Houzz Tour: High-End Modernism in a Jet-Set Town
Expansive glass highlights the mountains in this four-level architect's home, while stone and wood bring nature up close
Aspen is a small city in western Colorado known for skiing, celebrities — and wealth. Four ski areas serve its 6,658 residents and the visitors to what the Wall Street Journal called "an anointed stop on the international jet-set circuit" in 2011. The same WSJ article calls Aspen "the most expensive town in America," with the median sale prices of homes at $4.6 million.
It's no surprise that Charles Cunniffe Architects has a substantial portfolio of high-end residences in the area. Many of the company's designs are a contemporary version of the local design traditions, heavily influenced by the Western style. Charles Cunniffe's influences for his family's own residence are more varied and more modern, but the home, on Wright Road, shares some qualities with his larger residential portfolio, especially large expanses of glass to take in the mountain views.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Architect Charles Cunniffe, wife Angela (owner of a model and talent agency) and their 2 kids
Location: Aspen, Colorado
Size: 10,000 square feet
That's interesting: The house was designed 20 years prior to construction — the architect applied lessons learned from previous commissions to his own house, incorporating his own wishes and influences.
It's no surprise that Charles Cunniffe Architects has a substantial portfolio of high-end residences in the area. Many of the company's designs are a contemporary version of the local design traditions, heavily influenced by the Western style. Charles Cunniffe's influences for his family's own residence are more varied and more modern, but the home, on Wright Road, shares some qualities with his larger residential portfolio, especially large expanses of glass to take in the mountain views.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Architect Charles Cunniffe, wife Angela (owner of a model and talent agency) and their 2 kids
Location: Aspen, Colorado
Size: 10,000 square feet
That's interesting: The house was designed 20 years prior to construction — the architect applied lessons learned from previous commissions to his own house, incorporating his own wishes and influences.
This view from a patio on the east side of the house — serving the master bedroom suite — makes it clear that the roof is not completely flat. The overhangs are flat, but the rest of the roof is pitched like a shed roof to follow the slope of the hill.
The overhang and angled roof recall one of Cunniffe's influences: Frank Lloyd Wright, particularly his Usonian houses. The design actually reminds me of the home I stayed in during Hurricane Irene, a house from Wright's Usonian period. One benefit is that the house is sheltered on one side, opening itself up with larger glass areas on the other side.
The deck on the left faces south and takes advantage of the sun and the view. The house's hillside situation is clearly visible in the slope that starts below the deck.
The overhang and angled roof recall one of Cunniffe's influences: Frank Lloyd Wright, particularly his Usonian houses. The design actually reminds me of the home I stayed in during Hurricane Irene, a house from Wright's Usonian period. One benefit is that the house is sheltered on one side, opening itself up with larger glass areas on the other side.
The deck on the left faces south and takes advantage of the sun and the view. The house's hillside situation is clearly visible in the slope that starts below the deck.
One enters the house by taking a left at the top of the steps visible in the first photo. In line with the front door is a substantial yet open stair that serves four floors. Most of the spaces are housed on two floors — living areas and master suite on the first floor, with children's rooms, a family room and services downstairs — while the aforementioned guest suite is on the second floor, and an office is perched in the third-floor tower.
The plan of the linear house is like a dumbell — the center is an open living area, and smaller spaces are on the ends; this applies to both the first and lower level. Here we are looking into the open living area from next to the kitchen. The glass wall on the right faces south and the gorgeous view of the distant mountains.
A few interesting architectural details are happening in this space:
A few interesting architectural details are happening in this space:
- In the meeting of horizontal and sloped roof is a cove light.
- Stone facing the hearth and adjacent walls brings some of the outside inside (some stone is visible at the entrance in the first photo).
- A change in roof height between the living area and master suite beyond allows for some clerestory windows tucked under the roof.
This photo is taken from a similar location as the previous one, but note how the room changes with the doors to the master suite closed. Here we see Cunniffe with his kids (twin boy and girl) and a little bit of the library that is up a couple steps from the living room. The room leads to a patio on the back of the house, echoing the deck on the front.
Looking south from next to the requisite Eames Lounge Chair (hey, I've got one too), we can see the clerestory lighting between the two ceiling planes echoed in the floor lighting below the fireplace. The glass wall seems suited to sitting in the Eames — the roof overhang aligns with the top horizontal, and the deck railing aligns with the bottom horizontal, leaving the large panes and the mountain view. The 8-foot roof overhang on the south is sized to let in winter sunlight but block the summer sun, and the panes at the bottom serve as operable vents.
Further, the 12-foot-high tripartite windows are actually separate units, and the whole middle section slides to the side to connect the living area to the deck.
Further, the 12-foot-high tripartite windows are actually separate units, and the whole middle section slides to the side to connect the living area to the deck.
Here is a view of the kitchen, which is open to the living area. The vent above the stove sits opposite the living room hearth, giving some balance to the large space. The scale of the space really comes across in the pendants over the island.
Cunniffe confirmed that, yes, his daughter is crawling along the countertop; the image hasn't been Photoshopped.
Cunniffe confirmed that, yes, his daughter is crawling along the countertop; the image hasn't been Photoshopped.
In addition to Wright, one of Cunniffe's influences on the house was Richard Neutra. This home may be miles removed from Neutra's California modernism, but the large expanses of glass and corner windows owe something to his architecture.
The balance of Wright and Neutra can be found in, respectively, the fireplace and windows; the former parallels the living room's fireplace, and the latter turns the corner to a door that leads to the eastern patio we saw earlier from outside.
The balance of Wright and Neutra can be found in, respectively, the fireplace and windows; the former parallels the living room's fireplace, and the latter turns the corner to a door that leads to the eastern patio we saw earlier from outside.
This last view of the house is the bathroom in the master suite. It is split into his-and-her sides — his-and-her toilets, his-and-her vanities — with a glass-enclosed shower sitting in between. A tub sits at the exterior wall, rightfully soaking in the lovely view.
Here we are looking toward the entrance on the west side. A terrace serving the guest suite can be seen above the entrance canopy, which is paralleled by a large roof overhang. A flat roof in Aspen, Colorado, may seem odd, but Cunniffe designed the structure to accommodate 8 feet of snow.