House research

"I put everything that I've always loved into this house," says Tyler—and that includes white tiles edged with gray grout in the bathroom, a design move previous clients had balked at.

A wider look at the open-plan dining room and kitchen.

In the living room, a Nelson bench doubles as a coffee table, and a wood-burning stove from Cleanburn Stoves set in a white brick hearth keeps the space warm.

About her collection of cookware, Tyler comments: “I use accessories as the color in spaces so these items are an integral part of the overall design."

This wooden staircase doubles as kitchen shelving in the English designer's home. Tyler hired David Restorick, a furniture maker and friend, to build a staircase that doubles as display space for Tyler's vast collection of colorful cookware.

Open shelving between the living room and dining area maximizes light and air flow and showcases eclectic objects, which include old printing blocks found at a garage sale and bowls homeowner Kathryn Tyler’s mother bought in South Africa. For Tyler, storage is critical. "It's something that always gets overlooked but it's actually the most important thing. I calculated the linear footage of the books I own to make sure everything would fit."

Tyler and Brown’s living room is packed with furniture yet manages to avoid feeling cluttered. The coffee table is a Nelson Platform Bench from Herman Miller, and the low tables are Tablo Tables by Magnus Löfgren for Design House Stockholm. The Nørreskoven fireplace is from Cleanburn Stoves.

Lewis relished the decorating process, arraying the floating shelves with ceramics, art, and plants. Now that her kitchen renovation is complete, she jumps at the chance to host. One caption on her Instagram feed jokes, “We are basically just finding any reason at all to invite our friends and family over to cook and entertain. ‘Oh you made it to work on time today?!...Great, come on over, we will cook something for you.”

Kitchen Flooring

Hirsh and Volny created a bed frame out of a rusted well pipe and scaffolding fittings.

Sunlight streams through tall glass panels into the kitchen and living area, while on the opposite wall, a high band of windows top built-in storage, a window seat, and a pizza oven. Photo by Ron Johnson.

The interior palette echoes the simple use of materials with walnut floors, oak and grey cabinets. Restraint is contrasted with whimsy, however with unexpected pops of bold color throughout the home: a blue ceiling and walls wrap around the kitchen and centrally located stair articulating the service side of the home.

The healthy communion between nature and structure is what the family loves most about the home. It is open, dramatic, light, and inviting, which is everything the clients wanted in a new house. The transition between what’s beyond the windows and what’s within is appealingly effortless, and entirely in keeping with a laid-back Colorado lifestyle.

Modern open concept living room in Boulder with a fireplace, gray and white walls, wood floors. Large slider opens to backyard.

On a sunny day, the light paints little pictures from dawn till dusk.

The open shelves over the sink are clear finished white oak.

A narrow material palette keeps these large rooms from feeling too busy.