Innehållsförteckning för April/May 2017 från 5280 Home

OPEN UP EVEN THOUGH I WAS BORN IN Steamboat Springs (so I could technically put one of those “Native” bumper stickers on my car), I grew up in Naples, Florida, a place where the humidity and heat kicked into full gear sometime in mid-April and only let up—begrudgingly, it seemed—around Thanksgiving. Our home’s main living spaces were sandwiched between porches (a broad front porch with whirring fans and a pair of chairs, and a back porch adorned with a hammock and a garden stand that held my grandmother’s orchids), each accessed via French doors. Every April, the weather would get too warm and muggy to leave the house open, which didn’t register with us kids who weren’t paying the electric bill. “Close the doors!” my mother would call as we…

WHAT ARE WE LEAVING behind? That question began haunting professional photographers (and sisters) Katie Thurmes and Jenna Walker about seven years ago, as they used their cameras to document milestones in their lives and others’. “We’re all creating this imagery that’s important to each of our personal stories, and many of us aren’t doing anything with it,” Thurmes says. The disparity between the vast stashes of images on our phones and computers and the few photos we print out to actually hold and admire inspired the pair—along with Walker’s husband, Matt—to launch Artifact Uprising, a photo-goods company whose products (including photo books, prints, and wall art) stand out for their elegant, minimalist approach to preserving the memories that comprise our life stories. Since Artifact Uprising’s launch in October 2012, the…

EVEN DIEHARD INSTAGRAMMERS ADMIT it: Sometimes the best design is in what you don’t see. Such is the case with passive solar design, an approach to building that—in a nutshell—uses a house’s site, climate, and materials to absorb the sun’s energy on winter days to warm rooms and to shed the heat on summer days to cool buildings. Though architects have been making use of passive solar design since the 1970s, Colorado is just now starting to jump on the bandwagon, says local architect Morgan Law, co-founder of the sustainability-minded design/build firm Paper Airplane. “Passive houses are perfect for Colorado, and we only have a small handful that have been certified,” Law says. “I’d say we are at least five to 10 years behind Oregon, California, New England, and New…

“THIS ISN’T STYLISTIC ARCHITECTURE,” JNS PARTNER JAMES G. JOHNSON SAYS. “WE WANT IT TO BE AUTHENTIC SO IT TRANSCENDS TIME.” IT WOULD TAKE THIS ENTIRE PAGE TO LIST THE notable happenings at New York’s Plaza Hotel, from venerated performances by such icons as Miles Davis and Ethel Merman, to film and book appearances (Sleepless in Seattle, The Great Gatsby), to notable events hosted there (Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball; the 1985 Plaza Accord; and even President Donald Trump’s 1993 wedding). The list’s length alone reveals just how significant a role a hotel can play as a public place. “There’s no lock on the front door of a hotel. They’re open 24/7, 365 days a year,” says James G. Johnson, founding partner at Denver’s Johnson Nathan Strohe (JNS) architecture firm.…

Forage. “Drive around with a pair of clippers in your car and look for flowers or greenery that are growing naturally. My floral designs almost always include one foraged element.” (Check local ordinances before trimming anything from parks or other public spaces.) Cut. “I think it’s a shame to have a flower garden and not cut from it. So cut that perfect daffodil and bring it into the kitchen.” Simplify. “A floral arrangement doesn’t need to be elaborate. I love the simplicity of one perfect bloom in a bud vase, and you can never go wrong with an arrangement made from one kind of flower, like a little vessel filled with sprigs of waxflower.” Enjoy.“Don’t think of flowers as an extravagance; think of them as part of having a beautiful…

COVER From “Perfect Balance,” pages 64–71 Architecture: Lauren Crocco, Lauren Crocco Architecture and Design, Seattle, WA, 206-465-4787, crocad.com. Interior design: Homeowner Holly Feger, with input from the architect. Construction: Adam and Julie Rossi, Blue Sky Remodeling, 4577 Elm Court, 303-500-3103, blueskyremodelingdenver.com. NATURAL INSTINCT Page 25 Textile art by Taryn Slawson, Tanu Art, tanuart.com; Natural Tree Stump Side Table, West Elm, 2955 East First Ave., Suite 101, 303-320-1001, westelm.com; Wedding Ivory Rug and White Mongolian Sheepskin Area Rug/Throw, both World Market, 770 S. Colorado Blvd., Glendale, 303-758-0530, worldmarket.com. All other items available through Meek Vintage, 39 W. 11th Ave., 720-775-7476, shopmeekco.com. ROOM TO BREATHE Page 30 Cozy Nomad Orange Throw Pillow, Auskin Ivory Sheepskin Pillow, Artisan Market Antigua Blanket, all from Voss Art & Home, 2037 13th St., Boulder, 720-460-0463,…

DON’T LET OUR LIKE-CLOCKWORK late-April blizzards discourage you: Colorado is an ideal spot for entertaining outside. After all, we are home to the outdoor trifecta: temperate nights, very few insects, and low humidity. It’s the kind of place where a few durable all-weather sofas, a glowing fireplace, and a sleek pergola can combine to become the most-used “room” in your house. That’s exactly what Tim and Stephanie Abrams decided when they embarked on an exterior renovation of their dated 1980s North Boulder home. Calling on architect Scott Friedman of Gitane Workshop and builder Ryan Wither of Build-well, the Abramses updated the home with modern stucco and slat-style siding. But the real game changer was replacing their old back patio with an elegant deck, which provides access from the kitchen via…

Builder Ryan Wither of Boulder’s Buildwell is seeing some of his clients turn away from wood-plastic composite decks like Trex because, although the material is durable and relatively inexpensive ($3.35 to $4.50 a linear foot), “none of my clients like it because it reads really plastically. It doesn’t have the nostalgic deck feel.” And the ever-popular redwood, though reasonably priced ($1.75 a linear foot), requires regular sanding and staining to avoid fading and splintering. Instead, Wither is seeing an uptick in thermally modified woods from companies like Thermory and Arbor Wood. These woods, which do cost more ($7.50 a linear foot), are baked at high heat so they’re extremely hard and thus require zero staining or maintenance. They’re of such high quality that some of Wither’s modern home clients use…

“Antique Exchange is amazing because they represent so many different sellers. The front of the 10,000-square-foot store showcases fine antiques, while the back is a little more mixed.” 1500 S. Broadway, 303-777-7871 “The Annex Antiques is right next-door, and they have great pieces for outdoor living spaces, including arbors and benches.” 1534 S. Broadway, 303-733-9008 “Everything But the House hosts online estate sales in nearly 30 cities, including Denver. There are some fantastic finds, the prices are unbelievable, and it’s so much nicer to use than eBay.” ebth.com “Sarkisian’s Oriental Rugs & Fine Art is a Denver institution, with gallerylike displays of Far Eastern rugs, antiques, and artifacts.” 693 E. Speer Boulevard, 303-733-2623, sarkisian.com “Art District Antiques has an insane amount of inventory and some awesome finds—if you’re willing to…

In our ongoing search for gorgeous art in the Mile High City, we rely on one rule of thumb: The pieces with a connection—thematically or narratively—to life in the West always pull us in. These gorgeous woven textiles by local artist Taryn Slawson of Tanu Art are a fine example: Handwoven from hemp on a giant loom in Slawson’s RiNo art studio, the large-scale pieces are part of a body of work that emerged when the former fashion designer sold her worldly belongings, bought an Airstream trailer and a starter loom (just for fun), and headed for the desert landscapes of Sedona, Arizona, and Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park to find perspective. “The vibration of certain kinds of music really brings the vision out of me and into life,”…

IT’S TIME TO STOP BEING envious of your neighbor’s fresh-from-the-garden dinner parties and go green with a veggie garden of your very own. But where will it fit? And is all that weeding and watering worth it? Yes, thanks to tips from local small-space garden experts Jodi Torpey (author of Blue Ribbon Vegetable Gardening) and Slow Food USA’s Andrew Nowak (a school-garden specialist) on making vegetables grow in nearly any urban landscape. MIX IT UP Soils—especially Denver’s dense clay—often need to be enhanced with well-draining organic materials to prevent plants from rotting from the root up. For a new garden, add one to three inches of a low-salt, plant-based compost to the soil; mix until well incorporated up to eight inches deep. THINK OUTSIDE THE (GARDEN) BOX Do you have…

DISPENSER/ Refreshment Drink Dispenser, $120, Crate & Barrel WINE GLASS/ Clarity Turquoise Acrylic Stemware, starting at $7, Pier 1 Imports, 2780 S. Colorado Blvd., 303-300-1529, pier1.com CHAIR/ Del Rey Collection Blue Stacking Chair, $90, Pier 1 Imports PILLOW/ Sunbrella Sulfur 20-inch Square Outdoor Pillow, $45, Crate & Barrel, 101 Clayton Lane, 303-331-9300, crateandbarrel.com RUG/ Diamonds Low-Profile Indoor/Outdoor Area Rug, starting at $30, World Market TRAY/ Zumba Orange Tray, $30, Crate & Barrel BOWLS/ Lotta Jansdotter Four-Piece Melamine Small Serving Bowl Set, $57, AllModern, allmodern.com NAPKINS/ Flame Orange Buffet Napkins, $10 for set of six, World Market, 770 S. Colorado Blvd., 303-758-0530, worldmarket.com COOLER/ Orange Retro Drink Cooler, $50, World Market…

“I’m a Victorian girl in a modern world,” confesses floral designer Frances Harjeet as she curls up on a vintage blue-velvet chair, arms clasping a lavishly embroidered pillow. “I’m a maximalist all the way. I can’t do minimal even when I try.” The same is true of Harjeet’s restored Denver home, which she shares with her husband, Thaddeus. Located just a few blocks northeast of the state Capitol, the brightly painted Queen Anne Victorian is one of the six Kingston Row townhouses in the Clements Historic District, an island of late-19th-century homes surrounded by parking lots, office buildings, and modern residential towers. Harjeet has filled her bright, airy living spaces with an eclectic mix of family heirlooms, antique and vintage finds, and fine art and textiles acquired during her travels…

Steps from Denver’s Washington Park is a quiet street tightly lined with nearly indistinguishable bungalows. But one look inside the 1922 home of Julie and Joe Anderies reveals a cheerful, airy dwelling—packed with handsome furnishings and treasures from all over the world—that’s anything but ordinary. Given Julie’s work as an art historian and Joe’s as a jazz musician, perhaps it’s no surprise that when they went searching for a professional to revamp their home, they were hooked by interior designer Katie Schroder’s colorful, unexpected interiors. With the house essentially stripped down to the studs, Schroder, principal of Atelier Design Group, had plenty of room to play. Here’s how she incorporated a long list of must-haves with both modern and antique trappings in a modest space. 5280 Home : In…