Design Notes

A 5-by-12-foot commissioned painting of an aspen grove in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness is the largest oil mural that artist Chula Beauregard has done to date.

Home & Garden

Find out what’s new and noteworthy in Steamboat Springs this spring.

| BY SUZI MITCHELL

Chula Beauregard Navigates Her Largest Commission

Painting on a large scale is not new to Chula Beauregard; the artist has over 20 murals under her belt. However, none of those murals were done in oils. When clients commissioned a large-scale painting of an aspen grove for their home in Steamboat Springs last fall, she embraced the challenge. Inspiration for the painting came easily. Only months earlier, she and her family had gone on a late summer picnic up Seedhouse Road in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness, and Chula had sketched a magnificent grove, which became the impetus for the 5-by-12foot painting. “The biggest challenge was ordering the paint,” she says. “There was definitely a lot of experimenting with colors in order to find unity.” Her final palette was limited to three colors. “I found the process very freeing,” she says. So much so, she accepted a second commission.

“I found the process very freeing.”

– Chula Beauregard

Beetle kill wood has been repurposed into a custom display rack for saddles.

Jim Winn Is ‘Knots’ About Wood

COURTESY JSM BUILDERS

COURTESY BISBEE CREATIVE Vertical Arts Architecture used individualized rooflines and exterior finishes to customize homes in the new Sunlight Neighborhood.

A portion of sales from apparel firm Nine Seven Zero benefits local environmental and community focused nonprofits.

When it comes to raw materials, craftsman Jim Winn likes unusual things. In fact, when it comes to wood, the more knotty and twisted a dead tree trunk is, the better. “I like the idea of making things that are nontraditional,” he says. “If it’s got crazy character, then I’m interested.” Over the decades he has lived in the Yampa Valley, Winn has earned a reputation as the man who can fix almost anything. “I love figuring out how to make an idea happen,” he says. When he was hired to work on a property in South Routt, he embarked on an explosion of creativity, cutting and milling gnarly logs from felled trees and disused materials from pre-existing structures. They have been brought back to life in the form of custom furniture, an ornate solar-powered tree fort, a 12-foot-high saddle rack and a bookshelf – which looks like it came straight out of a fairytale. “Give me a tree out of a Dr. Seuss book any day,” he says, laughing.

Nine Seven Zero Apparel Making A Difference

Avid snowboarder and mountain biker Andrew Bisbee is passionate about his home and his playground in the mountains of Colorado. So much so, he launched an apparel company with a promise to donate 7% of profits to environmental and community nonprofit organizations that focus on the outdoors. Since its inception in 2017, Nine Seven Zero has given over $3,000 per year to local groups including Routt County Riders and Routt County Search and Rescue. Bisbee, the owner of the marketing firm Bisbee Creative, has plans to expand, using resources and materials locally sourced in Colorado. “I’m all about keeping it local and giving back to the communities that encompass the 970 area code,” he says. “We hope that our product can inspire people to represent, support and protect this place we call home.”

Spotlight on the Sunlight Neighborhood

Until 2017, an elevated parcel of land on the very western edge of downtown Steamboat Springs went undetected. Hidden from view off U.S. 40, Sunlight subdivision has become a sought-after locale for homeowners and caused a flurry of activity for JSM Builders. The company has built more than 30 homes in the area, with more coming in phase three, which will hit the market in August.

A partnership with Vertical Arts led to the design and build of semi-custom homes, with one key component: each property is part of a holistic approach to building a neighborhood from scratch. Homes in the center of the development are built on cluster lots with an alleyway for garage access. “That part is very similar to downtown,” says Sarah Tiedeken O’Brien, partner at Vertical Arts Architecture. Rooflines and exteriors are individualized with street-side porches to maintain a neighborhood aesthetic.

“We were able to be very strategic with window placements to enable the best view corridors and privacy,” Tiedeken O’Brien says. Lots on the periphery are larger and steeper, which brought design challenges. “Those lots benefit hugely from the views and yard space,” she says. Developers added trails, a park and the big Steamboat necessity: a dog-friendly place to roam.