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The hub of this high-country home is a trio of spaces: a large, bright kitchen, a casual living-dining area designed for gatherings, and an outdoor patio accessible through an 18-foot-wide folding glass door. The duo behind it—Vertical Arts Architecture founder Brandt Vanderbosch, the project’s architect, and Sarah Tiedeken O’Brien, its interior designer—reveal the details of the design.
5280 Home: This space feels so…good. What’s the secret?
Brandt Vanderbosch: The natural light. This is the middle floor of a three-story home, which allowed us to stack that patio over the garage, and we get the benefit of the views and the sunlight.
Which comes in from every side.
BV: The kitchen isn’t right up against a wall because stairs from the lower-level mudroom run behind that subway-tiled shelf. The kids drop their bags and school stuff downstairs and run upstairs to the kitchen. The open shelves bring in the light from the windows on the other side of the stairs and still offer functional storage.
Sarah Tiedeken O’Brien: Plus, beyond those windows, there’s a side yard where the kids play. If you’re working in the kitchen, you can peek out and see them, which was important for our clients [general contractor Jeremy MacGray and his wife, Krysta].
What else mattered to them?
STO: Blending styles: Jeremy likes the industrial look—you’ll notice the polished concrete floors—and Krysta really loves the farmhouse-chic look. The architectural massing refers to a modern farmhouse, but the [Zola high-performance aluminum] windows and other materials feel more raw.
Tell us about that patio.
BV: The house is in town with views of the mountain, and the way we sited the house, Krysta and Jeremy can watch from the patio as the kids walk to school. But overall, it’s just an excellent place to gather. There’s a firepit right outside the folding glass door and a hot tub to the left. The beams and columns are made of Douglas fir, and the floors are etched concrete, so again, we have that blending of warm materials with cooler ones.
Why does the whole thing work?
STO: It’s a brand-new house, and we picked everything out at once, but it doesn’t feel like that. If you don’t go with a single style, you have more room [aesthetically] to add in pieces you like as time goes on. It allows the house to change over time, as the family changes. I love that the space feels homey, but also designed.
