(opposite) To empha-size the relationshipbetween the interiorsand the outdoors,architect Chris Davisbrought materialsused outside into thehome, like the board-form concrete wallthat stretches into the entry foyer. Thepainting, TulipAccumulation 2004, is by Robert Kushner,represented by DCMoore Gallery, NewYork. (right) Thedesign team createdthis exquisite outdoorroom to guide gueststo the home’s entry.Landscape designerMartin Mosko select-ed black slate tile forthe pool surfacesbecause it acts like amirror. “As you’relooking at the water,you see the architec-ture reflected every-where—the sky andthe home united inthe reflection.”

5358

At Home in

EDENIn the midst of verdant gardens, thiscontemporary home springs up fromthe land—and then shows off aneclectic collection of modern furnish-ings. You might just call it paradise;we call it our 2012 Home of the Year

BY HILARY MASELL OSWALD

INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY MINTON REDFIELD

EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY RON POLLARD

GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTIN MOSKO

HOMEOF THE

YEAR

54

It’s a design lover’s fairytale: Once upon a time, the home on this lush three-acre site in Castle Pines was theindifferent stepsister to its beautifully cultivated gardens. With help from MartinMosko of Boulder-based Marpa Landscape Design Studio, the owners had spentyears tending to the landscape—but their home didn’t live up to its setting. Oneday, they decided to remedy that problem.

But like all good stories, this one had a twist. There is a full-story drop in the site’s grade, whichmeant that visitors would have to walk down to the front door—not exactly the most inviting wayto approach a home.

Enter the magic-makers: architects from Denver-based Semple Brown Design, Sarah Brownand Chris Davis (who is now a principal at BOSS Architecture in Denver). “The first goal was toflip the house around so that the home’s public spaces had a relationship to this amazing site,”Davis says. The 12,000-square-foot design relocated the living spaces to the bottom floor andmoved the bedrooms upstairs.

Initially, the architects considered putting the entry at the upper level and allowing visitors todescend to the main level inside the house, but the owners had their own vision for the space. “Theywanted guests to arrive and experience the outdoors from the very first moment,” Brown says.“They had a very sharp sense of this space. We listened.”

(above) Architect ChrisDavis selected board-form

concrete for the home’sfew vertical elements “toanchor the architecture,”he says. A color additivedeepened the concrete’s

gray hue, likening it to thenatural grays in the

garden’s rock formations.(opposite) Tradition meetsmid-century modern in thehome’s interiors, designedby Richard Lee. A perfect

example: A 17th-centuryEnglish fireplace, which Lee

found in an auction catalogue and purchasedas the home’s first piece,stands against a cement

wall in the living room.

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The living room is an offering to 20th-century designgods, with a few tributes to Europe’s Renaissance. Thecarpet is a rare 17th-century flat-weave tapestry rug fromNew York rug dealer Doris Leslie Blau, Lee’s go-to source.He topped it with Italian pink fireside chairs from the1950s; a Jean-Michel Frank table (in the foreground) fromDeLorenzo Gallery in New York; a mid-century chair covered in tangerine mohair; and an Art-Deco cast-glassscreen to refract Colorado’s abundant sunshine.

58 57

So Davis, Mosko and New York-based interior designer Richard Lee created anoutdoor entry room that guides guests to the front door or, at the final turn, out to thegardens. The team created an eight-foot water wall beside a stairway that descendsthrough a grove of chanticleer pear trees. A glass railing and floating stone steps “giveyou the feeling of being suspended as you descend,” Mosko says. The “floor” of theoutdoor room is a shallow water pool, cut by a stone bridge.

“You descend [through the outdoor room] in a very sculptural way,” Davissays. “It feels like an experience, a procession to the front door.” The pathwayalters direction frequently to give visitors new sensory experiences, Mosko says:“It changes what you’re seeing as you walk.”

(above) Bamboo cabinets in the contemporary kitchen are both

durable and good-looking. The oaktable and chairs come from early-

20th-century English furniture makerRobert Thompson—aka “Mouseman”(see sidebar on page 61). (right) “Wetried to blur the distinction between

interior and exterior spaces,” Davissays, so much of the home’s mainlevel opens to the outdoors. This

patio meets the edge of the expansive gardens. (opposite) Lee

skipped the traditional long, formaldining table and opted for two

smaller round tables to promote intimate conversation among smaller

groups. He painted the walls soft pinkand discovered the sexy Venetian chandeliers at Objets Plus in New

York. (They hung in the owners’Manhattan apartment before moving

to Colorado.) The fabric for the curtains comes from Clarence House.

“We wanted the architecture to be ambient, like a museum’s. The ownershave a collection of amazing periodpieces they’ve collected over the years.We couldn’t let the architecture compete.”

—Chris Davis

60 61

Not surprisingly, the home’s contemporary design is an attractive complement to the landscape. “Wewanted the architecture to relate to the site and grow out of it,” Davis says. He chose a palette of naturalmaterials: board-form concrete for the home’s vertical elements, cedar (for its durability in the hot Coloradosun) and cementicious stucco (rather than a synthetic version).

What’s more, “we wanted the architecture to be ambient, like a museum’s,” Davis adds. “[The owners]have a collection of amazing period pieces they’ve collected over the years. We couldn’t let the architecturecompete.” Many of the furnishings come from early-to-mid-20th-century modern design icons, includingJean-Michel Frank and André Sornay. Against a textured background of neutral materials—floors of stone

(above) Lee divided the large master bedroom into a sleepingspace and sitting space for the

owners’ morning ritual of sippingcoffee and reading the newspaper.

Because the tufted leather head-board and bed linens are white,Lee upholstered the chairs in a

bold animal print. (opposite) The minimalist master bath fixtures

are from Waterworks in Denver.

Two-Minute Design History The owners’ handsome collection of 20th-century furnishings

celebrates some of the finest European designers of the last

century. Here’s a quick tutorial on the names behind the designs:

André Sornay The French designer inherited his father’s furni-

ture business in 1919 and revolutionized it, kicking classical

forms to the curb and creating modern furniture that married

art and architecture. He loved geometric shapes, pleasing

proportions and clear functionality.

Mouseman Furniture Englishman Robert Thompson flourished

in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century.

Legend says he once claimed to be “poor as a church mouse”

and would surreptitiously carve a mouse into each piece of fur-

niture he made. His descendants still run his business in the UK.

Jean-Michel Frank Often characterized as a minimalist, the

French interior designer was in fact an early proponent of

mixing styles—glitter and glam paired with clean lines and sur-

prising materials. While teaching a course at the famous Ecole

Parsons à Paris in the ’30s, Frank gave his students an assign-

ment: design a table so basic that it would retain its integrity

whether elaborately finished or left unvarnished. The result,

known as the Parsons table, has been replicated by high-brow

design houses and mass-production furniture stores ever since.

Jules LeLeu Another Frenchman, LeLeu thrived in the mod-

ernist movement, following—and influencing—the trajectory of

design from Art Nouveau’s decorative style to Art Deco’s sleek

look. He was a stickler for luxurious details—like mother-of-

pearl, ivory and exotic woods—and top-notch craftsmanship.

62 57

DESIGN DETAILSArchitecture

SARAH SEMPLE BROWN, PRINCIPAL INCHARGE; ROB FORSLUND, PROJECT

ARCHITECT; CHRIS DAVIS, PROJECTMANAGER/DESIGNER

SEMPLE BROWN DESIGNsemplebrowndesign.com

Interior DesignerRICHARD LEE

RICHARD LEE INTERIOR DESIGN(212) 765-3197

ConstructionMARK DREXEL

CADRE GENERAL CONTRACTORScadregc.com

Landscape DesignMARTIN MOSKO

MARPA LANDSCAPE DESIGN STUDIOmarpa.com

(above) The ceremonyhouse—or tea house—stands beside a pond inthe shape of theJapanese character for“heart.” “No matter whereyou stand, you can’t seeall of the water,” Moskosays, “which makes thespace seem very large.”The walls of the teahouse are removable,enhancing the connectionto the gardens and pond.(opposite) The “Shrine ofthe Western Paradise” isbuilt of all-natural materi-als: clay and sand foundon-site and straw boughtfrom a local farmer. Theonly exception is thestained glass windows,created by a local artist.

“In a Japanese garden, you have a platform orhouse that defines where you are. You sit down;you become still. The movement isn’t in you; it’saround you. You can see the bees, the sunshineon the flowers. You have a place to stop.”

—Martin Mosko

or oak, walls of cement or stucco, clean-lined, steel Hope’s Windows—the piecesstand out beautifully. “The interiors have a lovely layered look,” Lee says. “I loveusing really fine objects against these materials; it’s about the contrast, about ArtDeco sconces in a house that’s built in the early 21st century. You wouldn’t expectit, but somehow, it works.”

And so we come to the moral of this story, and all tales of exquisite design:“Good things,” says Lee, “well made things, just go together”—happily ever after.