A Renovated Retreat
Rustic barn wood and luxe furnishings bring this dated mountain escape into the here and now
We’ve all seen them. Across the country, homes constructed circa 1995 share a few telltale characteristics: beige walls with honey-stained molding, blond floors or wall-to-wall
carpeting, white tile, touches of travertine and brushed-nickel fixtures. The look is all too easy to date, but it doesn’t readily suggest any particular location or personality.
These days, however, many homeowners and designers want to banish the generic in favor of a look that’s more personalized and geographically specific—and interior designer Melissa Greenauer and her adventurous Beaver Creek clients are definitely in that camp. The well-traveled interior designer works with clients from Colorado to points far beyond, operating out of her offices in Vail, London and Dubai to design homes and commercial spaces that reflect their surroundings.
As many renovations do, this project grew exponentially as work got under way, spiraling outward from kitchen and bathroom remodels to include topical renovations in nearly every room and outdoor space.
The addition of wood paneling to the sloped ceiling draws more attention to the living room’s beautiful wooden beams and trusses, visually warming up the room and bringing the ceiling down to human scale. A Paul Ferrante chandelier adds a graceful note, and a collection of art from Santa Fe adorns the room. Comfy custom sofas and sectionals from Greenauer Design are streamlined and neutral so as not to compete with the room’s imposing architecture.
Walls clad in barn wood serve as a rustic, tonal backdrop for the kitchen’s custom metal hood and dramatic backsplash. Greenauer refinished the oak floors to create a darker, neutral base for the home’s design.
Contemporary sconces and a chandelier from Hammerton modernize the cozy breakfast nook. Their sleek forms stand in contrast to the room’s forested views.
The master bedroom is a tall, compact space, and after the client settled on a canopy bed from Ferrell + Mittman, Greenauer made it the focal point for the space and then filled in everything else around it. She kept the colors and furnishings to a minimum so as not to visually clutter the room, directing the attention toward the views. (above) Contemporary side tables from Bernhardt are a refined counterpoint to the rustic barn wood backdrop, and the plush bedding and sumptuous rug provide soft texture notes.
Greenauer gave a 90s-era, honey-blond master bath a radical update, in keeping with the home’s new rustic-luxe mood. “The master bath used to be that classic ‘open the door and look at the tub’ kind of thing, and the clients didn’t even want a tub,” Greenauer remembers. So she updated the color palette, materials and layout, creating a crisply tailored space perfect for the homeowners’ needs.
“We used clean, modern tiles and sleek lines, and then combined that with reclaimed barn wood and oil-rubbed bronze fixtures.” The space is now clad in Athens Silver Cream marble, with an accent wall of Idyllwild tiles from Ann Sacks in the spacious shower.
The home’s second master suite originally had a wall divider that blocked the views and natural light offered by the room’s many windows. Greenauer removed the unnecessary barrier in order to unite the room’s cozy sleeping and sitting spaces. The dramatic four-poster bed from Bernhardt features an upholstered headboard with nailhead trim. It’s matched with a bedside table that echoes its shape. Rich, warm shades of rust and mahogany are repeated in the drapes, armchairs, benches and sumptuous bedding, joining the glow of the mellow fireplace to give the room a welcoming comfort at the end of a mountain day.
DESIGN DETAILS
Interior Designer
Melissa Greenauer, Greenauer Design Group
greenauer.com
RESOURCES
Barn wood: Vintage Woods, vintagewoodsinc.net; chandelier from Paul Ferrante, paulferrante.com; custom sofas by Greenauer Design Group; custom range hood by Greenauer Design Group; cabinetry by William Ohs, wmohs.com; Gotham Weave backsplash from Ann Sacks, annsacks.com; gas range from Viking, vikingrange.com; custom curved bench by Greenauer Design Group; pendant and sconces from Hammerton, hammerton.com; bed by Edward Ferrell+Lewis Mittman, ef-lm.com; chest from Bernhardt, bernhardt.com; area rug from Stark Carpet, starkcarpet.com; custom sink by Greenauer Design Group; pendant and sconce from Hubbardton Forge, hubbardtonforge.com; Athens silver cream floor and wall tile and Idyllwild shower tile from Ann Sacks, annsacks.com.
