A Modern Home Built into the Hill

With ski resort views and seamless indoor-outdoor transitions, this Steamboat Springs home truly honors its site.

When this retirement-age couple decided to build their new full-time residence in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a few things were top priorities: comfort, space for their art and antiques from traveling the globe, and main-level living with lower-level guest suites for their adult children.

What they got was a forever home with all that and then some: a transitional-modern manse anchored to the land with seamless indoor-outdoor transitions and unobstructed views from every possible angle.

A primary gable nods to traditional mountain architecture, while flat and low-slope roofs, exposed steel, and a handful of vertical and horizontal siding sing a more modern tune. Zinc and tri-colored stone siding incorporate cooler gray and blue tones, while the wood adds warmth. Instead of a monotone exterior color palette, all four materials harmonize together, adding dimension and paying homage to the home’s extraordinary site.

The home was built directly into Steamboat’s rolling foothills, allowing for an en grade patio—including fire pit and water features—extending out from the main level. From there, an intermediary terrace boasts a bocce ball court, while more steps lead to the lower-level outdoor living spaces.

Structured steel beams and dark douglas fir columns echo the exterior architecture and continue this theme throughout the home’s interior. The entry door was crafted of walnut and blackened stainless steel inlays, finished in a similar style to the beams. An antique bus panel was incorporated in the structure, with a built-in mechanism allowing the owners to roll through the names of various London bus stops.

An open fireplace with a large timber mantel is the secondary centerpiece in the home’s bright and airy great room—the first is the wrap-around, 180-degree wall of windows, designed around spectacular views of the ski resort and national forest beyond.

The open-concept main level allows for maximized views from virtually any angle. A breakfast bar, crafted from one large piece of elm, was built into the kitchen in the shape of an “L” to allow the owners and their guests to sit and engage with the open surroundings.

A large patinaed-metal hood serves as the backdrop for the kitchen and creates a sort of floating partition from the dining area—just as the dark block of cabinetry creates a distinction from the home’s entryway—without closing off any space or hindering sources of natural light.

The dark wooden cabinetry houses kitchen appliances but does not include upper cabinets; everything is oriented to maintaining the view.

On the opposite side of the kitchen hood are built-in display cases and additional cabinetry, acting as a server to the dining space.

The dining room feels more contained and intimate, nestled against a stone fireplace and wooden display shelves laden with antiques. Doors open directly to the outdoors for easy al fresco dinners in the cool mountain air.

A secondary mudroom leads to a luxurious hot tub area. To underscore the homeowners’ collection of storied pieces, this sliding partition is a repurposed antique fire door, which was stripped of its fire-retardant paint to reveal cool, industrial zinc.

A sophisticated, crisp-white master bedroom once again drinks in the surrounding mountain views.

The materials on the ceiling and the fireplace of the master bedroom continue the design theme from the great room. The furnishings are soothing and convey that this is a space for true relaxation.

A freestanding vanity and two-sided mirror allow for even more views in the master bath. With a simple turn of the head, the husband and wife can each admire the mountains while freshening up.

Black-finished windows frame autumn views.

The home’s elegantly restrained color palette allows for more than the views to take center stage; an eclectic chair, acquired from the couple’s world travels, is on display at the top of the stairs.

Nearby, an office loft is not a bad place to get some work done.

The lower level of the house is comprised of guest quarters and more casual gathering spaces—the perfect place to sit back and feel right at home.

DESIGN DETAILS:

ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN & LANDSCAPE DESIGN Vertical Arts Architecture KITCHEN DESIGN Exquisite Kitchen Design CONTRACTOR Shively Construction, Inc.

Sarah Tiedeken is a Project Architect with Vertical Arts Architecture, a Colorado-based architecture firm specializing in creating some of the nation’s most unique residential and commercial spaces. Contact Sarah at 970.871.0056.

Content for this article provided by Vertical Arts Architecture.