I’m a sucker for creature comforts. The consistency of small but steady rituals is what puts me in my happy place and makes me feel like I’m ticking the boxes of life’s never-ending checklist. This year, as those daily dances I once did on autopilot—take the train to work, buy a cup of coffee, grab lunch with a coworker, hit an evening yoga class, return home—began to falter, I realized my home offered plenty of ways to rechoreograph those quotidian joys. My new rhythm includes making pour-over coffee in the mornings, eating lunch with my partner on our patio, fighting the 3 p.m. slump with a walk around the neighborhood, and doing the work-from-home shuffle from dining table to sofa to desk to sofa again.

As our everyday routines continue to evolve, so do our homes. In “The Future Of Design,” Chris Gray, co-founder and principal of Boulder architecture firm Bldg Collective, points out that the past year has motivated us to take a good, hard look at how our living spaces function, and make necessary design shifts that support our new normals. “It’s not really about what countertop material you have,” he says. “It’s does my house work with our school situation, our work situation, and our entertaining situation?”

5280 Home December 2020/January 2021
More From The Issue

And if changing your countertops (or bathroom tile, or light fixtures) is what brings you joy, the fifth-annual Top Denver Design awards are here to help. Our first-ever Editors’ and Readers’ Choice list reveals the best local places to shop and people to call when your home needs a face-lift, and our roundup of five gorgeous residential spaces will jumpstart your mood board. Here’s to creating a home that’s inspiring, adaptable, and supports you in your daily dance—whatever that may look like.