Luxe: Scene, March/April 2022

SCENE WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE DEORIO

INSPIRING MIND ANDREA MONATH SCHUMACHER

Over the past two decades, designer Andrea Monath Schumacher’s name has become synonymous with spaces that fearlessly embrace color, pattern and texture. Ahead of the release of her debut monograph, Vibrant Interiors: Living Large at Home, Luxe sat down with the Denver-based talent to discuss how she makes striking interiors feel livable and timeless. andreaschumacherinteriors.com What drives you to create interiors so full of color and life? I have always embraced that bold style because I feel like we’re on this planet for such a short time, so why not live in

a space that makes you smile, has a sense of humor and lets you live your largest life?

How does a maximalist design style bring interest to a space? When you sit in a room that’s full of eye candy and texture and pattern-play, and it’s representative of you and your travels and your life, it sparks conversation— and it just feels good.

Do clients ever ask you to design more pared-down spaces?

Absolutely. I’ve had plenty of clients ask for a design that’s super neutral, and I’ll say, “Okay, but we’re still going to layer it.” Many of the spaces in the book illustrate how you can choose neutrals for your fixed finishes and bring in the color and pattern with art and rugs and pillows, so it’s easy to transform when you’re ready for something new.

ONE RIVER NORTH

Add another boldface name to the list of architecture firms making their mark on the Denver skyline. This time it’s Beijing- and Los Angelesbased Mad Architects, whose biophilic design for the One River North residential tower is set to transform the RiNo Art District upon its debut in late 2023. The 16-story structure—Mad’s third U.S. project to break ground—is defined by what appears to be a 10-story crack spreading across its glass curtain wall, from which a verdant landscape of plants and water features bursts forth. The 13,352-square-foot chasm, which residents can explore via a four-story hiking trail, evokes Colorado’s varied biomes with landscapes created by Davis Partnership. Foothills fill levels six through nine, while slot canyons occupy the balconies from floors 10 through 16. An alpine plateau reigns on the rooftop, where a garden, pool, spa and terrace suggest a high country lake scene. “There’s nothing comparable in the United States,” says Kevin Ratner, chief development officer for the Max Collaborative, one of the project’s developers. themaxcollaborative.com/one-river-north

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inspiring mind: interior photo by laure joliet; portrait by roger davies. blueprint photo: courtesy one river north.

BLUEPRINT

DISPATCH

TREND WATCH TILE FILE

DESIGN

Styles come and go, but some decorative tiles enjoy the spotlight time and again. Kirsten Schmit, president of Colorado tile mecca Decorative Materials, shares three surface trends coming on strong this year—and the manufacturers making them look better than ever. decorativematerials.com

CHECK IN A-FRAME CLUB

There’s no clearer sign that 1970s ski culture is making a comeback than this year’s debut of the A-Frame Club, a hotel brand that has brought its namesake architecture to Old Town Winter Park with 31 new guest cabins tucked among two wooded acres along the Fraser River. Designed inside and out by Oregon-based Skylab Architecture for Zeppelin Development and built using prefabrication strategies, these aren’t your parents’ A-frames. The 450-square-foot accommodations provide flexible floorplans and a design that mixes midcentury modern details with nostalgic nods to ski lodges of yore. Cedar-paneled walls and custom millwork provide a warm backdrop for bespoke Malm fireplaces and vintage furnishings, while tall windows frame the views—which Skylab made all the more impressive by setting the cabins atop low piers. “The concept is to provide a modern take on A-frame ski lodging while touching lightly on the land,” says project architect Conor Wood. A network of boardwalks links the structures to one another and to a 9,190-square-foot lodge, where a saloon and restaurant celebrate that other mainstay of American ski culture: après. aframeclub.com

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“Colorado is seeing an influx of people from all over the world, and they’re pushing the envelope when it comes to mosaics,” Schmit says. Her favorites include New Ravenna’s collaboration with wallpaper studio Gracie (shown right), for which five hand-painted designs were translated into exquisite glass mosaics, and Akdo’s Beacon line, which achieves the depth, movement and character of stained glass. Onyx France’s natural stone Chaplin mosaic may seem simpler but takes on a dramatic quality on the wall, she explains.

TILES WITH A STORY “Knowing the story behind a tile creates a deeper connection to the material,” reflects Schmit. New Ravenna’s Femme & Function collection in dolomite, glazed basalt and marble takes pattern cues from textiles and pottery made by female artists throughout history, from ancient Japanese shibori-dyed fabrics to traditional quilts. Colorado’s own Delta Brick & Climate Company prevents sediment build-up in the Paonia Reservoir from harming the downstream ecosystem by using it to make vibrantly glazed clay tile, pavers and brick. And Artistic Tile’s polychromatic Moon Cosmati stone tiles (at left) pay tribute to the mosaics installed across Europe during the Middle Ages by the Roman Cosmati family.

VINTAGE REVIVAL “Old colors and patterns are back in style, modernized and reinvented,” Schmit adds. “Zellige tiles have been in Morocco forever, but they’re a fresh alternative to classic subway tiles.” Those square pink tiles lining grandma’s bathroom are back too.

“Portland-based Pratt + Larson did a gorgeous color study with its new pink glazes ranging from light pinks to sherbets and making appearances on field tiles, textured tiles and mosaics,” she notes. But the retro tile flying off the sample rack the fastest, she says, is Spanish manufacturer Ceramicas Aparici’s Art-Deco Black Spritz tile (at right), which captures the glamour of the Roaring ’20s.

check in photos: kylie fitts. trend watch: mosaics photo courtesy new ravenna; tiles with a story photo courtesy artistic tile; vintage revival photo courtesy ceramicas aparici.

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MOSAICS