Villa Soul
My first love is Spanish Colonial art,” says Julie Anderies, an independent art historian and researcher whose declaration is no surprise to anyone who’s been inside her home. With the help of architect Jon Hindlemann, designer Stephen Kohlbeck and builder Bob Knepper, Julie and her husband Joe have created a uniquely personal home that showcases the couple’s enviable collection of art and antiques gathered over several decades of travel. Referencing the vernacular of traditional Spanish architecture, the home blends easily with the historic houses in and around Denver’s Observatory Park.“We love this neighborhood, and I’d always wanted to live in a home with a courtyard,” Anderies says.
“When we found a rare double lot for sale here in 2006, we decided to buy it and scrape the existing house so we could build a new home that really suited us.” The couple had been friends with Jon Hindlemann for many years, and there was no question that he would be the architect.
“The home’s Old-World style really begins at the curb,” says Hindlemann. “We went to great lengths to remain true to a Mediterranean aesthetic, which in turn influenced the materials palette of stone and stucco, and the exterior details like the balcony, the arched windows, the rustic doors, the clay tile roof, and even the landscaping.”
The 4,200-square-foot, four-bedroom home was designed around a central courtyard into which many of the main floor interior rooms open—including an office for Julie and a music room for Joe, a professional musician. Knepper Construction broke ground a year after the couple purchased the lot, and as the building progressed Hindlemann incorporated numerous vintage architectural elements into the home—many salvaged by La Puerta Originals of Santa Fe.
Ancient gates showing vestiges of original turquoise paint lead to the entrance, and the foyer is framed with a pair of old carved wood columns; one hides a load-bearing beam. Hindlemann specified a custom door width for the dining room to accommodate a vintage wooden arch, and designed the kitchen around a massive, custom island built from old doors.
The couple turned to Stephen Kohlbeck of Tilde Design to help them create the home’s interiors. “Our goal was to design a warm, textural environment,” Kohlbeck says. “The home started as Spanish Colonial and evolved into what I describe as ‘Moorish Moroccan.’ We went on several buying trips to source antiques and reclaimed items, and used many handcrafted elements throughout the home, from Venetian plaster walls to hand-painted tiles.”
In addition to helping the couple display their art collection to its greatest advantage and incorporate their many antiques, Kohlbeck also designed several custom furniture pieces, including a stunning master bedroom headboard built from a 17th Century church altar.Hindlemann designed the home with tall ceilings and abundant wall space, in order to create a gallery setting to display the Anderies’ paintings, sculptures and other artworks. “I tend to gravitate toward the modern, mid-century period,” Anderies says of her taste in art. “Although my expertise is in the art of the Southwest, we have many pieces from Colorado artists. We also have a friend who owns a gallery and loans us art on a rotating basis, which keeps things interesting.
”When the courtyard doors are open, fresh air flows through the house—often accompanied by the jazz notes of Joe practicing his saxophone or flute in the music room.“You might say there’s a confluence of the arts coming together here,” Hindlemann says. “This home is really a canvas for Joe and Julie’s lifestyle.”
