Home for the Holidays
Celebrating our 2017 Home of the Year, Resort and Gift Guides, as well as my favorite hostess gifts
Each July at Mountain Living we receive a mountain of mail from across the country, entries in our annual Home of the Year contest. It’s like Christmas, opening all those beautiful packages of photographs and reviewing amazing work from architects, designers and homeowners. And it’s always a challenge for our committee to select a winner from so many superbly designed homes.
David O. Marlow
The 2017 Home of the Year winner is a magnificent Aspen estate emerging from a collaboration between the Los Angeles-based homeowners and architect Charles Cunniffe. The Home of the Year homeowners requested a home designed with their family in mind, creating a legacy that can be passed down for generations. The result is luxurious and also livable, grand in scale yet energy efficient, large enough to accommodate 100 guests for dinner parties but designed with cozy spaces where the owners can spend a quiet evening at home. Its home automation system makes it one of the most technologically advanced homes in the country.
David O. Marlow
Photographed during summer months showcasing the home’s outdoor spaces and pool area, the home is truly spectacular.
The Home of the Year is a tradition in our November/December issue, as well as our Gift Guide for Every Room in the House: 52 fabulous home-related ideas.
Speaking of giving, I'd love to share some of my favorite hostess gifts:
Hall Wines: Wine aficionados are familiar with California-based Hall wines, in particular their award-winning cabernets. Hosts can serve your gift at their party or save for themselves to drink by the fire.
Brooklyn Candles: I’m crazy about the cedarwood candle with its woodsy scent—sustainably harvested cedarwood is softened with a touch of vanilla and hand-poured in an authentic mason jar.
Bouquets: Who doesn’t love a beautiful little bouquet, so versatile, it can be added to a powder room or library table—and the beauty is that it can be sent in advance or after a party as a thank-you delivered by the florist. This bouquet is from Jackson, Wyoming, florist Lily and Company.
And for those of you with mountain holiday travel plans, we’ve included the scoop from 17 Rocky Mountain resorts in our Ultimate Resort Guide with the latest on area restaurants, shops and activities.
As we enter my favorite time of year, perhaps an Inuit proverb says it best: “May you have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp and peace in your heart.” See you in 2018!
