Standing out from the pack of luxury residences in Cherry Creek North is no easy task. That’s why the developers behind 155 Steele Street, better known as Laurel Cherry Creek, enlisted the award-winning Denver design firm Kimberly Timmons Interiors to give their high-rise condominium building’s public spaces the look and feel of a top-notch resort.

laurel full exterior
The 12-story Laurel Cherry Creek is the tallest for-sale residential property in Denver’s Cherry Creek North neighborhood. Rendering courtesy of Johnson Nathan Strohe.

The design team tapped their expertise in resort and casino design when creating the Laurel’s lobby, pool, and elevator areas. Their aim: to give residents a feeling of hospitality whenever they return home. “The idea is to create social, active places,” says LeKathryn Champine, design consultant at Kimberly Timmons Interiors, who collaborated with designer Trang Dang on the project. “The lobby will be used for various private events, so we wanted to create an entry experience that’s similar to that of a hotel.”

That experience is one of grandeur and elegance, thanks to 19-foot-high ceilings, three towering glass walls, a 10-foot-tall custom metal chandelier, modern Scandinavian-style furnishings, and aged walnut and brass fixtures. White marble covers the floors, concierge desk, and lobby bar, and a dramatic accent wall featuring three-dimensional walnut panels anchors the room.

laurel lobby
The design team at Kimberly Timmons Interiors finished the lobby of Laurel Cherry Creek with a palette of marble, walnut, and brass. Rendering courtesy of Laurel Cherry Creek.

Inspired by the building’s clean lines and the ground floor’s blocky façade—designed by Denver architecture firm Johnson Nathan Strohe—the interior designers continued the theme inside, building blocky insets that create seating niches in the lobby and other public spaces. Clad with rich walnut, they range from bench seats near the elevators to intimate gathering spots that encourage small groups to engage in conversation. “We are creating little spaces for residents that help them transition from the outside into the building,” Dang explains. “That first hallway off the lobby is like a portal.”

The entrance to each residence echoes the lobby niches; the design team incorporated wood, stone, and lighting to create an offset entry with privacy and style. Inside, the residences (which range from one-bedrooms with just under 1,000 square feet of living space to three-bedrooms with more than 4,700 square feet) feature modern linear fireplaces, wide-plank engineered-hardwood flooring, plush wool carpeting, polished-quartz or granite countertops, custom cabinetry, and professional-grade appliances. Multi-panel sliding-glass or folding-glass doors (depending on the floorplan) flood the sleek spaces with natural light.

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A west-facing rooftop deck offers residents great mountain and downtown views, a stainless-steel-lined pool, fire pit, sleek lounge seating, a dining area, and outdoor kitchen. Rendering courtesy of Johnson Nathan Strohe.

The modern-leaning design extends up to the rooftop, where a portion of the sunny pool deck is shaded by a sleek walnut pergola, and a stainless-steel-lined swimming pool creates a modern play of light on the water. “The developers plan to use these areas for private functions,” Champine says. “We understand how the hospitality industry uses these spaces and incorporated that [knowledge] into the interior design. It’s really quite different from most apartments or condos around town.”

Developed by the Pauls Corporation, Laurel Cherry Creek is currently 40-percent sold, with some residents expected to move in by the end of 2018. Prices for currently available units start in the low $800,000s. To learn more, visit laurelcherrycreek.com.