Nestled in a wooded Rocky Mountain hillside above the Raven Hills Golf Course near Vail, the Three Peaks Residence is a refreshing, eco-luxury, Colorado mountain homes based on “nature-inspired” contemporary design principles. Conceived as a ‘working’ second home for a telecommuting couple from Houston, the spaces combine the Owner’s contemporary Asian art and love of the beautiful landscape with functional, energy-efficient spaces that were required to flow fluidly from the wilds of the mountain forest to the comfort of the indoors.

The captivating concept for the home started with the first visit to the property. Walking from the road up the slope to the Gore Range Trail at the top of the site, an idea informed the house as a ‘walk in the woods’. Winding through trees and open meadows became the design theme for letting the house ‘grow’ out of the site and step up the hillside as a series of ‘meadows’ which flow from one to another as rooms…each with its own view, light and personality.

On an escarpment overlooking the Bow River valley and downtown Calgary, is an Urban Retreat designed to please its engaging Owners. The small lot had to fit a busy family of four who loves entertaining their large extended family, and have the ability to enjoy outdoor gatherings.

The home was strategically sited on the property, making efficient use of its footprint. Its thoughtful floor plan incorporates both private and public spaces as well as a garage that has the ability to store and park eight vehicles.

The Architect, working with the local codes that required all residences to shield themselves from adjacent houses, started with a two story bedroom / office / kitchen and utility wing to line one side of the lot and a large stone fireplace wall with wine display to protect the opposite side.

This 2019 ARDA Award Winning Custom Home project consisted of a program of nearly 6000 square feet on two main levels. This eight-bedroom home carefully resides amid pines on a steep hillside of Pikes Peak overlooking Colorado Springs. The clients devised a home that ‘acted’ like a tree house yet was large enough to have their children and families gather comfortably during the holidays. It was important to the clients to maximize the views to the city throughout the house while preserving the intimacy of the site.

The home’s inspiration began with our amazing team of professionals. Our team shared imagery of styles that blended Contemporary, Prairie, and Mountain. The result is a home that sews together strong horizontals, singular verticality, materials which evoke the outdoors, exposed steel that visually expresses the structure, and details that signal sleek contemporary design. It was important to us to place the main and secondary entries with stunning vistas whether interior or exterior. From both vantage points, the views are directed to catch interior spaces and slowly shift them out towards nature.

A site visit keyed us into the views we needed to capture, and the form of the home was created by responding to those views and how the home wanted to function. Devil’s Head is located within the property’s vista to the south, so we knew the home needed to open itself up there. As you drive up the road, the home sits beautifully perched on the property’s slope. Nearing the driveway, the home closes up to create a moment of privacy for the primary suite.