Back to blog

Embracing the Arts in Architecture

Fine art. Winemaking. Music. A true champion of the arts, Rowland+Broughton is particularly agile at creatively housing and displaying a wide variety of art forms. Whether designing private homes, art institutions or even restaurants, we are sensitive to how the arts may inform architecture and how architecture complements the art forms within.

 

Take The Lookout residence, for instance. For Aspen clients with ties to the international art world, and who had amassed a considerable private collection, architecture and design was purposefully accomplished with placement of art works in mind. An interior stair landing with a wire-mesh floor was inspired by a detail at the San Francisco Museum of Art. The stair itself winds dramatically around a significant sculpture by artist Wim Botha, emphasizing its stature and worth.

 

 

Another Aspen residence, Art Barn, was designed with the philanthropic efforts of the clients in mind. There, gallery space on each of two levels is designed to display a vast range of video art arrangements, and a flexible great room easily encompasses musicals, dinner parties and other philanthropic events.

 

 

In an exclusive Denver neighborhood, Modern Prairie responds to the historic context of the surrounding landscape as well as the owner’s musical proclivity and passion. While R+B’s modern take on the Prairie Style of architecture reconciles the current-day demand for high ceilings and modern construction techniques, floor-to-ceiling windows and doors punctuating the horizontal bands of the façade were inspired by Musical Instrumental Digital Interface wavetables. These patterns of digital music inspired interior detailing as well.

 

 

Crossing over into the commercial realm, our team assisted two Carbondale, Colorado, non-profits, Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities and Dance initiative, to acquire the lease for and initiate the design of The Launchpad. An all-encompassing ‘Space for the Arts,’ the 3,400 square foot structure includes two professional performing arts studios, an art gallery, a promenade, and a boutique offering the works of local artists.

 

 

On the hospitality side, we partnered with New York design firm Bentel & Bentel to design the interiors of the elegant Element 47 restaurant within Aspen’s renowned Little Nell hotel. Special attention was paid to displaying large works of art by distinguished local and national artists, such as Michelle Grabner, Cameron Martin, Angel Otero, Scott Reder, Philip Vanderhyden and José Lerma. Specially designed, ceiling-height glass cases behind the bar and in a private dining room showcase the art of winemaking and encourage selections from the restaurant’s Wine Spectator Award-winning list.