Italian Accents Bring Timeless Elegance to This Boulder Home

Open Plan: The Frame TV by Samsung hangs above a fireplace clad in Salvatori CNC Pietra d’Avola limestone, with a Minotti Superquadra bench and a Brokis Macaron large transparent onyx white light. | Photo: Susie Brenner

When a couple of downsizing empty nesters decided to build a new Boulder home for their retirement, they embraced a clean-lined style with enduring appeal. “We wanted a house that would feel like a luxury hotel with an emphasis on timeless pieces and balanced design (not too modern and not too traditional),” the homeowner explains.

“We feel Italian contemporary is a blend of modern and classic design,” she says. “Instead of tons of artwork, this type of design lets luxurious materials like the stone, wood, fabrics, marble and leather and unique lighting fixtures act as artwork in a minimalist way.”

Kitchen Exquisite Kitchen Design’s Mikal Otten designed the kitchen, where a Holly Hunt Eclipse pendant light casts a glow over an extended island with Minotti Amélie stools. The vent hood features silver Macaubas quartzite. | Photo: Susie Brenner

While the homeowner guided the overall interior design, she also collaborated with Monica Lozano, design consultant at Denver’s Decorative Materials, who provided her expert knowledge of the renowned design firm Salvatori. “This brand has deep roots in the history of Italian style, innovation and luxury designed with natural stone,” Lozano says.

The company’s creations range from wall and floor tiles to furniture, bathtubs, wash basins, lighting and accessories right down to details like soap dishes. Lozano’s goal was to connect materials to complement the home’s relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, with open and airy interiors, floor-to-ceiling windows and broad doorways. “Each of the spaces flowed very well architecturally into one another, so it was important to maintain this visual fluidity with the sense of style inspired by Salvatori,” says Lozano.

Living Room Walnut adds warmth to a tall space furnished with a Minotti sofa, armchairs, coffee table, ottoman and rug. | Photo: Susie Brenner

Each room’s bold stone surfaces, furnishings and fixtures exude strength and beauty, with an opulent yet warm color palette focused on shades of black, cream, taupe and green, along with metal accents and the occasional pop of color. “The neutral tones are fresh and timeless while the textures make them look modern and unique,” the homeowner says. Mikal Otten, the award-winning owner and lead designer of Denver’s EKD (Exquisite Kitchen Design), designed the sleek and sophisticated kitchen.

Primary Bedroom The Salvatori CNC headboard along with bespoke linens create a luxurious hotel feel in the main bedroom. | Photo: Susie Brenner

Nearby, a 20-foot-tall, two-sided fireplace clad in Salvatori’s Pietra d’Avola textured limestone anchors the great room, providing a divider between a living room on one side and den with a custom interior-lit Poliform bookcase on the other. Porcelain flooring on the main level extends to the outdoor living area, and the homeowners selected elegant Italian furniture by Minotti for both indoor spaces and exterior decks, providing a seamless stylistic continuity.

The homeowner next chose unconventional lighting fixtures to bring personality to each space. “The majority of lighting also came from Europe, so it kept with the Modern Italian feel yet had an artistic presence to the room,” she explains.

Powder Room A Salvatori CNC Pietra d’Avola limestone-covered wall is the backdrop for a Salvatori Stiletto wash basin, Mirari mirror and Silo pendant lamp. | Photo: Susie Brenner

The primary bedroom and spa-like bathroom showcase elegant stonework, with a Salvatori tile headboard, fireplace surround and accent wall balanced by ribbed walnut wood accents. “Each space has its own dramatic focal point; in the bedroom it’s the Salvatori CNC headboard, and in the bath it’s the Salvatori Ishiburo tub wall—such a serene retreat,” says Lozano.

“It was a culmination of so many textures that kept an understated elegance, and where the materials became the artwork.” And in this Italian-inspired and subtly sophisticated home, spending each day surrounded by artwork becomes the essence of la dolce vita.

Primary Bathroom Serene and spa-like, Salvatori’s Crema d’Orcia Aura stone parquet flooring harmonizes with an Ishiburo Crema d’Orcia Aura wall beside a freestanding tub. Wall-mounted Adda basins, hooks, towel racks and even the toothbrush tumbler are also by Salvatori. | Photo: Susie Brenner

DESIGN DETAILS

Interior Design: The Homeowner with Decorative Materials
Kitchen Design: Exquisite Kitchen Design