Slopeside Sleek

ARCHITECTURE BY ZONE 4 ARCHITECTS

"A mountain-modern aesthetic wasn't something we set out to create. It just happened,” says architect Bill Pollock of the home he and his business partner, architect Dylan Johns, renovated at the base of Aspen’s Smuggler Mountain. “If you look at the space, it’s really very traditional with a traditional palette of materials. But we used those materials cleanly, so it comes across as modern.”

In this living room, they began the transformation by adding square footage to the existing space. “The corner we’re looking into here used to be an outdoor deck,” says Pollock. “It’s an odd corner, so the expansion was a bit of an engineering feat. The long diagonal beam is actually a piece of steel that we wrapped with wenge wood.”

The wenge beams’ rich hue contrasts strikingly with the honey-colored Douglas fir veneer that sheaths the walls and ceiling. “There’s no drywall,” says Pollock. “Everything has been finished.” The floors appear to be concrete but are in fact covered with a Brazilian slate tile, selected for its uniform color and very tight fit. “It’s one of those things that can come across as very cold and industrial; you can go too far in that direction,” says Pollock. “But by bringing in some woods and other natural materials, we really warmed it up. That’s what mountain-modern design is all about.”

ACHIEVING MORE WITH LESS

With views like these—and the windows to capture them—the key to a great design is keeping things simple:

Create a neutral backdrop Use color in a way that will give you flexibility in the future. Choose neutral tones for big furniture pieces and go bold with the accessories, which you can easily switch out later. In a room like this one that gets lots of direct sunlight, neutral hues will age more gracefully too, while bold colors may become washed out and flat. Don’t be married to the idea of pattern, either. Here, simple and sleek leather upholstery lets the furniture’s silhouettes stand out.

Don’t be afraid of light-colored carpets They offer a versatile backdrop and feel fresh with any color palette. Choose wool, which ages especially well. Its texture and resilience allow it to resist soiling, clean easily and recover well from heavy traffic. When it’s time for a cleaning, simple, natural steam-cleaning—done by a professional—is best.

Make your seating multi-purpose Simple stools like the pair pictured here can do triple duty. Use them as seats, ottomans, or easy-to-move cocktail tables (for added stability, try topping one with a decorative tray).

Achieve balance When choosing furniture, check out its legs. Then consider all the pieces that will live in the room. You don’t want everything to be too solid or too leggy; the right mix will feel anchored but not too heavy. 

ARCHITECTURE Bill Pollock and Dylan Johns, Zone 4 Architects, Aspen, Colorado, 970-948-6787, zone4architects.com