Aspen Magazine
Step Inside Aspen's Newly Renovated-Victorian Home
By Linda Hayes
A custom blue and lavender mural in the living room sets the home’s interior palette. The Swedish eagle is from Marston Luce Antiques. A lattice stair wall allows light to filter through.
A custom blue and lavender mural in the living room sets the home’s interior palette. The Swedish eagle is from Marston Luce Antiques. A lattice stair wall allows light to filter through.
The expression “you can’t judge a book by its cover” applies perfectly to a restored, 4,500-square-foot home in Aspen’s historic West End neighborhood. Unassuming at first glance, with architectural characteristics typical of contemporary Victorian vernacular—clean lines, gable windows, simple white shiplap siding, gray and black detailing—its defining element is revealed beyond the front door.
“Color wasn’t originally in my imagination for this project,” says architect Ryan Lee, of Aspen-based Forum Phi Architecture, about the distinctive interior program meticulously conceived, curated and implemented by Virginia interior designer Maria Crosby Pollard of Crosby Designs LLC. “As architects, we typically like a little more black-and-white, more simplicity. But working with Crosby Pollard and seeing her vision evolve, I became open to the idea.”
Built in 1890 as a small miner’s cabin, the home had been remodeled seven times before. Each time, additions had been made until the original structure was obscured, and it wasn’t until initial demolition took place that its framing and roofline were revealed. A meticulous process of preserving what remained and working around it, the historic structure ensued for the new iteration, which included a total remodel of the interior and an expansion of the basement to house four of seven en suite bedrooms.
The owners’ bedroom features a four-poster bed and Victorian-inspired wallpaper
Throughout the project, the clients’ goals and participation were key. “They knew the area well and did their homework,” shares Crosby Pollard, who also knows the area, and Aspen, well aft er working with noted architect and interior designer David Easton on projects there, including The Little Nell hotel. “They had three young kids, were close with extended family and loved to entertain. They needed plenty of flexible space.” They, especially the husband, also had a great eye, a strong sense of architecture, layout and function, and, equally important, a love of color.
It was an intensely collaborative experience among all involved. “On a project like this, there are going to be surprises,” shares Lee. “You have to be flexible, willing to pivot the situation with the interior designer, the contractor. We were constantly on-site through the construction, including oft en with the client.” Notably, as they were essential to the concept of providing ample gathering space, living, dining and kitchen areas (all with newly heightened ceilings) were key, as was ensuring that the interior design aligned with the architecture.
“We started with the common spaces and how the family was going to live there,” says Crosby Pollard. A custom living room mural, part printed, part handpainted, in muted blues and lavender, set the tone for rest of house. “It’s warm and happy, and the colors thread through to other rooms, so they all feel connected.” Custom furnishings, including a pair of Vladimir Kagan-style chairs from High Point Market, continue the color concept. A fanciful, old Victorian-influenced lattice wall screen designed by Forum Phi Architecture both connects to the historic Victorian aesthetic and subliminally separates an open tread stairway to the upper level.
A view into the family room reveals walls covered in Muriel Brandolini backed fabric, a Sigurd Ressell Falcon chair, a custom sofa and a Matt Camron rug.
Adjoining the living room lies a somewhat more subdued (albeit with custom glazed purple Waterworks tile wall), highly functional kitchen. Adjoining that, the dining room features a custom pedestal table and a wall (custom paneled and papered with faux ostrich Phillip Jeffries vinyl) that creatively conceals a door to the garage.
Throughout the home, every detail from furniture and lighting to artwork, window trims, wall fabric, bedding and even bath towels and cocktail napkins was handpicked or custom-designed. A total of 50 paint colors enlivened the spaces throughout. A back patio, complete with fire pit, takes the action outside year-round.
“In the long run, a successful project is one that makes the client happy. But sometimes you have to be patient. With a project that takes three or four years, you don’t get an end result quickly,” says Lee. “But in the end, it’s always wonderful when a client is happy and the space is functional— like we imagined from day one.”
“It turned out so joyful and really reflects the owners as a family,” Crosby Pollard adds. “[Forum Phi Architecture’s] Ryan Lee made it all come to fruition.”