This 5,800-Square-Foot Abode with Great Bones Becomes a Young Family’s Haven

A 1984 Boulder home with incredible views is updated into a modern space that radiates warmth.

7 hours ago

Christine Emming,

Living Room The stone fireplace anchors the great room, while the reframed windows capture the Flatirons in one direction, the lake from the other. | Photo: Dane Cronin

“Renovating an older home requires sensitivity. It’s not just about making it new,” says the homeowner; “it’s about making it coherent.” The homeowners, a young couple with a toddler and two dogs, had found a gem in the rough: a Boulder home built in a forested lakeside community with sweeping views of the private lake and the iconic Flatirons. Despite a 2021 remodel, the home felt compartmentalized, dated, cold. Yet, on the almost-one-acre plot with mature pines and rock outcroppings, the homeowners saw the potential of the 5,800-square-foot home in its idyllic setting.

Entryway An oak console table from Kathy Kuo Home breaks up the circularity—tile, lighting, mirror—with visible wood grain. | Photo: Dane Cronin

Local friends connected the new homeowners with SoBo Homes, and the couple appreciated the builders’ precision and organization with scheduling and budgeting. Kate Moore, founder of Kimball Modern, was added to the team with a goal to create a timeless, warm and light-filled space.

“SoBo brought exceptional craftsmanship, disciplined execution and a sharp attention to detail, while Kate thoughtfully layered finishes, furnishings and refined elements that softened the architecture and infused it with warmth and personality,” says the homeowner. “Together, they simplified and opened the spaces.”

Kitchen Playful, organic lighting brightens without distracting fromVonmod’s flat-front cabinetry or the reeded island. | Photo: Dane Cronin

Focusing on the views as a main feature of the home, windows were shifted to better showcase the Flatirons and the lake. A stone fireplace anchors the great room, adding an interplay with the clean lines of cabinetry and visible wood grain on the main-floor living areas that feels rooted, very Colorado. Gentle patterns let the eye flow freely throughout the home without being snagged on any single visual. It takes a moment to focus on the tiny vertical tiles lining the range hood or the dark, circular terracotta tile in the entry, as all the organic shapes are echoed in other features—from lighting to furniture to the rocks visible outdoors.

Front Door The home’s exterior, with dark paint and clay roof, blends into the wooded landscape, while the interior shines with welcome. | Photo: Dane Cronin

Says Moore, “The continuity of the materials and how the different textures all talk the same language creates that grounded feeling.” Existing hickory flooring on the main level was lightened from gray, so the floors now exude a natural warmth. Flat-front cabinets in white oak modernize and further brighten the space, while shifts in the neutral colors create more defined zones within the open floor plan.

With a palette inspired by the colors in the natural stone fireplace surround, durable furnishings were chosen—pieces that pivot easily between daily life with children and entertaining guests. Focused on adding warmth to modernize the space, the team leaned into texture and softness. Small details like the rounded, organic lighting soften the squared-off windows.

Terraced Pathway Evoke’s highly walkable combination of concrete, steel, native grasses and natural rock creates a modern-meets-mountain experience, melting pleasantly upslope to the house. | Photo: Dane Cronin

Externally, modern siding paired with dark, warm paint teams easily with the existing clay roof and copper gutters. Terraced pathways and staircases offer a thoughtful approach to the lot’s considerable slope. The concrete steps that meander down to the lake feel meditative, bordered by natural rock with native grasses tucked alongside.

Living in the home “has been deeply grounding,” says the homeowner. “The natural light shifts beautifully throughout the day. There’s a quiet quality to it now that simply wasn’t there before the renovation. It feels balanced, cohesive and peaceful.”

Wet Bar Dark colors weren’t used in interior spaces, yet this subtle Ann Sacks porcelain tile welcomes lower-level entry guests, its tone quietly referencing the dark exterior. | Photo: Dane Cronin

Varying Tile Use

For a Low-Key Visual Texture

First a ceramicist, then a designer, Kate Moore of Kimball Modern is uniquely versed in tile. “I selected the bar backsplash tile before I was even hired!” says Moore of the engraved porcelain tile by Ann Sacks. “In the first conversation (with the homeowners), they mentioned a modern tiki bar and I knew I had to use that tile.”

For the curved range hood surround, three rows of 1″ x 10″ vertical tiles, selected from Bedrosian for its subtlety, complement the reeded island without standing out as a competing design element. “When entering the kitchen, you see the island first, so that speaks louder than the hood,” Moore says. “The hood is a quiet talker, so you have to get closer to hear it.”

Adding a layer of interest to the shower wall in the primary bathroom is another Ann Sacks tile, glazed and deployed in a herringbone pattern. Its energetic movement complements the more traditional lay of the Porcelanosa floor tile.

The Clé Tile marble mosaic in the entry built-in stands out both for its color and impactful placement. “The veining in the marble references the variation in the wood flooring,” says Moore, “and the rounded profile ties in with the reeded kitchen island.” The entry features a Clé Tile terracotta tile in a dark shade, softened by its circularity, a shape echoed in the lighting and hardware. The varied tile use in this home quietly polishes each room.

Bedroom Organic shapes and soft, glowing light soften the angular interior spaces, while hickory flooring adds a natural warmth. | Photo: Dane Cronin