A couple with grown children might seem like a strange match for Denver's up-and-coming Lower Highlands neighborhood. The area flourished in the last decade, becoming a trendy hub of mixed-use developments. The husband, who owns a real estate investment and development firm, agreed with his wife that the growing potential of Lower Highlands was a wise setting—and investment—for their new lives. Unlike their old family home off Lake Michigan, this dwelling would be designed with their wants in mind.

Architect Chad Mitchell of Meridian 105 Architecture introduced them to a site not far from the Highland Bridge, and he designed an open-concept property that showed the versatility of modern architecture.

“It was important to us that this structure…stand on its own two feet as a quality building with integrity both in the building form and in the materials,” Mitchell said. An open plan helped ameliorate the effects of the home's narrow plot—only 28 feet—and 6-foot elevation allowed for more privacy. But the couple didn’t want to be completely left alone: their daughter, an interior designer, helped her parents with furnishings.