Heirloom-Quality Design

A 1965 ranch home in Cherry Hills undergoes a major reimagining and renovation to become a family gathering space designed with future generations in mind

Most empty nesters, when faced with the prospect of purchasing a 1965 Classic Ranch Revival with a tiny kitchen, low ceilings, and two unwanted swimming pools, would turn and run. But one visionary couple said yes to the mess. While the property’s mature trees, breathtaking views, and surrounding golf course were certainly the lot’s best features, the owners also saw a glimmer of promise in the dated home—a place where they could entertain their large family and welcome their grandchildren for holidays and celebrations. “Our clients had great vision, and the fortitude to go through with it,” says California-based interior designer Jan Turner Hering. “They were very brave.”

The couple assembled a team of talented professionals: architect Paul Mahony of KGA Studio Architects, Matt Bondarewicz of Bond General Contractors, and Hering of Jan Turner Hering Interior Design. The challenge, Bondarewicz says, was building a home “that was fitting for such a special piece of property while trying to utilize as much of the existing structure as possible.” The team, with their open-minded clients, Hering says, forged the best possible  combination. “We all brought various pieces of the puzzle.”

In the end, the home is not only welcoming; it also earned a Platinum rating for residential design excellence from the National Association of Home Builders’ Best in American Living Awards. It’s a space that will see a lot more happiness in years to come. “The homeowners were designing for themselves,” Mahony says, “but with the idea that the home should pass down through future generations.”

The towering living room windows capture the property’s selling feature: the enviable view. “This room used to have very low ceilings,” designer Jan Turner Hering says. “Now it has a view of the golf course to the Rocky Mountains and it feels like you’re standing on the edge of Colorado.” A tufted leather loveseat from J. Robert Scott is perfectly situated to gaze at art pieces on the glass coffee table: a rock crystal link sculpture from Robert Kuo and a Lucite bowl from J. Robert Scott.

A Donghia chandelier suspended from the living room’s newly built, two-story ceiling sparkles above furnishings from J. Robert Scott, a custom rug from Tai Ping, and lamps from Nancy Corzine. The art over the fireplace—an Ali Golkar painting— is from the homeowner’s collection. “The consoles on either side of the fireplace are polished stainless with black granite tops and the mirrors behind them take you beyond that room,” says Hering.

“We space-planned the kitchen for gatherings,” Hering says, with Christopher Peacock cabinetry in a paint called Calcium and a custom-stained finish. “They have a truly meticulously hand-brushed finish that needs to be seen up close to appreciate the beauty,” says contractor Matt Bondarewicz. Locker-style doors and hardware conceal the refrigerator. Overhead, vintage nickel pendants echo the metal accent found on drawer and cabinet pulls and the bar area’s upper-cabinet grillwork. Gray slate tiles from Artistic Tile form the backsplash above honed Carrara marble countertops.

The new main-floor library offers a private retreat just off the open-plan public spaces. The cozy room features very little color—apart from the homeowner’s Dale Chihuly artwork. Textured Phillip Jeffries wallpaper, Stark carpet, Jiun Ho upholstered furnishings, and campaign tables from J. Robert Scott lend the room stay-a-while comfort. “The view,” Hering says,” is like that of a tree house.”

The dining room, while open to the other gathering spaces on the main floor, maintains an air of intimacy with a lower ceiling and an inlaid pattern on the wood floor. Twin chandeliers from Wired Lighting and wallpaper from Fromental lend the room a bit of playful panache.

The lower level media room mixes the glamorous look the homeowners wanted, with an added note of comfort. “Here, we turned to textures and things that would give great serviceability with family,” designer Jan Turner Hering says. Upholstered pieces from A. Rudin, a Masland rug, and art by Helen Zarin soften the wood-paneled room, while a modern, stacked, chiseled-face slate fireplace surround has a contemporary flavor and doors open wide to the loggia.

This lower-level guest room features a bed, bedding, and bench custom-designed by Hering, along with bedside tables, a Parsons chair, Swaim desk, Phillip Jeffries wallpaper, Aleece Briggs draperies, and floor covering from Unique Carpets.

The master bath is a study in luxury: white Calcutta marble tops both his-and-her vanities and her dressing table, and the mirrors are surrounded by tiny mother-of-pearl tiles.

Design Details

Architect
Paul Mahony, KGA Studio Architects
kgarch.com

Interior Designer
Jan Turner Hering, Jan Turner Hering Interior Design, Inc.
janturnerhering.com

Contractor
Matt Bondarewicz, Bond General Contractors
bondgc.com