A Fateful Family Home in Golden
They found love in the Highlands, but their forever home is Golden
It may be that we don’t find our homes; our homes find us, to loosely crib from Anaïs Nin. At least that’s the case for Lisa Coy and her husband Patrick. Two years ago, the couple were happily ensconced in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood.
“I bought the house across the street from Pat in the Highlands 12 years ago,” Lisa says. “That block has been really special for us. We met on that block, we got married, he moved into my house, we had our first two children there, and we love the neighborhood.”
So when a realtor friend phoned to say a home was for sale in the Applewood area of Golden, a place the couple had long admired, they felt ambivalent as they toured the house before it was to enter the market. The couple who owned the place had been the sole owners, and the Coys spent the day meeting with their children. When they left, they both said, “‘No way; it would be too much work,” Lisa says. The next day, though, they couldn’t stop talking about the possibilities and suddenly found themselves submitting their bid late in 2016.
Then fate struck a second time. “We found out I was pregnant when we went into contract on the house.” Even so, the Coys—both of whom work in design and build commercially—had been intent on tackling renovations themselves, wanting to limit work to kitchen and bath updates. The Coys hired Red Pencil Architecture to design plans, but when asbestos abatement became a necessity they called in reinforcements. Pat re-connected with Kent Simpson of Factor Design Build based in Denver, a fraternity brother from their days at Colorado State University.
The dream team of design-professional homeowners and the crew at Factor expanded on the renovations to adjust the floor plan, vaulted the ceilings, moved a back stair to the center of the home and carved out space for a new master bathroom, all in less than eight months—perfect timing to greet the newly born baby Stella.
Moving in remains deliberate and slow for the transplants, who are taking their time with décor decisions, but after pouring their heart and soul into the project, the Coys have found a new home to love—and aren’t planning on leaving anytime soon. “We’re staying here forever,” Lisa says. “A long time from now, a couple is going to buy this home and say, ‘We bought this house from the second couple that owned the place.’”
“This is one of my favorite details in the house,” exclaims Lisa Coy, when asked about the divider. The original layout had a wall blocking the entry from the rest of the home. The divider is a nod to ranch style but also provides a view into the grand room. It doubles as an entry, with a bench and shelves on one side and an entertainment hub on the other, housing albums and a turntable. A World Market rattan chair and embroidered ottoman from Denver’s Umoya Trading Company echo the laid-back appeal. Artwork is by Tyler Beard: A Curious Toucan and Scaffolding collage.
“I’m super proud of the vertical tile wall in the house,” says Josh Fiester of Factor Design Build. “Running it in the vertical direction makes the house feel that much taller; it helps carry your eye up.” The wall also provides relief—literally and figuratively. “The bay window in the living room is 10 feet wide, so people can see right into the home,” says Lisa. “Behind the wall, we can be in our PJs in the morning and no one can see us.” A live-edge rustic bench from Boulder Furniture Arts greets guests with cozy graphic pillows and throws from The Citizenry and Crate & Barrel. In the dining space is colorful art by Kate Petley.
“Behind the wall, we can be in our PJs and no one can see us. ”
— Lisa Coy, Homeowner
— Lisa Coy, Homeowner
Homeowner Lisa Coy with 2-year-old Sullivan and their wheaten terrier, Tanner, at the kitchen island. The Coys are big on entertaining and decided to install a Nano window (behind Lisa) to let them keep it open and serve drinks outside in the summer. Lisa says: “We named it our margarita window from day one.” Hanging above is a Louis Poulsen pendant.
“We named it our margarita window from day one.” — Lisa Coy, Homeowner
A self-described obsessive space-planner, Lisa had detailed everything from the Carrara marble countertop to where utensils and dishes would go before purchasing cabinets from Concept 32 in Denver. Because Carrara blemishes easily, she decided to create a workhorse on the other side and installed leathered Absolute Black countertops. A black-and-white striped kilim from Lolo Rugs mirrors the effect and leads guests to the midcentury dining table from Room & Board . Dale Chisman’s eye-catching abstract titled Offering hangs above.
The homeowners worked with Factor Design Build to come up with the custom rolled-metal fireplace to replace an unusable brick one. The patina grows with age and is highly interactive, says homeowner Lisa Coy. “Sully puts his magnets on it.” A modern abstract by Joseph Coniff, Four Flowers, hangs above. Layers of The Citizenry pillows and throws adorn a Room & Board sofa that Lisa calls her first adult sofa purchase, while a round end-table from Voss Art + Home balances out the metal of the fireplace.
DESIGN DETAILS:
ARCHITECTURE Factor Design Build, Red Pencil Architecture ART Ann Benson Reidy + Associates
