Blush, mint, lavender, pale blue—plenty of hues hum through this fully renovated Aspen getaway but, under the discerning eye of interior designer Elizabeth Fields, layers and luster lead what might have been a very delicate pastel palette to a much bolder place. And almost as if by magic, the color choices feel masterfully cohesive. Just look to the home’s floating staircase, for instance: It’s been reimagined with an ascending “soft rainbow” palette, as Fields says, with treads of wrapped wool-pile carpeting in muted hues ranging from lavender to celadon. What’s more, the handrail boasts complementary metallic leathers in a corresponding repeat, while glass panels below help create a floating effect. Set right off the entry and visible from all three levels of the home, the variegated stairwell is not only a showstopping design moment itself, but the launching point for the rest of the interiors, the designer explains.
Of course, not every client is willing to sign off on such a sophisticated yet playful chromatic display, not to mention a house full of them. But these homeowners—an active, art-loving couple with adult children and young grandchildren—leaned right in. In the wife’s words: “I’m not about black and white or gray and beige; I don’t even wear those shades. I’m a very colorful person and I needed this house to be fun, cheery and bright.”
A close friend of the wife’s, Fields had worked with her and her husband on smaller previous projects, so she knew how to interpret their wishes. When the clients first showed her the vacation house they’d purchased—part of a new residential project designed by O’Bryan Partnership, Inc.—and mentioned they could “maybe just stain the floors,” Fields had an inkling of what these cultivated residents would require. “I work with people to meet their needs,” she says with a smile, “and sometimes I guide them to know just what their needs are.” And, she adds, the trust they’d already established allowed her to “push them out of their comfort zone, always in a respectful way.”
General contractors Jack Wheeler and Jess Robison stepped in for what became an extensive gut renovation, with Will Hentschel of 359 Design serving as the architect of record. The scope included moving walls, changing out interior surfaces, hardware trims and lighting, and replacing the existing stone fireplace with a new plaster one (“No surface went untouched,” Fields notes). She also collaborated extensively with Greg Bartelt of Vogue Furniture for select bespoke furnishings and an array of built-ins that helped soften certain angled walls, such as in the primary bedroom. Altering those dimensions, the designer explains, helped improve the organization of seating groups, which for this family was of utmost importance.
In many spaces, flooring laid the literal groundwork for how the room would pull together. A trip that Fields and the wife made to Stark yielded the primary bedroom rug, a textured cream carpet with soft blue stripes, right off the bat. “It has leather with the undertone of a soft rainbow,” observes Fields of why it caught their eye. During the same trip, they also selected a rosy, multicolored custom area rug for the great room, an oversize green-plaid area rug for the multipurpose office-guest room and a pastel-teal rug for the downstairs family room.
Fields simultaneously devised a plan for textured finishes that would give the residence a sense of movement and interest. A starting point was the plaster fireplace in the great room. “It has a very modest stipple to it and gentle reveals, so, while it’s a large and important structure, it still feels soft and not overwhelming,” she notes. The same approach is seen in the kitchen’s concrete-tile backsplash—“a whisper of texture that doesn’t detract from the views,” the designer says—and the primary bedroom’s accent wall upholstered with faux-leather paneling.
Attention to texture comes right down to the details. The great room’s sectional is framed in leather, with cushions covered in a sumptuous pastel-blue velvet that reads differently depending on the light. Next to such magnificent views, Fields recalls, she “wanted it to have some depth, richness and luster.” Mirrored, chrome and glass finishes on pieces such as accent tables give the space a chic edge, as does sculptural modern lighting, striking exactly the balance the homeowners like. “Every time we walk in now, I feel so happy,” the wife says. “This home brings a smile to my face.” Or, perhaps, to experience this home is like finding the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. “The idea of a rainbow is one of hopefulness,” Fields muses. “Like after a storm, when you see the beauty.”
