Steamboat Sophistication with Airy Great Room and High Ceilings
A Colorado mountain home mixes materials with elegant results.
“With sloping rooflines that echo the land’s contours and allow open views over the wilderness, this home is designed to honor the site. Stone, steel and wood harmonize both inside and out. | Photo: David Patterson
When you’re looking for the right place to build your house, a sweeping view can sweep you away. That’s what happened to a family putting down roots in Steamboat Springs. They had been visiting the area for over 10 years, and even owned a condo there, but as they began wanting to spend more time in the mountains across various seasons, it made sense to focus on a more permanent home. “We feel really lucky to have found this site,” says the homeowner. “It’s very private and captures so much of what we love about being in Steamboat.”
They decided to create a home that would celebrate knockout views up and down the Yampa Valley, including the nearby slopes of the Steamboat Ski Resort. For architecture, interior design and construction, the family enlisted the team at Steamboat-based GB Design Build, including architect David Hoffman, designer Dave Rock and project manager Ryan Keefe. “We asked for a home that could flex with how our lives change,” says the homeowner. “We wanted it to be comfortable for just the two of us, but equally suited to a house full of family and friends.”
The home’s combined living, dining and kitchen spaces are open and airy, with a peninsula fireplace serving as a clever room divider, and a dazzling Bomma Dark & Bright Star light fixture hanging from the vertical grain hemlock ceiling above the long dining table. | Photo: David Patterson
In a beautiful solution to those challenges, the team created a two-level home that prioritizes indoor-outdoor living: Spaces open to the natural surroundings thanks to abundant windows and large sliding doors that connect to a series of decks and terraces sheltered by angled roofs with generous overhangs and wooden soffits. Materials including steel, wood, stone and glass suit the mountain setting.
Keefe explains, “On the exterior of the home, we used older, reclaimed barnwood materials and integrated them with newer materials like stone and steel panels to create a modern grid pattern that attracts attention to each section of the exterior.” He continues, “In the interior there is a similar mix of materials—the warm wood ceilings combined with steel panels and finished with a brown patina creates a relaxed living space.”
A gentle progression of steps rise to the home’s entry, where a tall door is framed by steel, stone and reclaimed barn wood. The overhanging roof with hemlock soffits provides shelter from the elements. | Photo: David Patterson
The steel staircase, which sports woven, stainless-steel mesh guardrail panels, is a showstopper; it was created by Steamboat Springs-based Cactofab, with the home’s structural steel and exterior railings by Storm Mountain Metal.
The airy great room welcomes social gatherings with soaring ceilings, huge windows framing alpine views, and a peninsula fireplace that acts as a space divider between the dining and living zones. “We love how naturally the house balances gathering and retreat,” the homeowner says. “People seem to feel comfortable immediately, moving easily between shared spaces and quieter corners.”
The open kitchen features contrasting cabinetry in both dark and light finishes, with Silver Macaubas quartzite countertops. The multipurpose island features both a cooktop and a wood waterfall bar top with a row of stools for guests to gather. | Photo: David Patterson
In the kitchen, the team positioned a two-faucet sink beside a window to take advantage of the scenery, and created a long, multipurpose island with a cooktop on one end transitioning to a waterfall bar top on the other end, complete with a row of stools. “The kitchen was conceived as a part of the greater space, but also a room of its own,” says Hoffman. “This is hard to achieve in a large open space, but creating different views and experiences in the kitchen” delivered the intended effect.
With the Colorado sun shining on European white oak floors, and ceilings in clear, vertical-grain hemlock, each room has a warm and natural atmosphere. Throughout the home, clever built-in features—including beds, desks and storage units—harmonize with comfortable and timeless furniture, lamps and rugs chosen with the help of interior designer Brad Cook, of Brad Cook Designs.
People move easily between the home’s shared spaces and quiet corners. | Photo: David Patterson
Outside, there’s a spacious patio area complete with a pool featuring a stainless-steel waterfall. It’s a relaxing place for outdoor lounging. “Summer is when the house really comes alive, with doors and windows open to views, breezes and the sounds of the forest,” says the homeowner. Living within the embrace of this extraordinary landscape, the family has found their home at last.
Stylish Steel
Cactus Nemec, owner, operator and “problem-solver-in-chief” of Cactofab, believes that steel elements add a sense of permanence to any decor. Here, Nemec shares expert tips for making the most of steel in a residential setting.
- BALANCE MATERIALS: “Steel looks best when paired with wood, stone, glass or concrete. It’s all about balance.”
- CONSIDER FUNCTION: “Steel can be used in a purely decorative manner and in high-wear areas such as certain countertops. Make sure you get a realistic idea of how these items will age if they are touch points.”
- MIX IT UP: “Woven wire and perforated steel sheets come in a multitude of styles, weights and colors and can add unexpected texture in special locations.”
- FINISH PROPERLY: “Have your steel elements treated or finished by a professional who has experience with metals.”
Black tiles and minimalist fixtures in the primary bathroom create a quietly elegant bathing area with a big window overlooking the forest, a sculptural freestanding tub, floor-mounted faucet and a built-in bench. | Photo: David Patterson
A bedroom with tall corner windows offers cozy armchairs for enjoying forest and mountain scenery. | Photo: David Patterson
The spacious pool deck includes comfortable sun loungers and sofa seating. “We envisioned the pool area as another room of the house,” the homeowner says. | Photo: David Patterson
DESIGN DETAILS
ARCHITECTURE – GB Design Build
INTERIOR DESIGN – GB Design Build; Brad Cook Designs
CONSTRUCTION – GB Design Build
STEEL – Cactofab; Storm mountain metal
