Outdoor Living

It’s hard to believe that this small back yard was once “a leftover space,” as Jeff Sheppard, architect and principal of Denver-based Roth Sheppard Architects, calls it. To give new purpose to the small plot of land, the architect, who also reworked the interior of the 1950s Hilltop home, designed a modern, Zen-like retreat.

With space and views at a premium in Denver’s urban neighborhoods, it is rare for one property to offer so many sought-after features—panoramic views of both cityscape and mountains, contemporary living in a historic neighborhood and access to spacious outdoor venues. But sometimes all the right ingredients come together. Such was the case for former suburbanites Liza Kampstra and Craig Evans, who found the perfect location in Denver’s Lower Highlands neighborhood—and the right architect and interior designer to bring their vision to life.

Stand in the south-facing loggia of this Spanish Revival home in Cherry Hills Village, take in your surroundings and be rewarded with a direct view of Pikes Peak. Turn exactly 90 degrees west and you’ll spot Mount Evans. Now cross those two sight lines and you’ve traced the main axes of this stone-and-stucco abode. “That kind of crossing is an important element in Spanish Revival design,” architect Don Ruggles says.

Where It Began

After purchasing the empty lot south of their property, the owners of this home in Denver’s Observatory Park neighborhood collaborated with the team at Lifescape Associates to turn neglected terrain into a high-impact, low-maintenance paradise. “Should you desire a private resort in your backyard,” says Lifescape founder Charles “Randy” Randolph, “this is it.”