A Cozy and Beautiful Steamboat Home Delights its Texan Homeowners

A thoughtful mix of materials, stellar views and more than a few surprises make for a mountain home that’s become the place to be.

7 hours ago

Laura Kostelny,

“Texas traditional” meets the Centennial State landscape in a design featuring large timber details across gables and rooflines, midnight limestone and plenty of glass windows and doors that provide access to stellar views. | Photo: David Patterson

The late, great James A. Michener is often credited as saying that “when good Texans die, they go to Colorado.” Some of the Lone Star State’s finest are not quite that patient. Take Elaine and Tim Day—they made it a point to introduce their three kids to the ski slopes of Steamboat Springs in 2003, and their annual trips continued every year thereafter.

But when COVID hit in 2020, they decided it was high time to see what the town had to offer once the snow melted. It turned out to be a game changer. “When you come to Steamboat in the summer, you think, ‘Why am I not here all the time?’” says Elaine. “That’s when we got serious about buying something.”

The great room transitions seamlessly to the outdoors thanks to oversize beams and sliding pocket doors that open to generous patios on either side. | Photo: David Patterson

Once the Days got down to business, they found an idyllic plot located in Elkins Meadow, a luxurious neighborhood located just five minutes from downtown. They also had Vertical Arts Architecture and Shively Construction retained and ready to go on the design and construction of a 7,125-square-foot getaway that makes the most of its prime location.

“This property is at the front of the neighborhood, and it has a great sunset view down the valley,” says architect and designer Sarah Tiedeken O’Brien. “That was the immediate and most important siting element. We rotated the house 45 degrees into the hillside, so we were able to capture the views toward town as well as across the meadow and pond. We took a lot of care to make the house feel private and capture the exceptional view corridors.”

Aged-brass lighting by Allied Maker shines above an oversize island and stools by De La Vega. The kitchen is also outfitted with both flat-cut white oak and rift white oak cabinetry topped with Macaubus quartzite. | Photo: David Patterson

Tiedeken O’Brien also made it her mission to capture the design aesthetics favored by the couple throughout the architecture and design. (“I love texture and cozy; my husband wanted Mountain Modern—he didn’t want a log cabin,” says Elaine.) Vertical Arts more than met the assignment with a three-story home complete with gables, flat roofing, loads of midnight limestone and exposed timbers—along with well-appointed elements like artisanal wall treatments, sculptural lighting, bespoke furnishings and luxe textiles.

“The spaces are neutral but textural,” says Vertical Arts interior designer Makenzie Houghton. “Elaine loves a very natural, organic palette, and that’s juxtaposed with things like casework that’s more formal and a lot of velvet. The chairs in the living room, for example, are upholstered in a rich emerald green velvet, and the backs are walnut burl, so they feel natural but also fun.”

Entertaining is a pleasure in the thoughtfully laid out seating area furnished with a Walter Knoll Living Landscape sectional, a pair of A. Rudin chairs in emerald velvet and a coffee table by Tom Faulkner. | Photo: David Patterson

While the Vertical Arts team took care to incorporate pieces from the Days’ art collection throughout the home, they also designed an artful installation of their own: a dramatic staircase featuring a large slab of onyx on the wall below and a massive chandelier high above. Executing it was no easy feat. “It was actually the most challenging element—the stonework and integrated lighting required everything to be carefully laid out, templated, wired and blocked before masonry even began.

Once masonry was completed, the steel stringers were installed, and then the treads. The treads were pre-routed for the handrail and lighting and then were slid directly into the stone wall,” explains builder Nicole Shively. “Hiding the wiring within the stone allowed us to light each tread cleanly, and from there we coordinated scaffolding to install the chandelier over 30 feet above the ground and completed the installation of the custom handrail.”

The dramatic floating staircase is highlighted with an Ochre chandelier at the top and a custom onyx art installation down below. | Photo: David Patterson

It’s fitting that the sense of wonder begins at the front door—after all, the Days say the whole point of building the home was to share it with friends and family from Texas and beyond. “This is a good, cozy, beautiful home, and I want people to feel welcome here,” says Elaine. “I do have to say, I have a friend who doesn’t like to stay with anyone, and she loves to come stay with us here. It’s the biggest compliment I can think of.”

Soaring ceilings and a handmade Gregorius Pineo wallcovering set the stage for serenity in the primary bedroom, which also includes a Parker king bed upholstered in a blue velvet and a rug from Marc Phillips. | Photo: David Patterson

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!

The designers and homeowner highlight a few of the fun factors that shine just as bright as the fabulous furnishings

Inside-Out Insights It’s easy to keep the focus on the great outdoors in the entertaining space when you have elements like a pass-through window in the kitchen and a Walter Knoll living landscape sofa with pieces that rotate to better take in the views. Plus, the interiors blend seamlessly with the porches. “One day, Tim (Day) and I were hanging out on the back patio, and the dogs were on the front deck—it all just lives so good,” says architect Sarah Tiedeken O’Brien.
Decked-Out Decks “We live outside all summer long,” says homeowner Elaine Day. “We have a pizza oven, and when the kids come, they’re always begging for a pizza night. We’ll hang out and watch television as we watch the sun set.”
Strokes of Genius Even the golf simulator looks like it’s part of an art installation in the first-floor rec room thanks to black plaster walls and beautiful wall sconces made of iridescent glass. “We made a concerted effort to make the lights feel like an art piece,” says Tiedeken O’Brien.
Piece and Quiet Doing puzzles is a snap in Elaine’s office thanks to a custom table designed by the Vertical Arts team. A surface with a raised lip can be pulled out and loaded up with puzzle pieces. When it’s time to take a break, it can be pushed back in without risking losing any progress.

Midnight limestone figures prominently throughout the home. ”The look and feel is really rugged in a way—the face is so varied,” says architect Sarah Tiedeken O’Brien. “The masons are magicians.” | Photo: David Patterson

Heavy Rain Calacatta stone on the walls of the shower contrasts beautifully with Meknes Rustic limestone floors in the primary bathroom. | Photo: David Patterson