To hear architect Dustin Buck tell it, the greatest appeal of this newly constructed Boulder home comes courtesy of its slow unveiling. Situated on a dramatically sloped lot on the western edge of town, the residence enjoys unobstructed views of Boulder’s iconic Flatirons. But as you first approach the Japanese-inspired dwelling, its prairie-grass green roof offers a hint of what’s to come.
“As you descend the driveway, you’re met with two concrete masses separated by a glass window seam that reveals a small glimpse of the foothills beyond,” describes Buck, who led the project alongside principal architect Dale Hubbard. “Then you step onto a bridge that hovers over an alpine garden and you enter the front door.” But it’s not until the reveal of the great room, which is seamlessly connected to an outdoor patio via 12-foot glass sliders, that you get the full effect of the home’s sweeping mountains and city views. “It makes coming home each day—or the arrival of a guest—a really fun experience,” Buck observes.
The homeowners already believed they were in the perfect location. They’d been living on the property since 2006 and loved the proximity to hiking trails and the downtown area. But their original 50-year-old house was showing its age and, without an intervention, it was in danger of someday sliding down the hill. They decided to start from scratch. The couple tapped Buck and Hubbard to come up with a new residence with two primary goals: to maximize the knockout views and use their space more efficiently, with room for their adult sons when they visit.
One hurdle was the topography. “The steeply sloped lot meant that any surface area touching the ground was precious and limited,” Hubbard recalls. The limitation proved especially true as they carved out space for a narrow pool. To make the most of the usable grounds, the architects opted to flip the layout, placing the great room and main bedroom suite on the upper level, with decks that offer additional square footage up among the treetops.
The layout consists of two main structures with a glass-enclosed floating staircase connecting them. There’s the private wing, which houses the main bedroom suite on the upper level and a workout area and spa tucked below; then a larger public wing containing the great room and kitchen above, plus a guest area and family room below, where the owners’ sons pile in to watch football come the holidays. As a bonus, each structure offers its own panoramic experience. “The two wings are angled to specific views—the Flatirons and the city—and sit slightly canted in relation to each other,” Buck explains.
Working closely with the homeowners, the architects landed on a mix of steel, shou sugi ban wood siding and custom-formed concrete in a grid pattern. “Our clients loved the aesthetic of natural concrete, as did we, but it’s not for everyone,” Hubbard notes. “We view concrete to be a perfectly imperfect material,” continues Buck. “The imperfections enhance the tactile nature of it; this material begs to be touched and sculpted.” Of course, it came with its own challenge: General contractor Ryan Wither oversaw a team that spent eight months meticulously pouring it to the architects’ specifications.
For the interior finishes, they opted for a blend of “soft, minimalist aesthetics,” describes Buck, “using raw materials to create a sophisticated expression,” and aiming to complement rather than compete with the scenery. To wit, there are white oak floors, blackened-steel beams, burnished-brass and bronze fixtures, and natural-stone surfaces. Interior designer Mary Kay Sunset fine-tuned the millwork and interior finishes, tweaked the color palette and picked furnishings and decorative lighting with the owners. The selection of pieces is, in her words, “timeless and modern, with a clean design and monochromatic palette to showcase the beauty of the architecture and the connection to the outdoors.” Under Sunset’s eye, spaces like the great room—anchored by a curved sofa near the fireplace that offsets the room’s linear form—feel both elegant and organic. The designer also hewed to a neutral palette accented with bronze, brown and green, shades directly reflective of the natural surroundings.
As the elements came together, what struck the owners was that, despite the ultracontemporary build, nothing here is cold. “Even with all the concrete, the wood and finishes feel warm,” says the wife. “And when we open up the doors and the sun streams in, we have an inside-outside living space with incredible views.”
