When Dara Deshe first encountered the Denver Country Club house that would become her home, she found it to be “very castle-y, in almost an over-the-top kind of way,” she says. The stone structure was handsome and stately on the outside, but indoors, the rooms were shrouded in dark colors, heavy fabrics, and Gothic details. Even so, Deshe—the founder and CEO of Simply Framed, an online custom framing company—loved the historical architecture and the large property. “Plus, having a ton of wall space was fun because I could collect and collect [art] and still have walls to fill,” she says. With a little help, Deshe knew, she could transform the house into something bright and sophisticated, with room for her growing family and her artwork.

On a mission to find help, Deshe and her mother took Los Angeles–based design firm Atelier AM’s book—full of photos of a home similiar to the one Deshe envisioned—and headed to the Denver Design District to ask which local interior designer could deliver such a look. “In Kneedler Fauchère, someone told me, ‘Call Kirsten Brundage,’ so I did,” Deshe says. “We met that day and hit it off.”

5280 Home June/July 2021
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Brundage saw the home’s potential right away and understood her client’s direction. “Dara wanted something tailored yet comfortable,” she says. “I’d call it ‘East Coast meets Santa Barbara.’”

A Stark runner gives the refinished stairs near the front entry a cozy feel underfoot. The marble side table is by Noir. Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis
The updated space includes a refreshed fireplace surround, Cisco Home sofa, and Michael S. Smith wood-frame chairs in Perennials fabric. The whole scene is crowned with a Paul Ferrante chandelier. Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis
Custom shelves by RPM Builders hold framed artworks by Christopher David Ryan, Ana Montiel, and Deshe’s son, as well as prints from 20×200. com, where Deshe once worked. The Room & Board desk is topped with white quartz; the pendant is by Visual Comfort. Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis
In the dining room, a work by artist Ethan Cook plays well with the Paul Ferrante chandelier and the simple lines of the chairs and table, all from Formations. The trio of smaller artworks, framed in Simply Framed’s Black Label collection, includes an original collage by Denver artist Daisy Briceño. Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis
One of Deshe’s favorite pieces of artwork is a colorful “doodle drawing,” which her son created when he was 2 years old. It hangs in a prominent location, just outside the living room. Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis

Deshe had already begun peeling back the evidence of an early 2000s renovation: She removed window mullions to let in more light and pulled up wall-to-wall carpet in the living room, which revealed 12-by-12-inch pink marble tiles. She covered that dated flooring with barnwood from Reclaimed DesignWorks that matched the original floors throughout the rest of the main level.

Then Brundage stepped in and chose furnishings that “get better with time,” she says, and high-quality textured fabrics including silks and heathered linens in muted tones. In the great room, for example, where the old stone fireplace surround was transformed into an elegant, ceiling-height monolith, Brundage opted for a clean-lined Cisco Home sofa in Mokum fabric and a pair of Michael S. Smith wood-frame chairs upholstered in a durable Perennials fabric. Similarly, a vintage console in Deshe’s office is a grounding counterpoint to her gallery wall and sleek Room & Board desk. “We picked pieces to make the house feel more youthful and to balance the weight of the architecture,” Brundage explains.

Against the backdrop of this easy elegance, Deshe’s art collection is especially compelling. She has always been drawn to art, she says, and the idea for Simply Framed came because she found framing artworks frustrating. “I’ve tried it all: high-end custom framing shops, Ikea, getting custom mats cut for Ikea frames,” she says. Her work at several web-based businesses, including 20×200.com and Facebook, combined with this desire to collect and hang art she loves, led to a years-long brainstorm: “I was looking at businesses that take complex shopping experiences—like buying eyeglasses or a bra—and make them very simple,” she says. “I thought there was an opportunity in custom framing. I wanted Simply Framed to be like your best friend with great taste who knows how to help you get your art framed.” In 2013, that metaphorical best friend was born.

Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis
Deshe’s living room gallery wall includes original works by Tyson Anthony Roberts, William Powhida, and Adrian Kaye Wong, as well as framed prints by Youngna Park and Aurel Schmidt, a pair of original drawings by Bryan Gunderson, and a photograph by Laura Bell. Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis
Deshe’s son, Miles, jumps on his Room & Board bed, which is outfitted with Lewis sheets, Hill House Home pillowcases, and a Brooklinen duvet. A Cole & Sons wallpaper gives the room a vibrant feel. Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis

It’s no surprise, given her profession, that Deshe’s home is full of beautiful artworks. Some pieces are originals—she has works by Ethan Cook and William Powhida—and some are less conventional: She framed a tea towel by Alex Katz and a “doodle drawing” by her then-2-year-old son. “We had a piece of paper sitting on a Fisher-Price play table and every day, he’d draw on it,” she says. “Friends would come and scribble on it. In the end, I loved it so much, I wanted it hanging in our home.”

Deshe moves her artworks around her home as she feels inspired—or as she gets new pieces. Her renovated spaces make it easy to switch things up, but, she says, she doesn’t worry too much about coordinating her art. “You can think about art as decoration, but I think it’s a lot more fun and more meaningful to think about it as a collection grown over time. It’s not just for your current place. It’s something you want to live with irrespective of the space.”

Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis
Deshe’s high-school prom date, Dave Ball, now oversees the Jacob May Studio, which manufactures heirloom-quality furnishings, including this bed, in a workshop in California. The artworks over the vintage side table from Nickey Kehoe include a textile from St. Frank and a vintage Vogue cover. Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis
The fully renovated main bathroom provides ample storage in a custom vanity with honed and leathered Perlino marble countertops. Sconces from Waterworks and a handsome Robern mirror add to the room’s abundant natural light. Photo by Emily Minton Redfield, styling by Elaine St. Louis

Design Pros

Interior Design: Kirsten Brundage, the Interior
Construction: Ryan Morrissey, RPM Builders
Landscape Design: Christine and Scott Davis, Eccentric Stone

This article was originally published in 5280 Home June/July 2021.
Hilary Masell Oswald
Hilary Masell Oswald
As the former editor for two of 5280’s ancillary publications, Hilary Masell Oswald split her time between the vibrant design-and-architecture scene in the metro area for 5280 Home and the always-changing field of health for the annual 5280 Health.