Roll Out the Red-ish Carpet

Introducing our 2019 Circle of Excellence winners + what I'm loving right now

Circle of Excellence is CH&L’s version of the Academy Awards broadcast—with a few differences. Obviously, we’re honoring design, not entertainment. And it’s Colorado, so couture would be out of place. 

As with the Oscars, we are thrilled to celebrate creators at the peak of their craft. Our added components include a long game (more than a decade of work in our state), generosity in the communities where they live and a commitment to mentoring.

Every March, we open the envelope to reveal our honorees. This year, the winners are: architects Scott Lindenau (Studio B) and Stephen Hentschel (Mandil Inc.), designers Kimberly Timmons-Beutner (KTI) and Andrea Schumacher (Andrea Schumacher Interiors), and landscape architect Phil Steinhauer (Designscapes Colorado). We offer a heartfelt thank-you to all who shared their work with us, as well as a tribute to the Class of 2019 for your talent and diligence in elevating Colorado design. 

Another issue highlight: the witty observations of design legend and self-described geriatric starlet Iris Apfel. And please don’t miss our last page: Coloradan Pam Houston’s new book, Deep Creek, came upon my desk, and I left work early to go home and finish it. Her first work, Cowboys Are My Weakness, came out in 1993. Soon after, she bought 120 acres near Creede, and this memoir is the story of her life and her 25 years on the ranch. It’s an amazing tale of a tough-as-weather survivor, as well as a reminder of what we Coloradans hold dear and need to protect. 

And just in case you need more comfortable seating for reading—or for the actual Oscars (Feb. 24)—we’ve got five pages of furniture and lighting.

Beads for the Soul 
Not sure what chakra is associated with happiness, but I don’t really care. These malas just make me happy.They come in varieties of colors but I went for this all-green one. I enjoy the sound all those beads make around my neck or when I run them through my fingers in lieu of worry beads. ( I like to think of them as Jewish Rosary.) They’re made by lovely Boulderites Kim Richter and Kate Kellogg. Malas start at $78. For one that speaks to your personal fancy, go to radiantmalas.com.

To the Extremes
Northern Comfort: The Nordic Art of Creative Living (Gestalten, $60) reads like a cultural travelogue for all things Scandinavian, from saunas to salt. As you experience its pages, a visceral sense of place emerges. Among its many treasures is a tour through the midcentury-modern home of the late Danish designer Finn Juhl. Juhl’s suburban Copenhagen residence is a testament to midcentury nonfussiness and radiates the warmth of a well-worn (and loved) space. On the flip side of the rainbow, Sig Bergamin Maximalism (Assouline, $85) is an over-the-top ode to the Brazilian designer’s work. It’s about plenty—and then some. There’s genius (and heart)  in his plenty and his globally-inspired designs. In the dedication, Bergamin honors his partner Murilo Lomas and writes: “[He is] someone who, just like me [and Frank Lloyd Wright], believes ‘less is only more when more is no good.’”