Architecture & Interiors
Home of the Year 2007
An architect's fusion of sophisticated shelter and hot technology take dwelling well to new heights.
STORY
Haley Carpinelli
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photograph by David O. Marlow and James Ray Spahn

Every custom home begins with an inspiration, a story the home will eventually tell. With this year’s Home of the Year winner, it’s the story of its future occupants and the lifestyle they wished to pursue while visiting the home. “The owner desired a contemporary mountain-style ski house, where friends and family could gather to enjoy the Aspen lifestyle,” says architect Charles Cunniffe.

The initial challenge lay in marrying the owner’s ideals with the home’s peculiar building site. Though the .89-acre lot was a coveted location within biking distance of Aspen’s main street and local nightlife, its circular configuration—shared with another residence—and small building envelope pressed Cunniffe and project manager Adam Casias to capitalize on the surrounding views while meeting the client’s equally important desire for privacy.

“The window placement is very site specific,” Cunniffe explains. “The homes on the property look over and past each other, but not at each other.” As a result, both the 5,371-square-foot main house and its adjacent 809-square-foot guest house capitalize on views of Aspen Mountain and Independence Pass without becoming a focal point on each other’s or the neighboring home’s horizon. The architecture’s conscientious relationship to the site helps the land feel larger than reality. “The home truly lives and feels bigger,” Cunniffe muses.

The same careful consideration of space is applied to the interior architecture. An open, airy floor plan, defined by the artistic juxtaposition of steel and wood, is strengthened by its natural progression from room to room. Split Douglas fir beams with intersecting steel structural beams traverse lofty ceilings on the main floor, and appear again in the master bedroom. The stainless-steel-and-wood staircase furthers the dialogue between the home’s palette of materials. “The honesty of the materials is what gives the home its modern edge,” says Cunniffe. “Integrated exposed steel with wood is an interesting blend. The boldness of the steel against the warmth of the wood adds a rich, colored patina to the home.” Cunniffe also kept the wood used throughout the home, such as the dark walnut wood flooring, clean and without knots to prevent the look from becoming fussy or cabin-like.

To maintain the home’s continuity and contemporary edge, Cunniffe and the homeowner assembled a refined combination of tile, stone, glass, wood and hardware. Within each of the rooms, combinations are reinvented rather than repeated. Nova Blue and Nova Gold granite slabs and tiles in the kitchen are paired with bronze accent tiling, while the same granite slab is partnered with glass mosaic and bamboo tiling in the master bathroom. The powder room utilizes contemporary Afromosia wood in its vanity; the wood appears again in the downstairs family room in the form of wall paneling.

To highlight the home’s details, Cunniffe turned to Robert Singer & Associates for lighting consultation. “Lighting is one of the most essential elements in a home, because we live in our homes primarily in the evening,” Cunniffe explains. “Well-placed lighting reveals the architecture’s personality.”

Robert Singer & Associates gave careful consideration to the lighting in the kitchen: custom spot lighting behind the cabinetry trim extends around the mosaic-tiled wall to contrast with the stainless riglet reveal. Generous can lighting illuminates the kitchen’s lofty ceiling and is tempered by the home’s signature Douglas fir and steel beams.

Strategic planning also went into the home’s behind-the-scenes technology. Oxygen ports by the Oxygen Company installed in the master bedroom and media room mitigate the effects of Aspen’s high altitude and can actually lower the room to a specific elevation. An integrated control system by ESC directs the home’s various lighting, audio/visual and HVAC components, as well as the home’s window coverings. “This home is very much a ‘smart’ home,” Cunniffe says. “It’s a home for the future.”

In fact, the homeowner utilized some of the latest technology on the market to monitor the construction process from her residence out of state. Construction cameras from iBEAM Systems allowed her to conduct live site visits and “be present” throughout the building process. Invaluable technology, given the final product: “Everything is exactly where it should be; every element has its place,” Cunniffe shares, with a hint of pride.

Through a well-planned approach and close collaboration with the homeowner, Cunniffe delivered a home representative of Aspen itself: a modern mountain environment, with a comfortable, contemporary edge.

Breathing Room
With the desire for views and privacy competing with shrinking lot sizes and close neighbors, home buyers often turn to professionals for help. Architect Charles Cunniffe offers suggestions to make the most of your views, landscape and location.

Hire an architect Choose a professional who will make room and window placement paramount to the design. An outdoor living room loses its luster if it looks directly into your neighbors’ bedroom.

Buffering Take the layout of neighboring structures into consideration. Use less-lived-in rooms like garages and entry halls as buffers.

Hire a good landscape architect Professional landscaping can transform any yard into a private retreat through the use of trees, shrubs and living space, and can make a small lot look and live bigger.

Privacy Create spaces within your home that encourage socialization, and separate spaces for solitude. The combination will lend your home an overall sense of privacy.

The Science of Shelter
Operating on the philosophy that “technology should enhance life, not complicate it,” Anson Fogel of ESC in Aspen installed an AMX integrated control system that not only simplifies the home’s various functions but also allows the owner to monitor the home via the Internet when not in residence. Each room features a colored in-wall control panel with an attractive touch screen that integrates all of the components that visually clutter a room: light switches, remote controls, thermostats, alarm keypads and more. With one touch, the owner can access an entire music library, personalize lighting in various rooms of the house or raise and lower window shades. Visit escusa.com and amx.com for more information.

DESIGN BOOK
Architect Charles Cunniffe, Charles Cunniffe Architects, 610 E. Hyman Ave., Aspen, CO 81611, (970) 925-5590, cunniffe.com

Builder John Olson, John Olson Builders, P.O. Box 10147, Aspen, CO 81612, (970) 923-4233

Interior Design Homeowner with Charles Cunniffe, Charles Cunniffe Architects, 610 E. Hyman Ave., Aspen, CO 81611, (970) 925-5590, cunniffe.com

Landscape Architect Christie Jensen, 121 Stagecoach Dr., Carbondale, CO 81623, (970) 963-7363

See Floorplan.