This Vail Home is Both Glam & Masculine

“Getting the scale right was a bit of a challenge,” says interior designer Cindy Rinfret. The furniture and light fixtures had to be “powerful and gutsy” but could not compete with the view. Photography by Kimberly Gavin.

When choosing a lot for their Vail home, the homeowners, formerly from Connecticut, picked a building site that perhaps wasn’t an obvious choice. It was smaller (just about half an acre) and steep (some 40 feet of vertical drop). But they knew that the right house on it would have show-stopping views of the ski slopes, Vail Valley and the rugged Gore Range.

The ski-in, ski-out home, on a steep and narrow site, has panoramic views of the Gore Range and the Vail Valley.

Practically before the ink was dry on the sales contract, their first call was to architect Kyle Webb of Vail, Colorado-based KH Webb Architects. “The only guidance they gave me is: ‘Let’s try something that’s contemporary but not too crazy,’” recalls Webb. After building five homes (including one designed by Webb) the homeowners knew what they wanted: light, bright, low-maintenance, well-crafted and site-appropriate—just the kind of work that Webb is known for. “It was a tremendously challenging site,” he says, “but we were able to design a home that fit while taking advantage of all the views.”

The result: a six-level (there’s an elevator), 9,500-square-foot ski-in, ski-out home with six en suite bedrooms, a spa-like bath and two powder rooms. And, of course, spectacular views from nearly every room.

The stone-and-steel fireplace sets a strong, contemporary tone for the entire open-concept space. Chairs can swivel— toward the fireplace or toward the Gore Range view. The mix of colors and textures makes it classic and timeless.

The homeowners then called Greenwich, Connecticut-based interior designer Cindy Rinfret of Rinfret, Ltd. They had worked with her on several other projects—in Connecticut, New York City and Wyoming and on another home in Vail. “We have worked together for so long that we can practically read each other’s minds,” says Rinfret. The homeowners agree that it was a creative collaboration. “The things Cindy showed us were pleasing and unfussy,” they say, “so it was easy for us to make the final decisions.”

The window frames a signature Vail view and looks like it could be a painting.

The home’s interiors were inspired by the Colorado outdoors. “When you look outside, you see gray stone, blue sky, green trees in summer … snow-covered in winter,” says Rinfret. She chose a pale, restful palette that mirrors what’s beyond the outsized windows. “We didn’t want anything that would compete with the views,” she adds. At night, when the sky is dark, motorized shades, drapes and sheers cover the vast windows.

The blue-green cast-glass top of the table in the breakfast room reflects the color of the stainless-steel-and-glass stairs.

Among the biggest challenges for Rinfret were the scale of the house and the volume of the rooms—high ceilings and endless glass. “It is an unusual house, and getting the scale right was key,” she says. For example, “The light fixtures we chose had to be gutsy and powerful,” including rain-inspired lighting in the tall front entry and the dining-room chandelier (“icicles with a modern twist”).

Because the homeowners like to entertain—hosting big family dinners and New Year’s Eve celebrations—Rinfret ordered a custom, extra-wide dining table (with bench seating at each end) that seats 12. If there are more, as there frequently are, chairs from the breakfast room (in the same sculptural design) can be brought in.

Everything in the open-plan kitchen is easy to wash and wipe. “The homeowner loves the clean look and easy care of stainless steel,” says interior designer Cindy Rinfret.

In the stainless-steel-and-wood kitchen, etched glass doors on the cabinets reflect the icy-blue glass on the eat-at counter and the breakfast table. “Everything is elegant but washable and wipe-able,” notes Rinfret. “The client wants to enjoy her home and not be a slave to it.”

The eye-catching corner fireplace (warms both living and dining rooms) and the stairs are some of the homeowners’ favorite features.

Anchoring the living room is a dramatic and distinctive fireplace: a sculptor-fabricated piece inside the hearth recalls an outdoor campfire. The furniture swivels to face the room—for conversation and family time—or to spend time alone looking out at the peaks of the Gore Range. “In this house, your eye is never blocked by anything but is, instead, surrounded—simply engulfed—by the view,” says Rinfret. “We wanted to make the home completely seamless; anything can be taken from any room and moved to another,” she adds. The sizes, shapes and color palette have been carefully chosen to be compatible throughout the home.

Another of the home’s bold and eye-catching features is the dramatic glass staircase. It looks like a piece of art and echoes the glass used in the kitchen and breakfast room. “The stairs, tabletops and rock crystal accents make it feel like ice on a snowy day,” says Rinfret.

A modern take on the traditional four-poster bed provides height in the master bedroom. The rug suggests stone but feels soft and warm underfoot. A shell-faced bedside table reflects the soft light from the crystal lamps.

In the master bedroom, a huge slab of cast glass pays homage, in a contemporary and stunning way, to the traditional wood-beam mantel. “Everything is a serene and stylish departure from the expected,” says Rinfret. The wood four-poster bed was chosen for its height. Crystal lamps look like ice. Bedside tables are faced with shell, giving them a reflective quality. The rug suggests marble. “It is both glam and masculine,” says Rinfret. “Like wearing a silk shirt with jeans.”

“We wanted the master bath to have a spa feel,” says interior designer Cindy Rinfret. The terrycloth-and-leather chaise is comfortable. The chandelier provides a bit of glamour.

As pretty as this home is, it is also comfortable and carefree. “When we were planning this house, I said that I wanted everything clean and simple and didn’t want anything that needed to be ‘maintained,’” says the homeowner. “I wanted a home that was easy to be in.”

“My favorite space? I honestly love my bedroom,” she continues. “Especially if my husband is up and brings me morning coffee in bed.”

DESIGN DETAILS
ARCHITECTURE KH Webb Architects INTERIOR DESIGN Rinfret, Ltd.

RESOURCES

HALL BATH TILE Behind Mirror- Greenwich Tile and marble SINK G&J Styles GREAT ROOM FIREPLACE SCULPTURES from Fire Features, Artist Elena Colombo WALL SCONCES Langlais AREA RUG Custom designed by Rinfret Ltd. Manufactured by JD Staron SWIVEL LOUNGE CHAIRS from Dennis Miller fabric from Zimmer and Rhode UPHOLSTERED OTTOMAN from Dennis Miller fabric from Robert Allen UPHOLSTERED BENCH WITH METAL LEGS from Jerry Pair fabric from Maxwell Fabrics LUMBAR PILLOWS custom designed by Rinfret from Yardstick decor fabric from Robert Allen WINDOW TREATMENT Custom designed by Rinfet Ltd, manufactured by Hemmingbird, Bedford NY in Larsen fabric SHEER FABRIC from Holly Hunt FUR PILLOWS from V rugs SELENITE LAMPS from Nate Rickett MASTER BEDROOM BEDSIDE TABLES from Bernhart WALLCOVERINGS from Elitis FOUR POSTER BED from Edward Ferrel HEADBOARD FABRIC from Cowtan & Tout NINE-DRAWER DRESSER from John Richards  MASTER BATH RUG Custom designed by Rinfret Ltd. manufactured by JD Staron CUSTOM BENCH from Edward Ferrell fabric from Holly Hunt WINDOW TREATMENT from Hemmingbirds, Bedford Hills NY fabric from Rogers and Goffigan SHEER from Cowtan & Tout FAMILY ROOM SCONCES Rock Crystal from Wired RING CHANDELIER from Wired HAND KNOTTED RUG Custom designed by Rinfret Ltd by JD Staron ACRYLIC SIDE TABLE form Blue Nature SWIVEL LEATHER CHAIRS from Lee Industries TWO-DRAWER COCKTAIL TABLE from Edward Ferrel leather from Holly Hunt SECTIONAL SOFA Custom by Kravet fabric from Osborne and Little leather welt from Holly Hunt ROMAN SHADES Manufactured by Hemmingbirds, Bedford Hills NY fabric from Robert Allen trim from Samuel & Son THROW PILLOWS from Holly Hunt CUSTOM PILLOWS by Rinfret Ltd. in Pollack fabric WALLCOVERING in wool from Maya Romanof DINING ROOM CHANDELIER from Wired CUSTOM RUG designed by Rinfret manufactured by JD Staron SIDE CHAIRS AND BANQUETTES ON ENDS from Holly Hunt in Kravet faux leather fabric WINDOW TREATMENTS Manufactured by Hemming bird, Bedford Hills, NY fabric for sheers from Jim Thompson KITCHEN BAR STOOL from Cliff Young in faux snake skin leather from Kravet WINDOW TREATMENTS Manufactured by Hemmingbirds fabric from Zhimmer and Rhode Roman Shade Fabric- Zhimmer & Rhode LIGHT FIXTURE OVER ISLAND from Wired

As seen in the November/December 2020 issue