A True Classic: A Greenwood Village Home Reimagined With Timeless Elegance

Kitchen “I survived the small kitchen with four children, then we did a 100-percent gut,” says Rogan. It has Calcutta Gold Marble counter­tops from Daltile, and Elmwood Custom Cabinetry from Kitchen Show­case, with vintage pendant lamps. | Photo: Eric Lucero

When you’re an interior designer, you know all the ins and outs of making a house into a home—so that it turns out both elegant and cozy, and both family-friendly and great for entertaining. That’s the case with this Greenwood Village house, which Susan Rogan, of Rogan Adams Design, has carefully remodeled over the years—often with the help of builder Steve Johnston—as she and her husband raised their four kids there.

When Rogan and her husband moved to Denver from Alabama and bought the circa-1976 house in the Sundance Hills neighborhood, she liked its “French Country–New Orleans feel,” along with the open, two-story living room. What she didn’t like as much: “Everything was closed off—there were doors everywhere.”

Entryway The raised entryway (in background at left) has remained the same during remodels. Rogan’s kids used to use it as a stage for performances, with accompaniment on the grand piano. | Photo: Eric Lucero

So she set about opening it up (and then opening it up some more), doing an addition over the garage about 20 years ago to add a rec room, bedroom and bath; moving the basement stairs to enlarge the kitchen; downsizing the dining room to add a mudroom; replacing the flooring throughout with red oak; and adding in sweet details like wains­coting below the double-sided stairway in the living room.

The remodel “just naturally flowed,” Rogan says. “And the more projects I did, the more it helped.” The kids are now grown (one lives a few doors away, with Rogan’s three grandkids), and the house has become just what she wanted all along: traditional and sophisticated, but also warm and welcoming.

Living Room “I wanted a room that was comfortable and usable for children, but a little elegant, too,” says Rogan. The oversize wingback leather chairs are from Norwalk Furniture, the coffee table from Four Hands, and the rug from RH. | Photo: Eric Lucero

“I like a little more formal house, and I love the formal feel of the living room,” says Rogan. “And it’s a wonderful entertaining house. We’ve had some really good parties here! When they were young, our kids always used the raised foyer as their stage. We have a lovely piano up there, so there were a lot of performances going on.

“The house is comfortable. It has a great flow. It has a main-floor master (with four more bedrooms upstairs), which is hard to find.” The house also feels both fresh and vintage, as if the pieces have lived in the spaces forever. “I like things that have history as well as mixing in some modern pieces,” Rogan says. But she is also practical. Take, for example, the large leather wingback chairs in the living room. They’re beautiful—and “sticky fingers (from kids and now grandkids) can’t ruin them.”

Dining Room “I like a really formal dining room,” says Rogan. “If you’re going to sit in there, it should be fancy.” This one has a vintage Henredon table, Jonathan Charles chairs, Arteriors onyx sconces and Thibaut grass-cloth wallcovering. | Photo: Eric Lucero

That mix of design and pragmatism has served Rogan well at her interior design firm, which she runs with Kristen Adams. “I started doing interior design for friends, and then Kristen and I met through a neighbor,” says Rogan. “I was doing a project on my street and asked her if she wanted to join. It’s really nice to have somebody to bounce everything off of.”

Through the years, Rogan has learned a lot of lessons about how to do remodels the right way. “Patience is important. Put in the work, and the outcome will be worth it. Pick the right people, and don’t be afraid to pay for their services. Finally, go with what you’re comfortable with, because a remodel is an incredible amount of work—you want every little detail to be right.”

Family Room “This is where we live,” says Rogan. She painted the woodwork and walls the same color (Sherwin-Williams Aesthetic White)—“like in Emily in Paris. ” The slipcovered, washable sofas and swivel chair are from Rowe Furniture. | Photo: Eric Lucero

Patio Rogan replaced a small concrete pad with the flagstone patio and added a large fire pit. She prefers the French doors to sliders. “When we’re entertaining, we definitely utilize the flow really well.” | Photo: Eric Lucero

Living Room Bar The bar “is like a hidden gem,” Rogan says. “You wouldn’t know it was there unless the doors were opened.” She put in the cabinets, coun­tertop and wall­paper to create the look of an English bar. “It’s fun, unique and elevated.” | Photo: Eric Lucero

Design Details

Interior Design: Rogan Adams Design
Kitchen Design: The Kitchen Showcase 

As featured in Colorado Homes & Lifestyles January/ February 2026 issue.