1,555-Square-Foot Condo
One of Vail's original condo units fast-forwards into the 21st century with renovated spaces that maximize space—and style
America's mountain resorts have sure grown up. In the 1960s and ’70s, Vail was a small ski village in the Colorado high country, offering basic amenities and lodging for residents and visitors who came for the snow. Today, it’s a four-season playground for the international jet set. Modern creature comforts are now the name of the game, but many of the town’s original condominium complexes are still playing catch-up.
That was certainly the case for this 1970s ski condo. When its owners hired architect Mike Foster of Triumph West Development to transform their dim and dated little space, they had a big project—and a golden opportunity—on their hands. “It was a time warp,” Foster recalls. “It looked like it hadn’t been touched since the day it was built. Not even a wall had been painted.”
But achieving the owners’ vision of a contemporary cabin would require much more than a few cans of paint. “This needed to be a place where the family could spend time together,” explains architect and project interior designer Paola Aboumrad, principal of New York City- and Mexico-based Interiores 0503. Specifically, the 1,555-square-foot unit would have to be reconfigured to accommodate three bedrooms and bathrooms, plus a spacious kitchen and multipurpose living area with plenty of room for playing and socializing.
The kitchen (pictured at top) serves as the central hub of this family retreat. Gray lacquered cabinets, a Carrara marble countertop and a movable, raw wood dining table create a stylish study in contrasts. The vintage “Les Arc” chairs by Charlotte Perriand were designed for the Les Arcs ski area in France in 1970. Open shelving—practical for a casual kitchen—eliminates the need for another set of wall cabinets. With their budget in mind, the homeowners opted for a local custom cabinetmaker over more expensive imports.
In the thoughtfully designed entryway, a simple narrow bench covered with a goat hide provides a cozy spot to take off boots.
The living room’s low-profile Flexform sofa leaves plenty of space for an ottoman covered in bright blue cowhide, swiveling television console and B&B Italia chair covered with luxe sheepskin.
Reclaimed wood paneling clads the fireplace wall, providing a rustic counterpoint to the condo’s contemporary finishes and furnishings. The leather club chair is from Restoration Hardware.
A dark-blue velvet headboard punctuates the master bedroom’s palette of gray fabrics and finishes, while a reclaimed wood barn door offers a rugged contrast to the contemporary design scheme. Leather-detailed bookshelves and a simple cotton Madeline Weinrib rug keep the look casual but chic.
To create enough space for the bathtub, the architect designed a glass wall system that separates the toilet and shower. Gray wood-grain tile offers the look of wood flooring.
A Laufen vanity in a dark finish adds a layer of subtle texture to the master bathroom.
A secret passageway connects a secondary bedroom and bathroom via a built-in closet. “It helped us maximize the space while adding a little playfulness into the design,” architect Mike Foster says.
“We wanted to make the room very simple and romantic with pops of color,” interior designer Paola Aboumrad says of this tiny sleeping nook. A Tom Dixon lamp is paired with pale gray bedding and turquoise accents for a feminine yet modern look.
RESOURCES
CONSTRUCTION Forrest Watson, Beck Building Company, beckbuilds.com ARCHITECTURE Mike Foster, Triumph West Development, LLC, triumphdev.com INTERIOR DESIGN/INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE Paola Aboumrad, International Design Plus, New York, NY, interiores0503.com FLOORING Prefinished Solid Oak Rustic 4.7” – 7” wide planks, Arrigoni Woods, arrigoniwoods.com WOOD PANELING Reclaimed Wood Sunburned material, straight edge, random widths, brown/grey, Arrigoni Woods, arrigoniwoods.com BUILT-IN CABINETRY (KITCHEN, BATHROOM, CLOSETS) Homestead Cabinets, Kitchen: Formica Laminate Platinum #902-58; Master Bedroom, Bath & Closets: ¼ Sawn White Oak Veneer, Artisan Designs, vailcabinets.com BARN DOORS Reclaimed Wood Sunburned material from Arrigoni Woods, by Summit Woodworks, Dillon, CO, 970-389-1947 BARN DOOR HARDWARE Straight Flat Track with 402 Hanger Brush Steel, SnowCap Decorative Hardware, LLC, Paonia, CO, snowcapdh.com
KITCHEN DINING TABLE Boffi Studio Miami, boffistudiomiami.com DINING CHAIRS Vintage “Les Arc Chairs” by Charlotte Perriand (designed for the Les Ares ski resort in France 1970) LIGHT FIXTURE Diesel for Foscarini, foscarini.com/us/en/ RANGE Wolf, subzero-wolf.com/wolf REFRIGERATOR SubZero, subzero-wolf.com/wolf CHAIR BY FIREPLACE Restoration Hardware, restorationhardware.com
LIVING ROOM SOFA Flexform Groundpiece Sofa, flexformny.com BLACK-AND-WHITE RUG Madeline Weinrib Wool Flatweave, madelineweinrib.com FLOOR LAMP By Jean Prouve, from Design Within Reach, dwr.com CHAIR WITH LAMBSWOOL JJ Chair with lambswool, B&B Italia, bebitalia.com BLUE COWHIDE OTTOMAN Oscar Maschera, oscarmaschera.com
MASTER BEDROOM BED Restoration Hardware, restorationhardware.com BEDDING, Area Home, areahome.com RUG Madeline Weinrib wool and cotton, madelineweinrib.com
MASTER BATHROOM FIXTURES Foscarini, foscarini.com/us/en/ VANITY Laufen, us.laufen.com SINK HARDWARE Hansgrohe, hansgrohe-usa.com
GIRL'S BEDROOM RUG Madeline Weinrib, madelineweinrib.com BED Restoration Hardware, restorationhardware.com BEDDING Area Home, areahome.com LIGHT Tom Dixon, tomdixon.net/us/ SIDE TABLE Lostine, lostine.com
ENTRYWAY RUG Wool Flip Flop Rug, Madeline Weinrib, madelineweinrib.com BENCH Lostine, lostine.com COAT RACK & MIRROR Tyler Hayes for Lostine, lostine.com
