at home.” And although the couple wanted to update the home they had been using for years, they didn’t want to lose its traditional European flavor and casual feel. “The goal was to keep the original aesthetic,” says Cialone, “but have it function better for family gatherings.”
That concept is exemplified in the kitchen, which the homeowners were crazy about but found too small for their frequent entertaining. The wife hoped for greater functionality and “to bring the outside light and aspen grove into the space,” she says, “but still have it look and feel like Grammy’s house.” DeChant, along with colleague Ryan Wolffe and Cialone, physically and visually enlarged the space by pushing it back and adding an L-shaped porch behind it. The enclosed addition, which can be accessed from both sides of the kitchen, leads directly to a new covered exterior living space and the outdoors, increasing the gathering areas and drenching the adjoining spaces in natural light. “It’s like a traditional European sun porch with exterior stone paving on the floor and lots of windows to emphasize an indoor-outdoor experience,” says DeChant. Outside, landscape designer David Probst worked with the owners to add new plant beds and native grasses. “We created a more elegant and simple feel without making it seem overworked,” says Probst.
In that main level and throughout, woods and architectural details such as hefty moldings, soffits and exposed ceiling beams, were retained and help to temper the large scale of the house and maintain its cozy quality. “The interior was influenced by enduring, sophisticated European styling,” says the architect, who laid out the house with an open- plan main level containing the public areas, the master suite above, and a family room and guest suites below.
In furnishing those volumes, Cialone was mindful about maintaining his clients’ preference for a collected and comfortable appearance. As such, there are no sets of furniture, and the designer worked with a skillful combination of the couple’s existing pieces, custom designs, antiques and unique reproduction items. “All of the new furniture was bought around the same time,” he says, “but the goal was to make them feel like they had been found and collected over time.” Fabrics, such as linens and nubby chenilles, were chosen for their depth and texture, woods were hand-scraped or planed to expose their grain, and existing furnishings were updated with a patinated finish for a timeworn appeal. The architecture influenced Cialone’s choices, as well. “Our team researched Gustavian and Scandinavian design as well as publications on European mountain living,” says the designer. “We were conscious that while the period details from Europe were important, they needed to fit into a house built for current living.”
The same could be said about the whole remodel. “The house is an improved version of itself,” says Cialone, who is quick to note the successful collaboration among the entire team that made that possible. “I’m always amazed at the variety of architectural styles and interiors that fit the mountain aesthetic. This ski house is unique, as it combines the best of European sensibilities with the comfortable feel one expects from a mountain home.”
—Terri Sapienza