The Matheson House

The Matheson House: Designed and built in Boulder, Colorado by iconic architect Charles Haertling in 1971, the Matheson House, in highly modern fashion, features a series of cylindrical spaces around a central living area with spectacular views of the Flatirons and surrounding mountains. These modern elements also include geometric windows in curved walls of various sizes, wood paneling, exposed concrete, and metal exterior detailing with a flat roof. Throughout the home are found details inspired by Native American artwork, which harmonizes with Haertling’s modern architecture via the magnificent entryway created by Raleigh Renfree. Designing and creating an entrance for a Haertling home proposes interesting challenges; the iconic nature of the home itself, the modern organic architecture Haertling employed, and the angular bold building materials used in construction all provided a highly structured framework to create a powerful yet simply beautiful mouth of the home. The Mathesons wanted their door to express the heritage of their home as well as carry its unique architectural flavor. Raleigh pulled elements from the iconic Matheson name as well as the home’s cylindrical spaces to create the door’s etched round windows. These delicate glass curves provide breaks in the solid angular arrow pattern of the carving, which flow into the angles and lines of the vertical siding, carrying the overall mood and motion of the house. It is a true pleasure to experience a masterpiece entryway upon a Haertling architectural masterpiece.