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A modern glass-and-steel home takes advantage of the Vail Valley’s pristine views BY KIM FREDERIC KS
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uilding a home that coordinated with the predominantly Bavarian and parkitecture style that rules Colorado’s Vail Valley was never an option for the homeowners of 34 Whiskey Ridge, which is currently on the market for $12.75 million. Their intention was to create a clean, peaceful contemporary haven, free from the heaviness of typical mountain-style homes. “In the mountains you see homes with wood trusses, moldings, and exposed beams—they didn’t want any of that,” says architect Tom Cole of Vail-based PointsWest Architecture & Land Group. Cole’s airy and seamless design was sprung from one simple instruction: create a unified connection to the secluded surroundings, a mix of meadows and pine forests. The owners had chosen a 4.5-acre lot at Cattleman’s Club, just a 20-minute drive from Beaver Creek. Focusing on the angles of the sun and the promotion of solar gain, Cole set the home, which was completed in 2009, on an east-to-west axis and was liberal with the use of glass walls and steelframe windows. At the entry, a 50-foot wall of glass frames Mount Jackson and the Sawatch Range. On both the north and south sides of the living room, 16-foot-wide
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Open House
lift-and-slide doors open onto a deck and stone terrace. One of the most striking features of the 12,521-squarefoot home is the master bedroom, a private refuge that is connected to the main living areas via a glassenclosed bridge. On the lower level, a yoga room with a fireplace and a wall of glass that opens to a waterfall serves as a sanctuary. “The house was designed to be comfortable for the two of them, mostly one-level living and few stairs,” says Cole. When family and friends come to visit, they can stay in the rest of the house, which holds two en suite bedrooms and a two-bedroom guesthouse. In keeping with the clean style that the homeowners requested, Cole used clear vertical grain fir on the ceilings. “They wanted the plane of the ceiling to be uninterrupted as they walked through the home,” he says. Cole also extended the wood on the ceilings to the exterior of the home, under the cantilevered rooflines, to further link indoors and out.
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“There was a cantilever theme throughout the house,” says Basalt, Colorado–based interior designer Robyn Scott. “It makes the house feel light and airy, as if you are in a tree house.” Scott’s monochromatic scheme features the occasional pop of orange and green, as in the color of gingko leaves. “It’s a quiet design with Japanese influences,” she says. European white oak floors are modern but have a natural look. Scott also used wood furniture that featured a live edge. To contrast the earthy colors, she added touches of shine, found on table legs and stainless-steel bath fixtures. The most contemporary part of the design can be found in the Poliform kitchen, which features an entire wall of stainless steel. Uniformity is apparent throughout the home. In the nine bathrooms, black slate is repeated in varying applications while the use of stone repeatedly calls attention to the exterior. “The house has a holistic, uniform sensibility that flows,” say Scott. “You never walk into a room and think, ‘this is different.’”
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SATURDAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
SOCIALIZE. Stop in après ski or post-hike at Larkspur in Edwards and join locals for a classic Larkburger paired with parmesan truffle fries and a local brew. INDULGE. Nothing repairs sore ski muscles like the Hot Toddy for the Body treatment at the spa at the Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch (below), where a scrub containing sweet almond oil, jojoba beads, and shea butter scented with cinnamon and nutmeg is massaged into the skin to eliminate dry patches and relax muscles. CHALLENGE. The Birds of Prey down-
TOP RIGHT: COURTESY OF C. DOWNARD, BIRDS OF PREY; RIGHT: KEN REDDING
hill course (above) at Beaver Creek is one of the most difficult downhill courses in the world, featuring a vertical drop of 2,484 feet loaded with steep pitches and sharp turns.
SHOP. The Vail Farmer’s Market is
the largest in Colorado. Stock up on everything from organic, locally grown produce and meats to wine from Colorado’s Bookcliff Vineyards and goat cheese from Jumpin’ Good Goat Dairy.
EXPLORE. Spend the day with Vail Valley Anglers and experience fishing for brown, rainbow, cutthroat, and brook trout paired with hiking and wildlife spotting. DINE. A Vail Village classic, Sweet Basil is headed by executive chef Paul Anders, who continues to produce a creative menu of modern American cuisine. LEVERAGE | WINTER 2014 | 77
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hope’s steel windows
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he homeowners of 34 Whiskey Ridge did not want anything to get in the way of their mountain views. To help facilitate the couple’s wishes, architect Tom Cole took an untraditional approach with the application of the home’s windows. He chose Hope’s steel windows over the traditional wood-framed windows because they allowed for wider openings and uninterrupted expanses of glass, a feature that lent itself to the home’s airy contemporary design. Founded in 1912, Hope’s is the largest steel window manufacturer in the world, specializing in the handcrafted artistry of hot-rolled steel windows and doors. “With the Hope’s windows, the steel structure is part of the window, so you can get expanses of glass that are 25 feet by 18 feet without having to add additional structure, such as munnions,” explains Cole. Not typically used in mountain homes—a style that typically favors rich woods—the steel windows were selected primarily for the sight lines. “Typical wood-framed windows have an 8-inch profile, says Cole, “while the steel windows allowed for a 2.5-inch profile and gave us a much nicer opening.” The windows installed at the residence were finished with a highquality thermal glazing and coating on the glass that helped with solar gain (the heat that you feel from direct sunlight). While it was the first time Cole used steel windows, he was pleased with the final result. “When you walk through the front door, you enter a two-story space where you can look down into the atrium and out through a big wall of glass at the mountains.”
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