Credits
From Britny Kalule
When this Louisiana family decided to invest in a mountain retreat they looked to Steamboat to build their dream home as they were already familiar with all the cozy mountain town has to offer thanks to their many vacations there over the years. They were looking to design and build a home that would help them to feel integrated with the outdoors in addition to being connected to the ski area. They chose Vertical Arts for our building expertise and ability to guide them through each step as they planned from afar. Our team provided a full suite of landscape, architecture and interior design services – helping the family with everything from deciding on the lot to the architectural layout and interior design touches.
Our team’s primary goal was to create a home that provided unobstructed views of the entire Steamboat ski area since the lot was perched on the side of a steep hill, directly off the resort base. Siting the house on the steeply graded lot was challenging, particularly with the intention to incorporate 270 degree sweeping views of the surrounding environs, including Emerald Mountain, the distant Flat Top Mountain Range, the ski area and downtown. We put our prowess to the test to navigate the tight lot while still allowing the home to feel larger than the square-footage makes it seem.
Equally important was to create privacy from the adjacent lots around the property. The best way to achieve both expansive views and privacy? Large, sky-high balconies. With one 30-foot high balcony off the main living spaces and two additional balconies on the lower level, the design allows for unobstructed views from multiple locations, giving the family the feeling of being in nature while still creating privacy from neighbors. These balconies also provide an aesthetically pleasing facade that can be seen from a distance with the home perched high above the valley.
Further, prioritizing the indoor-outdoor flow are the two opening folding walls that grant complete access from both the dining room and kitchen to the extensive main-level deck. Additional floor-to-ceiling windows surround the great room and give stunning views of the ski area. The floor plan and the way the kitchen, dining and living rooms interact feels generous and expansive. From the inside, the layered decks and roof offer enclosed and protected outdoor spaces to provide an intimate, cozy ambiance.
From an interior design perspective, it was also important to the family that their mountain retreat integrate Southern design. Mountain features such as exposed timbers, steel and a strong stone fireplace blend well with the crown molding, gold fixtures and southern-inspired glam detailing.
Using details like the metal railings, a marbled kitchen backsplash with a clean countertop roll, crown moldings and a sleek fireplace rather than a traditional mountain lodge feel, the team incorporated Southern touches to give the interiors of this home a different feeling from other traditional mountain homes in the area. This provided the best of both worlds – mountain-focused exteriors with a Southern charm inside.
The home’s soft palette furthers the interior design style with a warm quartz slab countertop in the kitchen and maple cabinets. Even the metal on the kitchen range hood and fireplace have a patina, watercolor effect. The glizy lighting fixture in the dining room pairs well with three metal tones within the multi colored penny tile backsplash at the wet bar. Gold hardware and fixtures throughout bring the theme together.
The end result is a beautiful mix of mountain outdoors aesthetic and southern transitional pieces, creating a style all its own on a unique site that many wouldn’t have built on.